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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 01 11 CFFCOC Special Meeting Final Summary  * Decisions and action items are indicated in bold font. Members Present: Phil Andrus, District 2; Mary Biskup, District 1; Rob Harbour, Interest – Working Lands; Richard Jahnke, Interest – Coastal Areas; Joanne Pontrello, Chair, District 2; Ron Rempel, Interest – Wildlife Conservation Biology; Craig Schrader, Interest – Climate Change; Dave Seabrook, Vice Chair, Interest – Food Security; Dave Wilkinson, District 1 Members Absent: Scott Brinton, Interest – Agriculture; JD Gallant, District 3; Lorna Smith, Interest – Ecotourism County Staff Present: Tami Pokorny, Environmental Public Health Guests Present: Erik Kingfisher, Jefferson Land Trust (JLT); Sarah Spaeth, JLT I. Call to Order: Chair Joanne Pontrello called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM. II. Welcome and Introductions The Committee welcomed new member Ron Rempel. III. Approval of Minutes: *Mary Biskup noted some corrections to the section on the Sub-Committee Report in the September 8, 2020 minutes; she will email her notes to Tami for inclusion in the final draft. Mary Biskup moved to approve the April 7, 2020, April 28, 2020 and May 20, 2020 Meeting Summaries; Richard Jahnke seconded. The minutes were accepted for final approval by consensus. IV. Approval of Draft of Agenda: Dave Seabrook moved to approve the agenda; Mary Biskup seconded. The agenda was approved by consensus. V. Guest Observer comments: There were no comments. VI. Old Business There was no old business to discuss. VII. Subcommittee Report Rob Harbour announced that the Committee presented changes to their program materials, including the Score Sheet, Application Form and the Manual, to the Board of County Commissioners. The changes were received favorably. The County Administrator suggested that the Committee conduct a gap analysis to determine where their efforts may not be serving the County. The only remaining issue for the subcommittee was to wrap things up with the long-term monitoring issue, which would be addressed during this meeting with the information provided by JLT. VIII. New Business Annual Report Forms Tami Pokorny reported that the County report forms and County projects seemed to be in great shape. Erik Kingfisher addressed the JLT report forms: they elaborated more than they used to, in order to keep the Committee better up to speed on what is happening on the ground with the projects. Phil Andrus moved to accept the Annual Report Forms; Richard Jahnke seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Proposed Project Change: Serendipity Farms Sarah Spaeth with JLT presented changes to the Serendipity Farms project, which was approved by the CFCOC in 2017. She sent out an overview of the project changes. The project started as a 45-acre property, with two home sites within the conservation easement. After a lengthy process with Jefferson County, one of the home sites was segregated out of the parcel boundary, resulting in a 42-acre conservation easement. Another issue to be aware of was that since 2017, the value of land and thus conservation easements have risen significantly. When the appraisal is conducted, JLT will also appraise the value of a Navy Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program easement, which would allow them to bring navy funding into the project if they need it. Sarah also requested to extend the grant deadline to June of 2021. The group discussed the value and cost of the project. Because the parcel that was removed from the project did not affect the value of the conservation, and due to the increase in land value, the project cost and match ratio remain unchanged, at least until the appraisal. Phil Andrus moved to amend the property line for the project as described; Richard Jahnke seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Phil Andrus moved to extend the grant period to June of 2021; Richard Jahnke seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Project Extension Request: Big Quilcene River Tami Pokorny requested an extension for the Big Quilcene River Project, which involved the Whittaker and Baclawski properties. The project was approved by the CFCOC in July of 2016, but after three years the sponsor is required to request an extension if the project remains uncompleted. The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group is currently working with the property owner on the boundary of the appraisal. When that is finished, they will proceed with the appraisal, so the project is on track to be complete within a year. Tami requested that the CFCOC approve an extension for the project until the end of 2021. Mary Biskup moved that the Committee move the extension date for the Big Quilcene River Project to the end of 2021; Rob Harbour seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Older Conservation Easements Overview Erik Kingfisher presented on Stewardship of Perpetual Conservation Easements and Preserves: Relationships, Defense and Enforcement. JLT is a non-profit organization with its focus on preserving shorelines, riparian areas, upland forests, working forests, and farmland within Jefferson County. The main way they do this is through conservation easements, which grant the JLT the right to ensure that the conservation values are honored and maintained over time, while the landowner retains all the other rights to the property. A stewardship plan goes with the easement, and includes annual monitoring and building relationships with the landowners and partners. The other way the JLT protects land is through fee simple ownership preserves, which are owned and managed directly by the JLT, and include regular monitoring and adaptive management plans. All of the properties are managed for and preserved in perpetuity. In partnership with the CFCOC, the JLT has completed about fifty projects, amounting to about $3.5 million and 2,200 acres. Erik showed a County map with the properties protected in partnership with CFCOC, giving an overview of multiple projects. The group expressed great appreciation for the update, and for the extra detail in the annual reports. Sarah Spaeth added that there were two other big initiatives that the JLT has been involved in with other partners over the past year. One was an economic study that was done with the Trust for Public Land and the North Olympic Land Trust, looking at the benefits of land conservation in the North Olympic Peninsula. The study will be made public tomorrow, and *Sarah will forward the link to Tami for distribution. The other enterprise was a new conservation planning effort in partnership with the Land Trust Alliance and the North Olympic Land Trust that looked into resiliency, predictions for climate change, and conservation priorities. They will be presenting on their findings by the end of the winter and incorporating them into their work. *Erik will keep the CFCOC updated on the upcoming presentations. Election of New Officers Joanne Pontrello said that in light of the last year being what it was, she would volunteer to serve as Chair for a second year. Phil Andrus moved that Joanne Pontrello serve as Chair of the CFCOC; Rob Harbour seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Dave Seabrook offered to continue as Vice Chair for a second year as well. Phil Andrus moved that Dave Seabrook serve as Vice Chair of the CFCOC; Rob Harbour seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. IX. Announcements/Administrative Staff Update Tami Pokorny announced that new member Ron Rempel was occupying the seat for the interest of wildlife conservation biology. There was still an opening for a District 3 representative. Project applications are due on 3/26/21, with site visits scheduled for 3/30/21. The site visits will be filmed, but Tami asked if anyone wished to view the sites in person as well. The group expressed the desire to see the sites in person if possible. Richard Jahnke asked about the funding available for the upcoming round. Tami and Sarah Spaeth confirmed there were some turned back funds, but the final budget was not yet available. Next Meeting The next meeting will be site visits and is scheduled for 3/30/21. X. Guest Observer Comments There were no comments. XI. Adjournment Rob Harbour commented that the presentation from Erik Kingfisher and Sarah Spaeth was very good and what the CFCOC needed. Sarah said the Committee was key to leveraging funding for conservation projects. The group discussed conservation gaps, and how to combine protection efforts with affordable housing. Richard Jahnke moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:45 PM; Dave Seabrook seconded. The motion passed with all in favor. Action Items: *Mary Biskup noted some corrections to the section on the Sub-Committee Report in the September 8, 2020 minutes; she will email her notes to Tami Pokorny for inclusion in the final draft. *Sarah Spaeth will forward the link to the economic study to Tami for distribution. *Erik Kingfisher will keep the CFCOC updated on the upcoming JLT presentations.