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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 04 16 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary.docxNPC MRC 4/16/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 April 16th, 2019 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary The Tuesday, April 16, 2019 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Forest Hemlock Room, UW Olympic Natural Resources Center (ONRC), at 1455 S Forks Avenue, Forks, WA from 4:12 (00:03:40 on the audio counter) to 6:02 PM [01:54:00]. Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Rod Fleck (City of Forks), John Hunter (Citizen Rep., Clallam County –Conservation/Environmental Groups), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Rep., Coordinator/Facilitator), Alice Ryan (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Recreational Groups), Jill Silver (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County – Conservation/Environmental Groups) and Riley Smith (Makah Tribe Rep.). A quorum was present at the beginning of the meeting. Also present were Rebekah Brooks (ONRC), Frank Hanson (ONRC), Nicole Harris (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary), Heather Lewis (West Olympic Council of the Arts), Ian Miller (Washington Sea Grant) and Rich Osborne (Coast Salmon Partnership). Introductions Public Comments There were none. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda The agenda was approved by consensus without changes. Approval of the March Meeting Summary The Summary was approved by consensus as written. Announcements Jill Silver announced that members of the 10,000 Years Institute crew will be giving demonstrations to volunteers and public work staff on invasives treatment on 4/17/19 and 4/18/19. Old Business Nonpoint Pollution/Green Crab Projects Tami Pokorny reported that Jennifer Hagen still seems enthusiastic about supporting a water quality project at Second Beach or a green crab project, but Tami has not received any specifics yet. Video Workshop Tami Pokorny gave an overview of the schedule of the upcoming Video Workshop. Frank Hanson printed flyers for the event, and Tami distributed the announcement via email. Class instructor Shane Anderson submitted several films to the Film Fest. Tami said that it made more sense not to register for the class, so it is open to anyone who wishes to attend. MRC Summit Planning NPC MRC 4/16/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 There is a meeting with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in the works to discuss the NPC MRC and the MRC Summit. *If anyone would like to be involved, let Tami Pokorny know soon. RainFest River and Ocean Days Planning Heather Lewis said that they need volunteers to help with the umbrella decorating, which will take place from 9 AM to 12 PM on Saturday. There will be no parade this year due to the number of Easter-related activities on Saturday as well as a community celebration of life and the Coast Cleanup. The theme is “Working and Playing on the Coast.” Heather and Tami Pokorny went over multiple scheduled events for the weekend of 4/19/19 and 4/20/19, which will include the Film Fest, a poetry reading, a driftwood art display, natural resources displays, live music and an exhibition of student posters and marine art. The group discussed specific posters and displays. The bake sale fundraiser during the Film Fest is for the Forks Rovers this year; Kim Kearns will staff the bake sale table and provide some baked goods, but more donated bake sale items and beverages are needed. Heather mentioned some ideas for next year’s parade: planners are looking for ways to bring more people to Forks with more color, involvement and interesting floats, and avoiding political statements. Ian Miller went over the plans for Film Fest. A full film set was efficiently reviewed and approved by the review team. Two of the films are by Shane Anderson, and there are two by John Gussman. Newsletter Tami Pokorny discussed the potential articles and contributions for the West End Natural Resources Newsletter. *The due date for submissions is 5/1/19. Tami would like to send out articles for review before the next NPC MRC meeting [deadline has been extended to 6/1/19]. New Business Sanctuary/PEI Teacher Training This item was skipped until Nicole Harris was present. When Nicole arrived, she gave a presentation on the Ocean Science Teacher Professional Development that was conducted last July and funded by the NPC MRC. The workshop was on “Plankton Close to Home,” and was a cooperation between the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) and the Pacific Education Institute. Over a four-day workshop, teachers were given an introduction to plankton; a microscope overview; opportunities for sketching and journaling; instruction on how to build a plankton net; field trips for plankton collection at Lake Pleasant, the Calawah River and the La Push Marina; evaluations and evaluation tools; and multiple presentations. Rich Osborne gave a presentation on Plankton: Pathways to Orcas; Steve Fradkin gave a presentation on Freshwater Plankton. Overall it was a very successful workshop. Funding and time restrictions will probably prohibit a workshop this year, but Nicole is thinking of doing a workshop on data management in the classroom for teachers. John Hunter suggested that math teachers and secondary teachers be invited to that workshop as well as science teachers. Discussion followed on methods of plankton sampling, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and marine science education. Next, Nicole presented on the upcoming ROV Competition, which is an official Marine Advanced Technology Education Competition this year. The Competition is scheduled for 5/18/19; judges are now being recruited. On 3/16/19, a ROV workshop was held at ONRC for students and teachers, who attended from Taholah to Neah Bay. At the workshop, students shared successful ideas; worked on the poster and presentation element, which makes up 50% of their score; and were given access to the Forks High School ROV shop. The group discussed a ROV presentation for the MRC Summit, and coordinated the transportation of the OCNMS display for RainFest. Other Project Updates The PEI Teacher Training and ROV Competition projects were addressed by Nicole Harris in her presentation. John Hunter discussed some plans for the Forks High School Field Trips: the 9th grade class has their trip planned for April, and the marine science classes have theirs planned for June. If enough funding is left after those two trips, he wants to take the biology classes out to look at sea grasses. The water bottle filling station for the ICN building in Forks will arrive any day. The UW COASST dead birds project is on schedule; a presenter on the project will speak at the MRC Summit. Ian Miller said that the beach geomorphology project is proceeding. The Newsletter was already addressed. *Tami Pokorny requested all invoices by 6/11/19. John Hunter submitted a NPC MRC 4/16/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 proposal to put together a presentation on everything that is coming together in marine education to give at the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators Conference and the MRC Summit. Updates Orca Task Force Rich Osborne gave an update. The first Orca Task Force (OTF) meeting for 2019 was held in March; he was unable to attend. The next meeting is scheduled for 6/3/19, but the working groups will meet before that. Rich will be speaking on the OTF at the annual Willapa Science Conference on 4/27/19. The Clallam MRC is having a forum on orcas in Port Angeles on 5/10/19; Rich will be on the panel. He is also presenting on orcas at Peninsula College. Right now, the OTF is waiting to see how many of the Governor’s recommendations will end up with legislative funding. A discussion followed on the whale watching industry, hatcheries, and other elements of orca recovery. Last year’s actions and other associated documents can be found at the Governor’s Task Force webpage: https://www.governor.wa.gov/issues/issues/energy-environment/southern-resident-killer- whale-recovery-and-task-force. Marine Debris (All) The group discussed the Beach Cleanup next Saturday. Nicole Harris mentioned The Million Waves project, which uses recycled water bottles to make prosthetic limbs. While the program is not problem-free, OCNMS is going to partner with them again this year for the Beach Cleanup. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC)/Marine Spatial Planning The last meeting was held on 3/27/19 in Aberdeen and focused on coastal resiliency. Rich Osborne went over the agenda, which included a presentation on a coastal resiliency project with the Ruckelshaus Center and the Department of Ecology. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council The next meeting is scheduled for 5/17/19 in Forks, and will include discussion on a ROV presentation for the MRC Summit. West Coast Ocean Alliance Jennifer Hagen was not present for an update. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) The last meeting was held in Olympia on 4/10/19. The group reviewed the agenda. Good information can be found at their website: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Our-role-in-the-community/Partnerships- committees/Marine-Resources-Advisory-Council. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) There was nothing new to report. Administration and Fiscal Agent Update Tami Pokorny reported that Clallam County is potentially returning $3000 to $4000 that can hopefully be applied to Jennifer Hagen’s water quality project or to another project. Suggested ideas included green crab trapping gear, a larger newsletter, and a new banner for River and Ocean Days. Alice Ryan suggested waders, boots and raincoats to keep students dry on field trips; *she may send a proposal in requesting field trip funds. Tami also reminded the NPC MRC that two of the Jefferson County citizen seats are coming up for renewal. Next Agenda (May 21, 2019): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held at the ONRC in Forks on 5/21/19. The group discussed the possibility of having an innovative speaker give a presentation. Public Comments/General There were no public comments. NPC MRC 4/16/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 4 Adjourn at 6:02 PM (01:54:00 on the counter) Action Items: *If anyone would like to be involved with the meeting with WDFW, let Tami Pokorny know soon. *The due date for Newsletter submissions is 5/1/19 [revised to 6/1/19].. *Tami Pokorny requested all project invoices by 6/11/19. *Alice Ryan may send a proposal in requesting field trip funds. Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks.