Minutes
February 4, 2004
Members Present: Laura Arnold, Kelley Balcomb-Bartok, Peter Fromm, David Hoopes, David Loyd,
Kevin Ranker, Kit Rawson, Jim Slocomb
Absent: Mike Bertrand, Tim Carpenter, Brian Calvert, Terrie Klinger, Mary Masters, Dennis Willows
Guests: Ray Bigler, Mark Billington, Shannon Davis, Josh Green (Waldron intern), Kari Koski, Jody Kennedy, Mitchell Lesoing (former biologist for the Quileute Tribe), Mike Sato, Gretchen Wagner
Chair, David Loyd, called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. in the conference room at Islanders Bank, Friday Harbor.
David introduced Gretchen Wagner who lives on Waldron part-time and is landowner of beach property that has been identified as a possible good oyster seeding site. He added that Betsy Peabody will be out to analyze the site.
Minutes: Minutes of the 1/7/04 and 1/21/04 meetings were approved as read.
New/Old Business:
David Hoopes announced that the film, “Net Loss” will be shown on KCTS-TV on April 21st at 8 PM. The “well done” documentary was shown recently on San Juan Island and was well received.
David said that Eric Youngren of Orcas Island is asking that people support solar energy legislation in Washington state (SB 1632); David will email further information to members.
Kevin said that Sarah Wilson did a recent BOCC presentation on derelict vessels. Sheriff Bill Cumming and Public Works Director, Jon Shannon, will be point persons for derelict vessel removal efforts in the county. Kevin said that the Sheriff would be involved in emergency situations; all removals could be sub-contracted and reimbursed (DNR paying the costs of removal with the 25% county match being inkind).
MRC Coordinator Jody Kennedy announced that she will be available at the new MRC office, the “pink palace,” during regular hours, Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 6 pm. The office phone number is 378-1095 and Jody and David Loyd can also be reached at sjcmrc@rockisland.com .
Commissioner Rhea Miller is not available for today's meeting but will speak to the MRC on the 18th. Mike Sato reported on the rockfish symposium; he said the summary of recommendations should become the basis for discussions on where to go with the findings. The subcommittee (Laura, Kelley, Kit, David Loyd) will review symposium documents and report on deliverables at the next MRC meeting. David said that Dave Roberts from DNR Aquatic Lands will attend the March 3rd meeting and he's hoping to also invite agency specialists on regulations and buoys.
Marine Stewardship Area:
There was extended discussion of the latest draft of the mock-up MRC ad for the backpage of the state Sportsfishing Guide. This version of the map represents existing protected wildlife areas, i.e. phase 1 of the MSA; it was agreed that phase 2 zone mapping would be premature at this time. The subcommittee of Kelley and David Loyd will revise language, etc. as discussed by members.
Motion: Jim Slocomb moved and Kelley Balcomb-Bartok seconded that the MRC commit to
place a to-be-revised display ad on the backpage of the Sportsfishing Guide. The motion passed, with Kevin voting nay.
There was discussion on the use of logos on the ad with general consensus being that the only logo be that of the MRC.
Kit referred to the map areas keyed as WDFW Marine Biological Preserves; he said that the Friday Harbor Labs requested these areas as preserves for research and for some preservation of ecosystems. They went to the co-managers, the state and U&A tribes, he said, asking them to adopt these into their regulations. Kit hoped that this history could somehow be reflected in the ad and it was suggested that the areas be simply labeled San Juan Island Marine Biological Preserves.
A community outreach subcommittee was formed, made up of Kelley, Laura, David Loyd, and Jim. They will work on design of an outreach program, now that Phase 1 of the MSA is in place; the outreach effort for Phase 2 of the MSA project will be laid out as described in the grant. Kelley distributed copies of today's “Journal of the San Juans” newspaper, pointing out the front page coverage of the MSA resolution signing.
Grants:
David Loyd commended Jody for her ongoing work in her new role as MRC Coordinator, which includes research into available grants. David noted the challenging nature of grants. He asked that members email him and Jody with any information on grants that could be a good match for MRC work.
David Hoopes said there is a WDFW grant that will provide as high as $80,000 for volunteer wildlife training and associated costs. Kari discussed Soundwatch's experience with grants and it was agreed that partnering with private nonprofits in grants work has been helpful in many ways, overseeing volunteers and their training, for example, which is better done by those groups with years of experience. Jim said that the partnering nature of MRC grants has been one of the most creative areas of the committee's work...which is distinctly unique for any governmental process in that fiscal management does not involve the government. He strongly advised that the MRC continue its good reputation for careful management of grants and projects.
Kevin said that management of some grants (e.g. PIE) can require an excessive amount of administration time. Laura noted that the MRC now has the option, with Jody as the new Coordinator, to manage some grants internally while continuing to partner externally in grants work. Jody asked that members consider providing her with back-up support in this area.
David Hoopes said that the Friends of the San Juans has submitted its final, outstanding, report to SRFBoard on the forage fish study. Jim noted that their forage fish habitat/eelgrass maps are available at the MRC website ( www.sjcmrc.org).
Balloon Release Ban:
Peter said that he showed the Inky video to both the BOCC and the NWSC and also provided copies to them of the several pages of regulations and related balloon release information. The video graphically portrays the plight of marine life when deflated balloons land in the water and are mistaken for food. Peter said that each individual MRC could present the idea of a balloon release ban to its county constituents. There was discussion on whether a subcommittee should draft such an ordinance. Laura suggested that the subcommittee first speak to local retailers and events merchants for their early input. Kelley suggested that local retailers would appreciate this approach and might even sponsor educational tags that could be affixed to bundles of balloons so that more people would voluntarily comply with a ban on balloon releases. It was also suggested that the MRC partner with groups such as Wolf Hollow, Sea Doc, and the Whale Museum on educational outreach. The subcommittee will report back at the next meeting.
NWSC update:
Kevin said the NWSC meeting spent a good deal of time discussing the recent evaluation meetings which went well. He said the panels were impressed with the amount of work the MRCs and NWSC are doing. Kevin said he's confidant that the Commission will move forward and there have been NWSC discussions on how to do that.
Kevin said the American Estuaries Conference will be held in Seattle this September. He suggested that the MRC might want to consider sponsoring a booth and panel discussion at the huge conference; several other NGO's are involved, he said. One of the outcomes of the evaluation meeting, Kevin said, was the NWSC invitation to be on a panel discussion of the NWSC process at the Coastal Society's Conference this May in Rhode Island.
Jim's assessment of the evaluation meeting was that there has been a significant shift on the part of the panel to “what can we do to help?” He added that even the conservative side of government seemed to support sending back the message that this is absolutely essential and is making a difference. The report on the evaluation is expected in May with funding decisions made sometime later, Laura added.
There was discussion on the current roster of committee delegates and alternates to the NWSC. The issue will be moved to next meeting's agenda. Other future agenda items suggested were: a discussion of subcommittee mandates and membership; an update of WDFW's Refuge Program; a presentation on NMFS' off-shore netpen proposals; an update by WDFW and other fish biologists and managers on commercially-harvested species harvest management plans in the context of the Marine Stewardship Area; a county presentation on the shoreline management act.
Kelley announced that Rich Osborne, former esteemed MRC member, has been made Executive Director of The Whale Museum. Kari said that the Whale Museum will be spotlighted on KCTS-TV's “Great Museums” on February 11th.
Kevin said that a paper he has written regarding the salmon project with the Tulalip tribe has been accepted by the Coastal Society. Kari reported that the recent Seattle boat show was a great, even overwhelming, outreach platform for local marine conservation and stewardship; she said the public service message was well received and no entry fee had to be paid.
The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau will sponsor the“Return of the Orcas” festival during all of May, focusing not only on whales but all marine wildlife in the Islands; Jim pointed out that hotel/motel tax money being spent on this kind of public outreach is a significant prompt for the MRC to partner in some form with the Visitors Bureau. Peter agreed that MRC efforts can only be enhanced by such collaborations.
David Loyd said that Betsy Peabody and Joe Gaydos will begin the abalone project in the San Juans soon and interested parties are invited to participate. Kelley said that Russel Barsh got the $300,000 Army Corps of Engineers grant to do full county stream/salmon/historical surveys...without county match.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Submitted by Helen Venada
