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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 06 18 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary.docxNPC MRC 6/18/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 June 18th, 2019 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary The Tuesday, June 18, 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 4:01 (00:01:25 on the audio counter) to 6:06 PM [02:05:15]. Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Jennifer Hagen (Quileute Tribe Rep.), John Hunter (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Conservation/Environmental Groups), Katie Krueger (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Scientific Community), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Rep., Coordinator/Facilitator) and Alice Ryan (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Recreational Groups). A quorum was present at the beginning of the meeting. Also present were Tyler Ahlgren (Citizen), Rebekah Brooks (ONRC), Frank Hanson (ONRC), Ian Miller (Washington Sea Grant), Rich Osborne (Coast Salmon Partnership) and Marcia Yanish (Forks Quilt Club). Introductions There was no quorum at the beginning of the meeting. Public Comments There were no public comments. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda Approval of the agenda was postponed until a quorum was present, then the agenda was approved by consensus. Approval of the May Meeting Summary Approval of the May Meeting Summary was postponed until a quorum was present; then the Summary was approved by consensus with the addition of Tiffany Peterson’s (Makah Tribe Water Quality) last name. Announcements Alice Ryan said that RainCon, the Comicon of Forks, was awesome. Old Business MRC Summit Planning Tami Pokorny presented the draft agenda for the MRC Summit, which is scheduled for 10/23/19 to 10/25/19, and will be hosted by the NPC MRC. Extra funding is not available, so NPC MRC project funding will need to be used to cover Summit expenses. The suggested agenda included a reception on Wednesday evening, presentations and catered meals at ONRC on Thursday, and a field trip to the Makah Museum and a Makah tour site in Neah Bay on Friday. The group discussed meal planning, presentations and other logistics. RainFest 2020 The NPC MRC and Marcia Yanish with the Forks Quilt Club discussed next year’s RainFest, and the possibility of combining it with the Arts Weekend. All agreed that sharing the weekend and a banner between the Arts NPC MRC 6/18/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 Weekend and the RainFest River and Ocean Days was a good idea. The also discussed making it all one weekend every year instead of the usual two. Newsletter Articles have been submitted for the next issue of the West End Natural Resources Newsletter. Tam Pokorny thanked everyone who contributed. *Katie Krueger said she will resend the link to Tami for access to her photos for the Newsletter. New Business Shoreline Dynamics on the Olympic Coast Ian Miller presented insight on what he found by tracking the shoreline for his project funded by the NPC MRC. His research asked how beaches maintain their shapes and positions, what factors lead beaches to fail, under what circumstances a beach can repair itself, and will beaches continue to do so. Because of a beach profile data gap for the north coast, Ian proposed augmenting an opportunistic data set he has been collecting since 2013 with routine surveys at Rialto and Kalaloch Beaches, and to assess the shoreline using time-lapse imagery. One of Ian’s research questions was to observe whether the north coast beaches followed the classic beach theory of sediment erosion in winter and increase in the summer by tracking the seasonal cycle of the shoreline. He found that Rialto had roughly six feet of vertical change along the shoreline, which was an impressive amount of variability. He also found a seasonal pattern in grain size, and collected a photo data set on grain size that could be used in future studies. Kalaloch seemed to somewhat follow the expected pattern of seasonal sediment erosion and accretion, but the possibility of a longer term trend of erosion was suggested. Rialto showed a downward trend of chronic erosion. Products and outcomes of Ian’s research will include an article for the West End Natural Resources Newsletter, published topography data in an open-access online data archive, a public presentation for the Olympic National Park, a presentation for the UW, publishing the grain size photos, adding data to the NANOOS data archive, and eventually writing a paper for publication. The group discussed the trend of erosion on north coast beaches and its implications. New Funding Cycle and RFP Development The group discussed the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP). The NPC MRC will have roughly the same amount of funding available as they had for the previous funding cycle, around $77,500. Tami Pokorny suggested the possibility of continuing some of the projects they funded in the last cycle. *Tami will email everyone the last RFP to review, and requested that the NPC MRC send her any ideas for the new RFP in time for the next meeting. They will finalize the RFP by the July or August NPC MRC Meeting. Updates Orca Task Force Rich Osborne attended the last meeting for the Working Group for Vessel Traffic and Noise. The last two meetings of the Task Force focused on what the outcomes were from the legislature, and how to fold climate change into year two of the Task Force. The Orca Task Force will be shut down in November with a final report. Tami Pokorny brought up the issue of recent gray whale fatalities. Rich confirmed that it was officially declared an “unusual mortality event,” which allows NOAA to access additional resources for the whales. The food resources in Alaska were not sufficient last summer, so the whales ended up going through their migration without good reserves. The dead whales have become a hazard for shipping traffic. One theory is that gray whales may have reached their carrying capacity. Rich also announced another unusual mortality event for bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico and said that marine mammals are some of the first victims of climate change. On a positive note, two Southern Resident calves were born this year. 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. Invasive European Green Crab: There was nothing new to report. NPC MRC 6/18/2019 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 Marine Debris (All): There was nothing new to report. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC)/Marine Spatial Planning: The last meeting was held on 6/12/19 in Aberdeen. Rich Osborne went over the agenda, which included reforming some of their work groups, a presentation from the Ruckelshaus Center on shoreline restoration and protection, and a presentation from the Sanctuary on ecosystem indicators. The WCMAC is in the process of listing ecosystem indicators for the coast. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: The last meeting was held on 5/17/19 in Forks. Sea Grant’s Kevin Decker gave a presentation on economics of the coastal counties, which was well received. West Coast Ocean Alliance: Jennifer Hagen said they are planning an in-person meeting for this fall, and an exchange with BC Nations that will involve a three-day meeting to exchange information and ideas. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC): There was nothing new to report since the April meeting. 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): Katie Krueger announced that Shell Oil has publicized that they are moving toward more alternative energy. Administration and Fiscal Agent Update: Tami Pokorny mentioned that there are two open Jefferson County citizen seats; one person has expressed interest. Next Agenda (July 16, 2019) The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held at the ONRC in Forks on 7/19/19, and will include work on the RFP and a possible speaker. Public Comments/General There were no public comments. Adjourn at 6:06 PM (02:05:15 on the counter) Action Items: *Katie Krueger said she will resend the link to Tami for access to her photos for the Newsletter. *Tami will email everyone the last RFP to review, and requested that the NPC MRC send her any ideas for the new RFP in time for the next meeting. Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks.