HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdvisory Board Resignation MRC CK O¢sossro Board of County Commissioners
A.w G 1820 Jefferson Street
O =_ '' PO Box 1220
~ T"" Port Townsend, WA 98368
Sf/1 Cs SOS Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3
October 7, 2024
Christopher Kelley
P.O. Box 1480
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Dear Christopher Kelley,
We regret that you are unable to continue to serve as the Alternate Marine Sciences Practioner,
Educator or Researcher on the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee. The time and effort
you spent participating on this Committee is sincerely appreciated.
We thank you for your contributions to the community and wish you the best in your future
endeavors.
Sincerely,
Kate Dean, Chair, Dist.No. 1
Phone (360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@cojefferson.wa.us
Wendy Housekeeper
From: Christopher <kelleycmrc@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2024 8:38 AM
To: Heidi Eisenhour
Cc: Judy Surber; Neil Harrington; Emily Buckner; Betsy Carlson; Troy McKelvey; Roy Clark;
Gordon King; Brad Bebout; Tim Behrenfeld;Jeff Taylor; Frank Handler;Joanie Hendricks;
sfisken@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Leaving the MRC
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are
not expecting them.
Hello everyone:
I am writing to let you know that I am retiring from the MRC and apologize to all of you for leaving
well before the end of my tenure. I am afraid to admit my frustration with the consequences of a
personality conflict led me to write an overly strong email. I was asked to apologize but I did not
see how that was going to solve the root problem. Leaving the MRC provided a better solution so
that is what I chose to do. I hope this will allow Gordon and others to resume normal operations
"sans" drama. If Jeff is somehow able to resurrect the kelp remote sensing project and if he
manages to get some funds to purchase satellite imagery, then my departure will have resulted in
yet another positive.
Some of you know that I gave a deep-sea mining talk at WBC. While this is not a local
environmental issue, it is an extremely important international issue. You may be aware that PBS
Newshour has been broadcasting a multipart series on deep sea mining this past week. I started
yelling from the hilltops about its potential impacts in 2009 and am continuing to do so now. I
have been asked to submit ROV dive site recommendations for the research ship Nautilus when it
arrives in Palau later this fall and have been asked to participate in a workshop in Hawaii in
November for the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Program to plan their next two years of operations in the
Pacific. Deep sea coral will clearly be among the most affected by mining activities and we hope
to acquire more data and bring more attention to this issue. Please remain aware of what is
happening with this issue even if it isn't local, since it really will become an enormous industry
with enormous potential impacts in the next few decades.
Locally I am also working with the globe maker Joe Roubal to create a large 3D table map of the
Salish Sea for Marine Science Center's new Flagship Landing building. Once it is finished this fall, it
will first reside in their Fort Worden Museum and will later be moved to their new building after
the renovations are completed. I have seen the plans for the first-floor space in the Landing
i
building as part of this project and it is beautiful so hopefully you will keep up with the fantastic
transformation of the center as it progresses.
So I am still around and still trying to help out where I can. Please do not hesitate to ask if you
need some maps or need a speaker for whatever topic I might know something about. I will not
be at the next monthly meeting so take care and I enjoyed working with you all this past year.
Chris
2
Consent Agenda
Commissioners Office
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Wendy Housekeeper, Executive Assistant
DATE: October 7,2024
SUBJECT: ADVISORY BOARD RESIGNATION (1)re: Jefferson County Marine
Resources Committee; Christopher Kelley
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
On September 21, 2024, Christopher Kelley, of the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee
Alternate Marine Science Practioner, Educator or Researcher Representative,resigned from his position on
this committee. His term will expire on September 8, 2027 and he has chosen to end his years of service
early as a committee member.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee Alternate Representative resignation and sign the
thank you letter for board service.
REVIEWED BY:
?/.7 /771 Mark McCauley, ty Administrator Date