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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 2024 NPC MRC First DRAFT Meeting Summary NPC MRC 1/16/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 1 January 16, 2024 NPC MRC Draft Meeting Summary The Tuesday, January 16, 2024 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Peninsula College in Forks, WA and by Zoom connection from 4:00 PM to 6:01 PM ([00:00:01] to [01:56:29]). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Chris Butler-Minor (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary [OCNMS]), Eileen Cooney (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Economic Groups), Wendy Feltham (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Scientific Community), Rod Fleck (City of Forks, Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council [WCMAC] Chair), John Hunter (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Conservation / Environmental Groups), Katie Krueger (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – Scientific Community), Julie Ann Koehlinger (Hoh Tribe Representative), Rebecca Mahan (Clallam County Representative), Ian Miller (Washington SeaGrant, Ex Officio 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), Chris Morgan (Peninsula College), Sanpisa Sritrairat (Washington Sea Grant), and Chris Waldbillig (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW]) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments Jill Silver announced a new senate bill about biochar that has climate change implications: SB 6121. Jill will be presenting more information to the Strait MRC and can provide additional information to the NPC MRC if desired. Wendy Feltham thanked Chris Waldbillig for the Coast MRC Annual Report, and recommended three books: The Cascadia Field Guide, by multiple naturalists and artists; A Naturalist’s Year in the Pacific Northwest, by Jeff Hammerson; and Salmon Cedar Rock & Rain, by Tim McNulty. Wendy also asked those who lived on the coast if they had had any coastal flooding. Alice Ryan said that La Push had some road flooding, but she did not hear of any homes being flooded. There was one car accident with the tragic death of student parent. Rod Fleck announced a storm warning for the coast. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda Approval of the agenda was skipped, but there were no requested changes. Approval of the December 2023 NPC MRC Meeting Summary The December NPC MRC Summary was approved by consensus as written. Announcements There were no announcements. Old Business NPC MRC 1/16/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 2 Film Festival 2024 Planning Ian Miller, Chris Butler-Minor, and Rebecca Mahan met to discuss combining efforts for the Film Festival, which would be a joint event between OCNMS, the Clallam County MRC, and the NPC MRC. There would be two showings: one in Port Angeles in July, and another in Forks in the fall, possibly coinciding with the Coastal MRC Summit. Rebecca reported that the CC MRC was excited about the idea and would vote on it at their next meeting. Ian noted that support from the different organizations is advantageous, as is the later date. Upcoming tasks include the process of looking for films and updating the website. Ian had received two film submissions so far. The group discussed featuring past favorite films, and highlighting specific categories, or student and local filmmakers. Ian requested a motion to approve the following: “We are proposing a joint event between the North Pacific MRC, the Clallam County MRC, OCNMS, and Washington Sea Grant, with viewings to be held on July 19th in Port Angeles and date to be determined in October or November in Forks, probably at the Rainforest Arts Center, and hopefully in association with the MRC Summit in some way. We are proposing that the film festival have the same basic design and film criteria as in previous years, which are spelled out at River & Ocean Film Festival – Washington Sea Grant, and the same name and branding. The key difference will be that film review and selection will be made by a 3-person review panel made up of representatives from each organization. The schedule would roughly go as follows: A film invitation email would go out in late January or February, as well as an updated web notice and save the date. Film review would happen in March-May.” Alice Ryan moved to approve the motion; Rod Fleck seconded. Discussion followed on possible available funding; Chris clarified that the Sanctuary was not anticipating any funding from the MRCs but was hoping for collaboration and celebration. The motion passed unanimously. 2024 Coastal MRC Program Summit Planning Tami Pokorny confirmed that the Quileute Oceanside Resort facilities in La Push were available at the government rate for the weekends of 10/2/24-10/4/24 and 10/16/24-10/18/24. After discussion, the group leaned toward hosting the 2024 Coastal MRC Summit the second weekend, with the Film Festival on 10/19/24. Proposed topics included offshore wind energy, MRC effectiveness, funding changes, climate projects, maritime heritage, the discovery of the SS Pacific, the Makah Tribe and managing of Lake Ozette with associated climate risks, the Grays Harbor proposal regarding Lady Washington, and Rialto Beach geological changes. New Business Tsunami Walk Maps Jill Silver brought up some thoughts about the US Geological Survey (USGS) Tsunami Walk Maps, and what an earthquake and tsunami will really mean in terms of walking through forested areas and fallen buildings. She thought it would be worthwhile to talk to the USGS about this. Discussion followed about evacuation safety, go bags, destination zones, and the lack of evacuation information provided to Olympic National Park visitors. Sanpisa Sritrairat added that there is tsunami planning in process with Washington’s Emergency Management Division; more information can be found here: https://mil.wa.gov/tsunami. Overview of WCMAC’s Work and Accomplishments Rod Fleck gave an overview of the history and actions of the WCMAC, which was signed into existence by the Governor’s Office in 2013 to provide recommendations to the state regarding the management of marine resources. Seats are held by representatives of marine areas of interest and industries, the MRCS, the Coast Sustainable Partnership, and several state agencies. Earlier work involved the adoption of the Marine Spatial Plan. Offshore wind energy is the main current focus. Rod currently serves as Chair. Sea Grant Perspective on Flooding and Erosion Ian Miller and Sanpisa Sritrairat presented on Washington Sea Grant’s Coastal Resilience Team. Sea Grant came out of congress in 1966 and has 34 programs around the county and US territories. It is supported by the NPC MRC 1/16/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 3 national Sea Grant office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but the state programs are always housed within universities. In this case, it is an extension program at the University of Washington. While the program started off in fisheries, it has branched off to include many coastal issues. After major tsunamis drew the nation’s attention to coastal hazards, missions that were developed for coastal resilience made their way into Washington Sea Grant. The Coastal Resilience Team is not emergency response, but instead looks at issues such as risk reduction, community goals, and climate change. Ian and Sanpisa gave an overview of the team and the three main categories that they focus on: supporting capacity, understanding hazards, and engaging people. Ian shared a link to a report about shoreline management options: https://wacoastalnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SLR_CoastMgmt_Washington.pdf. Action Only Meeting Summaries Tami Pokorny brought up the possibility of shifting the meeting summaries to action only minutes, which would be less detailed. Updates Coast MRC Update Chris Waldbillig had to leave the meeting early, so there was no update. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) This item was discussed under Overview of WCMAC’s Work and Accomplishments. The last meeting was held on 12/6/23. 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 1/19/24 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 was not present for an update. Invasive European Green Crab There was nothing new to report. Marine Debris There was nothing new to report. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) There was nothing new to report. Administrative Update Tami Pokorny said that the contract with WDFW and the project agreements were getting closer to completion. Next Agenda (February 20, 2024): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 2/20/24 in Forks and will include follow up on many of the items discussed during the January meeting. Public Comments/General NPC MRC 1/16/2023 DRAFT Meeting Summary 4 There were no public comments. Adjourn at 6:01 PM Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting).