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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 2023 NPC MRC First DRAFT Meeting Summary NPC MRC 4/18/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 1 April 18, 2023 NPC MRC 1st Draft Meeting Summary The Tuesday, April 18, 2023 NPC MRC meeting took place by Zoom connection from 4:00 PM to 6:02 PM ([00:00:01] to [01:59:04]). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Chris Butler-Minor (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary [OCNMS]), Wendy Feltham (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Scientific Community), 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), and Alice Ryan (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Recreational Groups). A quorum was present at the beginning of the meeting. Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting), Lee First (Twin Harbors Waterkeeper), Megan Juran (Washington CoastSavers), Jenny Waddell (OCNMS), and Haley Wilson (OCNMS) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments There were no public comments. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda The agenda was approved by consensus. Approval of the March 2023 NPC MRC Meeting Summary The March 2023 NPC MRC Meeting Summary was approved by consensus. Announcements Chris Butler-Minor announced that the next meeting for the OCNMS Advisory Council will not be held in Tahola; she will distribute the new meeting location when it is decided. Lee First gave an update on the remote marine debris cache cleanups north of Tahola. Twenty-one volunteers hauled out 1380 pounds of debris over two days. The highlight was finding a trolling net across a river, which they were able to cut into pieces small enough to carry out. Pacific Shellfish provided the dumpster and two volunteers. Megan Juran announced the Coastal Cleanup this coming weekend for Earth Day. One area that does not have any volunteers yet is the Hoh River; *if anyone is interested in volunteering, Megan will coordinate that with the Hoh Tribe. The central coast was removed from the effort this year due to low levels of volunteers and debris. Locals tend to care for those beaches on their own. The Port Townsend Science Center is organizing Port Townsend beaches. Old Business Storm Petrel Opportunity NPC MRC 4/18/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 2 Haley Wilson and Jenny Waddell led continued discussion on the opportunity for an NPC MRC field trip on the OCNMS research vessel Storm Petrel. The group discussed several available dates and sampling demonstrations that Jennifer Hagen and Ian Miller will give on the field trip. Jennifer has five plankton sampling sites from Teawhit Head to Cha’Ba, and Ian will collect sediment samples in a transect off of La Push. *Jennifer will apply for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration permit for the sediment samples. It was decided to set 5/31/23 as the primary date, with 6/1/23 as the backup date. Haley said that they had the capacity for 15 guests along with the Sanctuary crew. Haley will follow up with email. New Business Request for Proposals (RFP), Score Sheet, Timeline for 2023-2025 Tami Pokorny gave an overview of the timeline for the next project funding round. The NPC MRC has $75,000 available for projects every two years. The group reviewed the RFP, performance benchmarks and score sheet, and decided to move the calendar dates out by one month so that project scoring happens in September rather than August. Wendy Feltham moved to approve the NPC MRC RFP Calendar with the date change; Jennifer Hagen seconded. The motion passed without objections. The group went over some ideas for providing sponsors with feedback to help them develop their proposals more fully. Jennifer Hagen moved to require a pre-proposal for the NPC MRC project funding applications; John Hunter seconded. After discussion, the group agreed that project applicants will have one optional pre-proposal presentation with verbal feedback at the July NPC MRC meeting, so that sponsors can have the opportunity to refine their project proposals; formal presentations will take place at the August NPC MRC meeting. The motion passed without objections. *Tami will revise the RFP dates and bring the calendar back to the NPC MRC for the May meeting. Begin Bylaws and Ground Rules Review This item was skipped due to lack of time. Updates Coast MRC Update Chris Waldbillig was not present for an update. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) The next meeting is scheduled for 6/14/23. 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 next meeting is scheduled for 5/19/23. The location is still to be determined. West Coast Ocean Alliance Jennifer Hagen announced that the Alliance is focusing on the Data Dashboard for the Ocean Data Portal and hiring someone for that effort. Invasive European Green Crab Rebecca Mahan announced that Sea Grant and Washington State University will be hosting a training meeting for a pilot project on European green crab molt surveys using the MyCoast app. The pilot will be open to about 30 volunteers who are interested in science and data collecting. *Email Rebecca at Rebecca.mahan@clallamcountywa.gov if you are interested. John Hunter and Alice Ryan expressed interest. Wendy Feltham added that the European green crab volunteer team near Port Townsend has started back up for the season; she encouraged anyone interested to give it a try. There are 70 locations to participate in along the coast and Hood Canal. Megan Juran noted that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the NPC MRC 4/18/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 3 Grays Harbor Conservation District will be at the Twin Harbors State Park with the coastal cleanup, providing information on green crab management and community outreach. Marine Debris Megan Juran brought up the ongoing efforts towards the large-scale marine debris problem along the remote coastline. She is working with the Olympic National Park to complete the minimum requirement worksheet to remove the 2500 pound cache at Scott’s Bluff as well as some of the large debris in that area. For registration for the Spring cleanup at other Coastal and Strait beaches, volunteers may get up-to-date information at www.CoastSavers.org. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) Tami Pokorny distributed links from Katie Krueger to the Jetstream sites. Tami also mentioned the ChatGPT development. Administrative Update Tami Pokorny reported that Chris Waldbillig is processing the request for the workshop in Tahola. She is still waiting on several sponsors to submit their billings. The Storm Petrel trip will come out of the administration budget. Next Agenda (May 16, 2023): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 5/16/23 at the Peninsula College Forks campus. A Zoom option will also be available. Public Comments/General Megan Juran promoted the Coastal Cleanup this Saturday; it is important that CoastSavers meets their volunteer match requirement so that they are not required to return any funding. Adjourn at 6:02 PM Action Items: *If anyone is interested in volunteering to help with the Coastal Cleanup at the Hoh River beach, Megan Juran will coordinate that with the Hoh Tribe. *Jennifer Hagen will apply for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration permit for the sediment samples. *Tami Pokorny will revise the RFP dates and bring the calendar back to the NPC MRC for the May meeting. *Email Rebecca Mahan at Rebecca.mahan@clallamcountywa.gov if you are interested in participating in the European green crab molt surveys. Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting).