Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 2023 NPC MRC First DRAFT Meeting Summary NPC MRC 12/19/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 1 December 19, 2023 NPC MRC Draft Meeting Summary The Tuesday, December 19, 2023 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Jefferson County Public Health Pacific Room, 615 Sheridan St., Port Townsend, WA and by Zoom connection from 4:00 PM to 6:01 PM ([00:00:01] to [01:45:41]). 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), Rod Fleck (City of Forks, Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council [WCMAC] Chair), Jennifer Hagen (Quileute Tribe), John Hunter (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Conservation / Environmental Groups), Katie Krueger (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Scientific Community), Rebecca Mahan (Clallam County Representative), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Representative, Coordinator / Facilitator), Alice Ryan (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), Lee First (Twin Harbors Waterkeeper), Nicole Harris (Futurewise), Megan Juran (Washington CoastSavers), Chris Morgan (Peninsula College), Kris Northcut (Quileute Natural Resources), Chris Waldbillig (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW]), and Mara Zimmerman (Coast Salmon Partnership) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments Wendy Feltham appreciated Lee First’s presentation on “The Chehalis Watershed in Peril," a lecture she gave at Western Washington University. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda Tami Pokorny suggested changing the agenda to allow presentations first; there were no objections. The agenda was approved by consensus with that change. Approval of the November 2023 NPC MRC Meeting Summary The November NPC MRC Summary was approved by consensus as written. Announcements There were no announcements. New Business Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WCRRI) Coast Salmon Partnership Executive Director Mara Zimmerman presented information on the WCRRI funding program, which supports sustainable rural jobs and coastal communities by funding habitat restoration and NPC MRC 12/19/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 2 resiliency projects on Washington’s outer coast. The WCCRI funding program is funded through the state capital budget and is jointly administered by the Recreation and Conservation Office and the WCRRI Steering Committee. The mission of WCRRI is to protect and restore ecosystems of the Washington Coast while promoting the resilience of coastal communities through job creation and hazard reduction. The program builds resilience through restoring ecological resources, creating jobs and economic growth, and protecting ecosystem services. Historically, many of the projects WCRRI has funded have focused on salmon habitat restoration, but WCRRI also funds a wide range of projects, including Oregon spotted frog restoration, derelict gear removal, noxious weed removal, tidal restoration, coastline assessments, and prairie restoration. WCRRI started as a grass-roots initiative in 2015 and is now a formalized process that is supported by the Coast Salmon Partnership and is a substantial funding contribution to coastal projects. The program operates on a two-year cycle; the next cycle begins in the winter of 2024. Projects have a maximum request amount of $2 million with no match requirement and are scored by the Technical Review Panel based on restoration benefit, community benefit, likelihood to succeed, cost efficiency, and local support. More information on the WCRRI program can be found at https://www.coastsalmonpartnership.org/current-initiatives/wcrri/. Ways to be involved include sponsoring a project, serving on the WCRRI Technical Review Panel, and letting elected officials know that WCRRI is important to the Coast. Mara can be contacted at mara@coastsalmonpartnership.org. Program director Ned Pittman can be reached at ned@coastsalmonpartnership.org. CoastSavers Update Washington CoastSavers Coordinator Megan Juran gave an update on her remote coastal cleanup efforts and her progress working with the Olympic National Park on compliance practices to remove caches within designated wilderness. Due to staffing shortages within the Park, there were delays in communication, but Megan was able to confirm that they are nearing the end of the requirements and hopes to have approval in January. Next year will focus on smaller debris removal by foot; spring of 2025 should see the removal of larger debris by helicopter. Washington CoastSavers was also accepted to submit a full application for grant support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Megan acknowledged the collaborative support she has received from Olympic National Park. Hoh River Adventure Update Futurewise Water, Fish, and Wildlife Coordinator Nicole Harris updated the group on the Hoh River Adventure project. Water flow changes in the Hoh River have created some challenges to the rafting component of the project in terms of safety concerns and finding guides with the right knowledge and experience, but the project will go forward with rafting plans for 2024 under exceptional leadership from the Hoh Tribe and partnership with Hoh River Rafters. Safety remains the top priority. Long-term goals for the project include extended backpacking trips, and sourcing materials for cedar strip canoes. *Nicole will send budget and proposal updates to Tami and suggested another update on the project to the NPC MRC in March. Chris Waldbillig reminded the group that coastal, estuarine, and marine waters are the priority areas for NPC MRC project funds; he was excited to see the addition of the project connections to marine ecosystems. Nicole added that low tides will allow for more opportunities to incorporate education on Tribal cultural and historical use of inter-tidal areas. Old Business Film Festival 2024 Ian Miller was unable to attend the NPC MRC meeting but sent some questions on the Film Festival to Tami Pokorny regarding any preferred dates and locations and asking for help compiling and reaching out to a contact list. Chris Butler-Minor proposed a collaboration between the NPC MRC Film Festival and the OCNMS Film Festival that is scheduled for July 2024 in celebration of the Sanctuary’s 30 years. The group was supportive of combining the two events and discussed possible partnerships with 10,000 Years Institute and the Clallam County MRC and how to attract film submissions from local students. NPC MRC 12/19/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 3 2024 Coastal MRC Program Summit Planning Tami Pokorny started a list of possible topics, including tsunamis, wildlife and climate change, project sponsor presentations, research studies on multi stressors in the ocean, coastal steelhead, coastal wind energy, marine renewable energy, and maritime history. Jill Silver suggested bringing various components together to tell the different pieces of a cohesive story rather than treating each issue separately. Updates Coast MRC Update Chris Waldbillig had to leave the meeting early, so there was no update. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) The last meeting was held on 12/6/23. Rod Fleck gave an update. There were several presentations and multiple administrative updates, including a review of the workplan and the election of the Chair and Vice Chair; Rod was re-elected as Chair for another year. There was continued discussion on offshore wind energy and its connection to jobs. The next meeting is scheduled for 2/14/24 in Grays Harbor. The agenda and other 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 1/18/24 and will be entirely virtual. Chris Butler-Minor announced that there will be a presentation on seabirds and their use of sanctuaries on the west coast, and a review of the climate vulnerability assessment. West Coast Ocean Alliance Jennifer Hagen said there was a weeklong summit in the fall in Portland, Oregon. A tribal caucus convened over the first two days. Panel discussions were held on stewardship and co-management with federal partners, ocean use and data sovereignty, and offshore wind energy. The rest of the summit focused on the strategic planning process and priorities, offshore wind energy, and the data portal. Jennifer stressed the importance of staying attentive to offshore wind energy developments, which will impact natural systems and for which the federal government is planning mitigation of impacts rather than prevention. Invasive European Green Crab Jennifer Hagen reported that no European green crab have been found yet in La Push. Chris Butler-Minor announced a co-manager meeting scheduled for February in Lacey. Marine Debris This was addressed earlier in the meeting under Megan Juran’s update. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) There was nothing new to report. Administrative Update Tami Pokorny said that the contract with WDFW was all but complete, and that project agreements were in progress. All funds have been spent, so Tami suggested a conversation about fundraising and partnerships. Next Agenda (January 16, 2024): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 1/16/24 in Forks and will include continued discussion on the Film Festival and the 2024 Coastal MRC Summit. NPC MRC 12/19/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 4 Public Comments/General Jill Silver brought up the November NPC MRC presentation from Daniel Eungard on the tsunami walk maps, and her sense that there would be so many trees down that paths would be unwalkable. There were no implications for that kind of scenario in the walk maps. Jill said she would like to have conversations about this with anyone who might be interested. Adjourn at 6:01 PM Action Items: *Nicole Harris will send the Hoh Watershed Adventure budget and proposal updates to Tami Pokorny. Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting).