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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 10 03 CFFCOC Special Meeting Final Summary  * Decisions and action items are indicated in bold font. Members Present: Rob Harbour, Vice Chair, Interest – Working Lands; Richard Jahnke, Interest – Coastal Areas; E. Ryan McMackin, Interest – Wetlands; Joanne Pontrello, District 2; Jessica Randall, Interest – Ecosystem Services; Ron Rempel, Interest – Wildlife Conservation Biology; Dave Wilkinson, District 1 Members Absent: Mary Biskup, District 1; Guy Dobyns, District 3 County Staff Present: Tami Pokorny, Natural Resources Program Coordinator Others Present: Rebekah Brooks, Rebekah Brooks Contracting (recorder), Tom Ehrlichman (prospective member), Cheryl Lowe (prospective member) I. Call to Order Vice Chair Rob Harbour called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM. II. Welcome and Introductions III. Approval of Minutes Richard Jahnke moved to approve the JC CFCOC minutes for the 7/11/23 meeting as written; Joanne Pontrello seconded. The motion passed by consensus. IV. Guest Observer Comments None V. Sub-committee Reports Climate Change Group Jessica Randall reported that the group had been meeting with a representative from the Climate Action Committee on how the climate has been impacting open lands in the Pacific Northwest. The subcommittee plans to summarize the information into an educational pamphlet for JC CFCOC use, and to start looking at applications differently, with an eye toward how they might want to make changes over the following year. Program and Materials Group Ron Rempel said that the subcommittee had two recommendations to the JC CFCOC. The first recommendation was to not try to make major changes to the application for this funding round, but instead to offer a pre-application process prior to the field review so that sponsors could interact with the group more as partners with a clearer understanding of what the Committee was looking for. This would move up the release of the Request for Proposals in the CFCOC schedule. The second recommendation was to move the anadromous fish question in the application to the habitat and wildlife section. The consensus was to move forward with both recommendations. Ron Rempel moved to form another subcommittee to look at the scoring and ranking process over the next year so that changes could be ready for the following year; Dave Wilkinson seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Richard Jahnke and Ron volunteered to tentatively participate in the subcommittee, deferring to any new members who might be interested in participating. V. Old Business Recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for 2024 Cycle *Tami Pokorny will bring the updated CFCOC materials back for approval at the next meeting. New Draft Bylaws Richard Jahnke suggested changing the amount of time that the Chair can grant a leave of absence to accommodate a longer leave time. The wording was updated to: “not to exceed four meetings or approximately six months.” Dave Wilkinson led discussion on how to cite the environmental resource policies and reference the JC Comprehensive Plan. Tom Ehrlichman suggested changing the wording to “including, but not limited to…” with the specific mention of important documents. *Tami Pokorny will write up the suggested changes and bring the Bylaws back to the Committee for review at the next CFCOC meeting. VI. New Business Conservation Futures Fund Program Spreadsheet Jessica Randall presented her Conservation Futures Comparison Chart, which was still in development. She found a huge variation between counties in multiple areas, including award amounts, fund balances, acres protected, and involvement. Some groups had technical advisors or city representatives to help inform the committees in special areas. In looking at some effective outreach efforts by other counties, the group was inspired to develop promotional materials. The next step was to tidy up the data. Jessica welcomed involvement from other Committee members who might be interested in helping with the research. Tami Pokorny added that she attends a recurring statewide Conservation Futures meeting when it takes place. VII. Announcements/Administrative Staff Update Tami Pokorny reported that the Ruck Salmon Creek project was set to close in two days. The Quimper Trust Land transfer was held up in the attorney general’s office. There had been no public hearing on the 2023 projects yet due to staff capacity, but Tami received permission to help with the analysis. Once Tami’s draft analysis was completed, then it could be reviewed and go through the public hearing process. Cameron Jones had resigned from the JC CFFCOC yesterday; there were two additional seats open as well. Next Meeting The next JC CFCOC meeting was scheduled for 11/7/23. VII. Guest Observer Comments Rob Harbour mentioned that he and Tami Pokorny met with the county GIS department, who were enthusiastic about helping with the project storymap. Richard Jahnke noted that many of the farms at the farmer’s market were ones that had been supported by the JC CFCOC. Jessica Randall said that she could not guarantee her future participation in the Committee due to a recent medical diagnosis. Tom Ehrlichman commented that it was a pleasure sitting in on the meeting. Cheryl Lowe added that she was impressed with all the different areas that the Committee was handling. IX. Adjournment Vice Chair Rob Harbour adjourned the meeting at 5:45 PM. Meeting summary prepared by Rebekah Brooks. Action Items: *Tami Pokorny will bring the updated CFCOC materials back for approval at the next meeting. *Tami Pokorny will write up the suggested changes to the Bylaws and bring the them back to the Committee for review at the next CFCOC meeting. VII. Announcements/Administrative Staff Update Tami Pokorny reported that the Ruck Salmon Creek project was set to close in two days. The Quimper Trust Land transfer was held up in the attorney general’s office. There had been no public hearing on the 2023 projects yet due to staff capacity, but Tami received permission to help with the analysis. Once Tami’s draft analysis was completed, then it could be reviewed and go through the public hearing process. Cameron Jones had resigned from the JC CFFCOC yesterday; there were two additional seats open as well. Next Meeting The next JC CFCOC meeting was scheduled for 11/7/23. VII. Guest Observer Comments Rob Harbour mentioned that he and Tami Pokorny met with the county GIS department, who were enthusiastic about helping with the project storymap. Richard Jahnke noted that many of the farms at the farmer’s market were ones that had been supported by the JC CFCOC. Jessica Randall said that she could not guarantee her future participation in the Committee due to a recent medical diagnosis. Tom Ehrlichman commented that it was a pleasure sitting in on the meeting. Cheryl Lowe added that she was impressed with all the different areas that the Committee was handling. IX. Adjournment Vice Chair Rob Harbour adjourned the meeting at 5:45 PM. Meeting summary prepared by Rebekah Brooks. Action Items: *Tami Pokorny will bring the updated CFCOC materials back for approval at the next meeting. *Tami Pokorny will write up the suggested changes to the Bylaws and bring the them back to the Committee for review at the next CFCOC meeting.