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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20171017_NPCMRCMtgSumNPC MRC 10/17/2017 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 October 17th, 2017 NPC MRC 1st FINAL Meeting Summary The Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Hemlock Forest Room, Olympic National Resources Center, at 1455 Forks Avenue, Forks, WA from 4:07 (00:07:30 on the audio counter) to 6:09 PM. Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Rod Fleck (City of Forks), Jennifer Hagen (Quileute Tribe Rep.), John Hunter (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Education), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Ian Miller (Washington Sea Grant, Ex. Officio), Roy Morris (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Commercial Fishing), Rich Osborne (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Science), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Rep., Coordinator/Facilitator), and Jill Silver (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County – Conservation/Environment). Chris Brantley (Operations Petty Officer, US Coast Guard Station Quillayute River), Rebekah Brooks (ONRC), Frank Hanson (ONRC), Katie Krueger (Citizen), Nancy Messmer (Citizen) and Michael Rosotto (Quileute Tribe) were also present. Introductions Public Comments There were no public comments. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda The agenda was approved by consensus after a quorum was reached. Approval of the July and September Meeting Summaries The July and September Meeting Summaries were approved by consensus after a quorum was reached. Announcements Tami Pokorny announced that Senator Kevin Ranker and representatives of the Hoh and Makah Tribes participated in a trade mission regarding offshore energy in the Scottish Orkney Islands. She also announced an art contest on marine debris and ocean awareness and *will forward the information to Frank Hanson so he can send it out to local teachers. Frank announced that tonight’s ONRC Evening Talk was cancelled due to illness. Old Business 2017 Coast MRC Summit Update Tami Pokorny gave an update on the Summit draft agenda. *Attendees should make their reservations now. New Business USCG Station Quillayute River Operations Petty Officer Chris Brantley gave a presentation on the activities of the Coast Guard Station in La Push. The biggest issues they have are enforcing bar restrictions for inclement weather, wave height and Coast Guard navigation constraints. Seventy-one civilian vessels were boarded for regulations checks during the last fiscal year, and eight of them were forced to cancel their trips because they failed to comply with guidelines. The Station had a Cascadia Rising drill with their parent unit, the Coast Guard Base Seattle, in which the Quillayute NPC MRC 10/17/2017 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 River Station was counted as a ground loss in the case of an emergency tsunami situation. In the event of power and phone line loss, the Coast Guard relies on cell phones and an internal, all-digital communications center with a direct line to Sector Puget Sound. They also rely on weather apps Windyty, NOAA, Storm Surf and Tropical Tidbits. The group discussed high frequency radar, and the Coast Guard’s interfacing with the Navy and the Park in emergencies. WDFW MRC Coast Program Update – Amy Spoon This topic was moved up in the agenda to try to reach Amy Spoon by phone, but she was unavailable. Public Comment Rod Fleck had to leave the meeting early, but *requested that anyone who has a definition of or comment on the resiliency of the coastal community contact him or Rich Osborne; he and Rich are responsible to go back to the WCMAC with a definition. 2017-19 RFP Pre-proposals: Acceptance and Feedback The Committee discussed each project scope, with comments from the project sponsors who could be reached. *Tami Pokorny will respond to each sponsor by email with NPC MRC feedback. 1. UW Freshwater Ecology and Conservation Lab – Lauren Kuhne: Past, Present, and Future Olympic Peninsula Soundscapes: The project involves the use of high frequency recorders to collect sound data from wildlife, then analyzes the data and broadly communicates the implications of it. The group commented that it is an interesting project, but may not align with the marine focus of the NPC MRC. 2. PEI – Julie Tennis: Ocean Science Workshop: The project uses teacher stipends to build on topics that PEI has worked on in the past. The Committee appreciated the topics of stream health and the possible relation to marine plankton. They encouraged the sponsor to submit a full proposal. 3. UW COASST – Hillary Burgess: Life History and Death History: What Can Beached Birds Tell Us About Seabird Populations in Washington?: The NPC MRC agreed that the project seems to align with Committee benchmarks, but was curious about other possible funding sources. They encouraged the submission of a full proposal. 4. DNR OESF – Teodora Minkova: Environmental Monitoring in the Olympic Experimental State Forest: Hands-on Experience for High School Students: The project targets Forks High School students for training in scientifically sound monitoring methods and protocols in aquatic and riparian sites. The group commented that it was a great proposal, but the inland focus of the project is outside the NPC MRC marine focus. They are interested in the project, but it needs to be clearly related to the marine environment and the NPC MRC benchmarks. 5. LOSSC – Initiated by Ed Bowen (needs sponsor): Lake Ozette Sockeye Steering Committee Facilitation: The Committee concluded that they do not have enough resources to support such expensive facilitation, especially when there are other more directly-engaged proposals that deliver science that informs the work of the NPC MRC. They agreed that the project is not likely to be funded because it does not align with the NPC MRC benchmarks; the submission of a full proposal was not encouraged. 6. Ian Miller – Shoreline Dynamics on the Olympic Coast: What Does Normal Mean?: The project focuses on beach morphology and behavior profiles through time for Kalaloch and Rialto Beaches. The Committee responded positively to the project and agreed that it fit well with the NPC MRC benchmarks. They requested the submission of a full proposal to cover two years. 7. NOAA/UW COASST – Chris Butler-Minor: Olympic Coast Marine Debris Monitoring: The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and COASST want to partner on continued monitoring in order to categorize marine debris and educate the community. The Committee agreed that the project fit clearly within the NPC MRC benchmarks, but requested explanation of other possible funding sources and why NPC MRC funding is the best fit. They encouraged the submission of a full proposal. 2017-19 RFP Ranking Process: NPC MRC 10/17/2017 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 Tami Pokorny went over the upcoming RFP calendar: full proposals are due 11/13/17; project presentations will be on 11/21/17; NPC MRC feedback is due to project sponsors on 12/1/17. Discussion followed on the pre- proposals. Pre-proposal feedback will include reminding each sponsor to align with NPC MRC benchmarks and to explain other partners and alternate funding sources. Updates Marine Debris (All) The International Coastal Cleanup in September was smaller than the summer cleanup. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council/Marine Spatial Planning The last meeting was on September 23rd. The Marine Spatial Plan has been released; December 15th is the deadline for comments and is also the date for the next meeting. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Tami Pokorny showed the last meeting agenda. Katie Krueger commented on the interesting discussion on a vessel wreck working group. Several other presentations were also discussed. The next meeting is scheduled for December 8th and will be combined with the Inter-government Advisory Council for their annual joint meeting. West Coast Ocean Partnership Jennifer Hagen reported that the undersea cable mock project is still ongoing. The annual West Coast Regional Planning Body Meeting will be in December, in Long Beach on the Queen Mary and will involve a public component. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) Garrett Dalan sent out a newsletter last week. Fossil Fuels Related (All) Washington State Department of Ecology denied a water quality permit for the Millennium Coal Terminal’s proposed coal export terminal in Vancouver, BC. Jennifer Hagen announced a new workgroup put together by Ecology to assess the combined risk of ship and rail transport in Grays Harbor. Administration and Fiscal Agent Update Tami Pokorny announced that the contract with Fish and Wildlife for MRC funding is in process. As soon as the projects are selected, the contract will be amended to include project funding. A third citizen representative is still needed for Jefferson County. Roy Morris’ and Rich Osborne’s terms are coming to an end, so two Clallam County representatives are needed. Frank Hanson suggested posting an ad in the Forks Forum; *he will also send out an ad to his email distribution list. Next Agenda (November 21st): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held at ONRC on November 21st. The agenda will include project presentations and a brief look at the score sheet. Public Comments/General There were none. Adjourn at 6:09 PM (02:09:48 on the counter) Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks. *Tami Pokorny will forward information on an art contest on marine debris and ocean awareness to Frank Hanson so he can send it out to local teachers. *2017 Coast Summit Attendees should make their reservations now. NPC MRC 10/17/2017 FINAL Meeting Summary 4 *Anyone who has a definition of or comment on the resiliency of the coastal community, please contact Rod Fleck or Rich Osborne. *Tami Pokorny will respond to each sponsor by email with NPC MRC feedback. *Frank Hanson will send out an ad for the open seats on the NPC MRC to his email distribution list.