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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 16, 2024 NPC MRC First DRAFT Meeting Summary NPC MRC 4/16/2024 DRAFT Meeting Summary 1 April 16, 2024 NPC MRC Draft Meeting Summary The Tuesday, April 16, 2024 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Peninsula College in Forks, WA and by Zoom connection from 4:00 PM to 5:58 PM ([00:00:01] to [01:58:33]). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Chris Butler-Minor (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary), 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), Rebecca Mahan (Clallam County Representative), Tami Pokorny (NPC MRC Coordinator and Jefferson County Representative), Alice Ryan (Citizen Representative, Clallam County – 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), Roy Morris (member of the public), Stori Smith (Americorps member serving with OCNMS), Sanpisa Sritrairat (Washington Sea Grant), and Chris Waldbillig (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW]) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments There were no public comments. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda Alice Ryan said she had an update to make under Announcements. Wendy Feltham had some questions for Rod Fleck to be asked during the WCMAC update. The agenda was approved as written by consensus. Approval of the March 2024 NPC MRC Meeting Summary The March NPC MRC Summary was approved by consensus as written. Announcements Alice Ryan announced that Quileute Natural Resources approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coastal Observation and Seabird Study Team (COASST). The Quileute Tribe is now fully supportive of students as interns and of Alice using the COASST program in the classroom. Students now have the opportunity to apply for internships with COASST as well. She also reported that the last Remotely Operated Vehicle workshop was successful, and that Washington CoastSavers donated materials to Quileute Tribal School students for trash collection in the marina. Chris Butler-Minor announced that the Washington Coast Cleanup was scheduled for 4/20/24, and that OCNMS and Feiro Marine Life Center were cohosting a speaker series that would feature Julia Parrish. Register for the speaker series webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4463749363462859866. NPC MRC 4/16/2024 DRAFT Meeting Summary 2 Old Business Coast MRC Summit and Film Festival 2024 Planning Tami Pokorny announced the Coast MRC Summit, which will be held from 10/16/24 – 10/18/24, with an optional add on of 10/19/24 that will feature Maritime History Day at the Rainforest Arts Center in Forks. The group discussed who to invite, including tribes, schools, OCNMS, the WCMAC, Puget Sound MRCs, and state agencies. The theme is Next Level Coast MRCs, with topics such as plastics, post- Marine Spatial Planning, and species of growing interest. There will be no single-use plastics used at the Summit. Chris Butler-Minor noted that the Film Festival would be held on 10/18/24. Discussion followed on tides, field trips, restaurants, and lodging. Funding for lodging is available for MRC volunteers. Tami gave an overview of the draft schedule. The group discussed the importance of being respectful of tribes and treaty rights. Alice Ryan shared a tribal presentation on the coast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQq9BSfTiWI. Ian Miller was unable to attend the NPC MRC meeting, but sent an email with several Film Festival notes: • The deadline for film submissions is on April 22nd (six days from now). Thus far we've got 18 films submitted from 11 filmmakers. Our communications team at Washington Sea Grant is sending a press release to selected newspapers today and will do a bit more social media as a final push. If you are a social media user, please look for those posts and share them with your networks. • We will roll relatively quickly into the review process, which should take about a month. As in past years, I envision at least three reviewers (one from the MRC, one from the Clallam MRC and one from OCNMS) scoring the films using an excel worksheet that I am assembling, that will include the film links, and the scoring criteria. • Right now, those criteria are as they were in previous years: 1) Enjoyability: Is the film a pleasure to watch? Did you enjoy it? (5=very much, 1=not really); 2) Relevance: Relevance to natural or human dimensions of the West End. Note that this isn't about IF the film is about the West End, but is RELEVANT (5=very relevant, 1=not relevant at all); and 3) The local factor. What does "local" mean…I want to leave it up to you to decide. I intend to use this to weight the relevance score (2=LOCAL, 0=not local, and scale in between) • While I feel like the film festival in Forks in October will look and feel like those we've held in the past, the one in July will likely be a bit different since the idea is to run the films as part of the 30th anniversary event for OCNMS. I've posed some questions to Chris Butler-Minor about a few items that I'm just relaying FYI. For example, 1) Would we want to apply different criteria to the selection of films for the OCNMS partnership in recognition of the different focus of that event? If we do that, do we run the risk of effectively ending up with two different film festivals? 2) Are there Sanctuary-specific films that OCNMS wants to screen? If so, should those be part of the regular review process? Treated differently? 3) Will OCNMS be handling all of the event marketing (i.e., so no film festival poster for the July event)? 4) I've assumed that OCNMS wants full authority over which partners can attend the event and represent their organizations at tables - is everyone in agreement with that? • NEEDS: 1) A final decision about a reviewer (or reviewers) for the North Pacific Coast MRC; and 2) Any input from the MRC about any of the event details, and if there are substantial changes (to review criteria, for example). I would love to have a vote from the MRC so that it is as clear as possible. More information about the Film Festival can be found at: https://wsg.washington.edu/community- outreach/outreach-detail-pages/river-and-ocean-film-festival/. Chris Butler-Minor noted that she had a meeting with Sanctuary Superintendent Kevin Grant next week to discuss the Sanctuary’s position on some of Ian’s questions. There may be additional films in the first session in Port Angeles on 7/26/24 that are Sanctuary- centric. She had a list of films that she was recommending for the review process but was not sure whether they would be handled directly by OCNMS or if they would go through the same review process as the other films. The Sanctuary had not yet decided whether the Film Festival in Port Angeles would be advertised as an NPC MRC 4/16/2024 DRAFT Meeting Summary 3 extension of the River and Ocean Film Festival, or as a separate Film Festival for the OCNMS 30th anniversary, in which case it may feature a longer list of films that are Sanctuary-specific. *Chris said she would have answers for the Sanctuary-specific questions next week to share with the group. Jill Silver moved to propose two review teams from the NPC MRC: one team represented by Jill Silver and Katie Krueger, and the other team represented by Alice Ryan and her students with Tami Pokorny serving as backup; John Hunter seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Discussion followed on both Film Festival events, with members advocating for the inclusion of longer films, the celebration and inclusion of Sanctuary-specific films, and the objective of keeping the two Film Festivals as similar as possible. New Business Offshore Wind Energy and Education Rod Fleck discussed this briefly under the WCMAC Update. Ideas for Coast-Wide Projects, Outreach, or Events This item was skipped due to lack of time. Updates Coast MRC Update This item was skipped due to lack of time. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) The next meeting is scheduled for 5/8/24 and will be a hybrid meeting in Grays Harbor. The meetings are open to the public. Wendy Feltham asked about WCMAC’s 2023 accomplishments, which Rod distributed. The Governor’s Office hired a consultant to reach out to stakeholders, local and tribal governments, local communities, and interested parties to try to gather information about what issues and processes Washington should consider in developing a Washington Way to approach offshore wind energy. The interviews were to wrap up by May, so a draft report should circulate soon for comments. Rod explained that the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) is a federal entity that has jurisdiction over federal waters off the coast. BOEM has a standing slot on the WCMAC agenda and has been very responsive. 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 5/17/24. West Coast Ocean Alliance Neither Jennifer Hagen nor Julie Ann Koehlinger was present for an update. Invasive European Green Crab This item was skipped. Marine Debris This item was skipped. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related (All) This item was skipped. Administrative Update This item was skipped. NPC MRC 4/16/2024 DRAFT Meeting Summary 4 Next Agenda (May 21, 2024): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 5/21/24 in Forks with a virtual option. The agenda will include further discussion of the River and Ocean Film Festival. Public Comments/General Wendy Feltham thanked Tami Pokorny for leading tonight’s complicated meeting. Adjourn at 5:58 PM Action Items: *Chris Butler-Minor said she would have answers for the Sanctuary-specific Film Festival questions next week to share with the group. Draft summary compiled by Rebekah Brooks.