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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 2023 NPC MRC First DRAFT Meeting Summary NPC MRC 2/21/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 1 February 21, 2023 NPC MRC 1st Draft Meeting Summary The Tuesday, February 21, 2023 NPC MRC meeting took place by Zoom connection from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (no audio recording was available at the time of minute compilation). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Wendy Feltham (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Scientific Community), Rod Fleck (City of Forks), Jennifer Hagen (Quileute Tribe Representative), John Hunter (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Conservation / Environmental Groups, Katie Krueger (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Scientific Community), Rebecca Mahan (Clallam County Representative), Ian Miller (Washington Sea Grant, Ex. Officio Representative), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Representative, Coordinator / Facilitator), Alice Ryan (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Recreational Groups), and Jill Silver (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Conservation / Environmental Groups). A quorum was present at the beginning of the meeting. Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting), Ashley D’Antonio (Oregon State University [OSU]), Lee First (Twin Harbors Waterkeeper), Lara Jacobs (PhD Student, OSU), Nancy Messmer (Citizen), Roy Morris (Citizen), Kris Northcut (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife), Peter Rhines (Citizen), Martin Thiel (Catholic University of the North), Chris Waldbillig ([WDFW]) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments Lee First announced a new grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a student and teacher training program called “Muddy Boots in Your Watershed.” John Hunter said that the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary had started a series of public scoping meetings for their management plan review; the meetings would be held in Pacific Beach, Forks, and Neah Bay. John also announced the upcoming Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators conference; they are looking for presenters. More information can be found at: https://www.marine-ed.org/conference/2023. Alice Ryan reported that her students have been participating in the Coastal Observation and Seabird Study Team (COASST) program, identifying dead and trapped storm petrels. Tami Pokorny said that there would be a Sea Level Rise Study today at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Rebecca Mahan noted that the Clallam County MRC and Shore Friendly would be conducting a workshop at the Dungeness River Center on 3/11/23. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda The agenda was approved by consensus. Approval of the January 2023 NPC MRC Meeting Summary Wendy Feltham offered a correction to the European green crab paragraph. The January 2023 NPC MRC Summary was approved by consensus with this correction. Announcements NPC MRC 2/21/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 2 Announcements were made during the Public Comments section of the meeting. Old Business There was no Old Business. New Business Ocean Travelers Citizen Science Program (Viajeros del Oceano) Dr Martin Thiel with Catholic University of the North in Coquimbo, Chile, presented on the Ocean Travelers project, which studies how marine species are being dispersed on floating litter. The project began with an interest in floating things, studying floating kelp and how kelp transports items, and then shifted to floating litter, which scientists had not looked at before. In 2007, the project Cientificos de la Bascura en la Playa (“litter scientists on the beach”) was started, focusing on where litter came from and who was arriving on it. Forty-six schools in Central and South America participated in the original project. They found that the highest proportion of litter was without organisms, because it did not pass an extended period at sea or travel for a long distance in the current; this indicates that most litter comes from local sources. Marine debris was also found to be a potential pathway for invasive species. These findings led to the Ocean Travelers project, which was developed to investigate the litter that carried organisms. This project involves collaborators from around the world, some of whom are Alice Ryan’s students, who collect marine debris from over 450 beaches. The volunteers test it for whether it floats and whether organisms are present and organize it by type. The data is validated by photos. Dr Thiel gave some examples of dispersal of litter, and explained how currents and gulf stream patterns move marine debris. The two main categories of floating substrata are biotic (wood and macroalgae), and non-biotic (plastics and pumice). Organisms are being transported on both kinds of floating objects. They find primarily suspension-feeding organisms on plastics and pumice, and grazing organisms on seaweed and wood. Next steps in the project are to validate the data, and to make some calculations on litter items per person, percentages of floating litter, percentages of litter with epibionts, and types of epibionts. Data is shared with the public via the Ocean Travelers website: Ocean Travelers | aplixomarinho. The group discussed their appreciation for the project, types of marine debris collected, climate change patterns, garbage patch gyres, and several YouTube videos produced by the Cientificos de la Bascura including the Sisterhood of the Turtles: (70) Audiobook - “The Sisterhood of the Turtles” - YouTube. Tracing the Pathogenic Impacts of Outdoor Recreation at Second and Third Beaches in Olympic National Park Lara Jacobs presented on her study of human waste in marine parks and protected areas. Most recreation ecology research focuses on terrestrial environments, with 25% of National Park managers considering human fecal waste disposal as a common problem as far back as 1993. Terrestrial studies have found that improper disposal contaminates waterways because shallow burial of feces in wildland settings does not lead to timely destruction of fecal coliform pathogens. Coliform levels correlate with human activity and infections in local animals as antibiotic-resistant bacteria are passed into the environment. Pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria levels are very site-specific, so research does not always apply across ecosystems and sites. Until now, no data has been available from marine environments. The overarching issue for Lara’s study is the human waste disposal problem due to increased outdoor recreation at Second and Third Beaches in La Push. Her research asked the question: To what degree does the increased prevalence of human fecal matter in these areas play a role in contaminating the surrounding marine ecosystem? To answer this question, Lara installed infrared trail counters at the trailheads between 7/16/21 and 8/17/21. Counts were between almost 400 to around 1300 people per day; most days did not fall below 600 people per day. Campers tended to congregate at trailheads, leading to fecal matter hotspots. Spatial tracking showed that the hottest latrine spots were near trailheads and along the forest. Sampling and cellular methods looked at the genotype and phenotype of E coli. The genotype is the genetic code and makeup, while the phenotype is the expression of the genotype that can be observed. Phenotypic testing studied antibiotic resistance and susceptibility; a large amount of isolates were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, with a smaller amount of isolates resistant to trimethoprim NPC MRC 2/21/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 3 sulfamethoxazole. Resistance to multi drugs is still being analyzed. The data indicated that Second Beach had more antibiotic resistance than Third Beach. Genetic source tracking showed that 80% of the samples were positive for at least one human marker, but that does not mean that the other 20% of the samples were not also from humans. Lara noted that not all E coli bacteria are bad or cause disease. Understanding the virulence and pathogenicity of the bacteria is the next step and will require further study. So far, the data shows that most of the bacteria can be traced back to human fecal matter; antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found in the soil, sand, and waters in marine environments; and depositing human fecal matter in marine areas, even when buried, does leave traces. However, this is all preventable with better waste disposal. Discussion followed on management implications to the Olympic National Park, and the practice of packing out human waste. Scoresheet Discussion This item was skipped due to lack of time. Updates Coast MRC Update Chris Walbillig encouraged the NPC MRC to be thinking about next year and budget planning. The funding will be static but should be close to the past funding round amount. He noted that there is additional funding available to close out the current round if there are projects that need some extra support to wrap up. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) The next meeting is scheduled for 3/8/23. WCMAC meeting materials can be found at the Ecology website: Department of Ecology - Committees, Boards, and Workgroups (wa.gov). Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council The last meeting was held on 1/10/23 in Port Angeles. West Coast Ocean Alliance Jennifer Hagen announced that a facilitator had been hired. Invasive European Green Crab This item was skipped. Marine Debris This item was addressed earlier in the meeting during Dr Thiel’s presentation. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) This item was skipped. Administrative Update This item was skipped. Next Agenda (March 21, 2023): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 3/21/23. Public Comments/General There were no public comments. Adjourn at 6:00 PM Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting).