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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20180515_NPCMRCMtgSummFNPC MRC 5/15/2018 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 May 15th, 2018 NPC MRC Final Meeting Summary The Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Hemlock Forest Room, UW Olympic Natural Resources Center (ONRC), at 1455 S Forks Avenue, Forks, WA from 4:03 (02:59:18 on the audio counter) to 6:00 PM (the recording failed at 5:48 PM [04:44:15]). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Rod Fleck (City of Forks), John Hunter (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Education), Katie Krueger (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Science), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Rep., Coordinator/Facilitator), Jill Silver (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County – Conservation/Environment) and Chiggers Stokes (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Recreational Groups). A quorum was not present at the beginning of the meeting. Also present were Ian Miller (WA Sea Grant), Tommy Moore (Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission [NWIFC]), Rich Osborne (Coast Salmon Partnership [CSP]) and Alice Ryan (Quileute Tribal School). Introductions Public Comments There were no public comments. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda This was postponed as a quorum was not present. When a quorum was established, Jill Silver’s presentation was removed from the agenda. The agenda was approved by consensus with changes. Approval of the April Meeting Summary This was skipped as a quorum was not present. When a quorum was established, the April Meeting Summary was approved by consensus, with a correction from Katie Krueger on the spelling of the Quillayute, not Quileute, Road. Announcements Tami Pokorny announced the Pacific County Science Conference on 5/19/18; Kelping the Sea on 5/16/18; and an ocean acidification webinar for MRC members on 5/22/18. She also went over plans for the West End Natural Resources Newsletter; *article drafts should be in to Tami by the end of the month. Old Business RainFest 2018 Followup Tami Pokorny and Rod Fleck updated the group on how RainFest went: there was a great turnout for the river floats hosted by the Guides Association; Forkestra members made such a difference playing for the parade; and the Film Festival was terrific again. Ian Miller went over some ideas for next year’s Film Fest, including having local high school and college students do the review process for the films; having a designated food coordinator; having a media coordinator especially focused on Forks media outlets; and hiring a student intern to handle the social media for the event. He would like to encourage more film submissions from students, and discussed the student internship program that the Clallam County MRC uses. Donations for the Film Festival bake sale were given to the student ROV club. NPC MRC 5/15/2018 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 At this point in the meeting, a quorum was established. The group returned to changes to the agenda and the April Meeting Summary. Joint Meeting with Clallam MRC The best joint meeting date for the Clallam MRC is 7/20/18. Katie Krueger reported a positive experience with the Clallam MRC in the past. Rich Osborne announced that 7/20/18 is also the date of the next Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting in Bremerton, which will likely be a conflict. *Tami Pokorny will let the Clallam MRC know about the conflict in case other meeting dates are available. Pleistocene Guide Update Tami Pokorny reached out to the Jefferson Land Trust geology group, who is interested in putting together a field trip with Chiggers Stokes. *Chiggers asked to be put in touch with them. Ian Miller was asked to review the draft report Olympic National Park Coastal Geomorphology, in which numerous references are made to providing more support for dating wood on the coast. Chiggers said he will draft a letter to the Park that he will bring to the NPC MRC regarding a display of the Pleistocene wood, but reconsidered later in the agenda during the discussion on Remaining Funds. MRC Resolution Update Tami Pokorny asked for volunteers for a subcommittee to work on adding official ex officio seats to the NPC MRC members list. It was revealed that the Washington Sea Grant and CSP seats have never been officially approved by the Boards of County Commissioners. The Committee was also interested in adding an ex officio seat for the ONRC. *Katie Krueger and Deborah Kucipeck volunteered. New Business How is Forks a Coastal City? Rod Fleck, City Planner for the City of Forks for 24 years, gave a presentation on the history of Forks’ interactivity with the coast. The settlement at Forks historically used La Push as a transportation corridor to tie into a multinational trade route, and also interacted with the port at Neah Bay and the Quileute Tribe. A member from the Forks City Council has always been involved with the North of Falcon process, which is integrative management of ocean fisheries on the northwest coast of the US and Canada. The suggestion in recent years to close the Coast Guard station in La Push led to an evaluation of the economic impact that the coast, Coast Guard and fishing fleet had on the City of Forks. It was concluded that around 1/6th of the economic sector of Forks was involved with the fishing fleet. Emphasis on connecting the student community in Forks with the coast has been ongoing for a decades. The City has remained focused on participating in the economic jurisdiction of the whole West End. Katie Krueger asked to be on the record as having a different experience from Rod with the Coast Guard; she related that the Tribe was not unanimous in wanting the Coast Guard to leave La Push, and Tribal Council support was necessary for the Coast Guard station to remain in La Push. Conversation on Stormwater/LID Jill Silver’s presentation was postponed for another agenda. Allocation Process for Remaining Funds The remaining funds come to $14,939.55, and must be spent out by early June 2019 at the latest. Tami Pokorny asked whether the City of Forks would consider installing an electric car charging station; Rod Fleck said one was already going in at the Transit Center. Other ideas were discussed, including possible solar ray installation Forks; contributing to the student ROV club; pre-paying a deposit for facilities for the MRC Summit; travel expenses; amending existing project contracts to give sponsors more funding; piloting a paid internship; bringing in experts to present on issues the NPC MRC is interested in; putting out an RFP for biogas generators, kiosks at trail heads that dispense biodegradable bags for human and pet waste with composting facilities; funding another film on the history of the local human interaction with the coast; and producing and distributing a brochure on the Pleistocene wood deposits on the coast. *Tami asked each member to put together an idea for the remaining NPC MRC 5/15/2018 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 funds that they can bring back to the group at the next meeting. Favorite ideas were the biogas generator, student intern, Pleistocene brochure, solar ray panels and the film. *Tami will also send out an email to the NPC MRC members for feedback from those who were not present for the meeting. At this point in the meeting, the recording failed (04:44:15). MRC Presentation to West End Business and Professional Association A presentation to the Association is anticipated for a Wednesday in June. MRC Summit 2018 The proposed dates for the summer in Grays Harbor are October 25-27 or November 29 to December 1. Updates Orca Task Force Delayed. Marine Debris (All) There was nothing new to report. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council/Marine Spatial Planning Comments on the Marine Spatial Plan were published on the WCMAC website. The last meeting was held on 3/28/18 in Aberdeen. The Council is trying to decide how to move forward for coastal resiliency. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council The next meeting is scheduled for 5/18/18 in La Push. West Coast Ocean Partnership There was nothing new to report. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) There was nothing new to report. Administration and Fiscal Agent Update This was discussed under the Remaining Funds discussion. Next Agenda (June 19th): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held at the ONRC in Forks on June 19th. Public Comments/General Adjourn at 6:00 PM (00:00:00 on the counter) Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks. *West End Natural Resources Newsletter article drafts should be in to Tami Pokorny by the end of the month. *Tami will let the Clallam MRC know about the conflict in case other meeting dates are available. *Chiggers Stokes asked to be put in touch with the Jefferson Land Trust geology club. *Katie Krueger and Deborah Kucipeck volunteered for the subcommittee to work on adding ex officio seats to the NPC MRC. NPC MRC 5/15/2018 FINAL Meeting Summary 4 *Tami asked each member to put together an idea for the remaining funds that they can bring back to the group at the next meeting. *Tami will also send out an email to the NPC MRC members for feedback from those who were not present for the meeting.