Minutes
January 21, 2004
Members present: Laura Arnold, Kelley Balcomb-Bartok, Peter Fromm, David Hoopes, David Loyd, Mary Masters, Kevin Ranker, Jim Slocomb
Absent: Mike Bertrand, Tim Carpenter, Terrie Klinger, Kit Rawson, Dennis Willows
Guests: Robyn du Pre, Mark Billington, Jody Kennedy, Lauren Walsh
Chair David Loyd called the meeting to order at 8:30 am in the Community Room at Islanders Bank, Friday Harbor.
Kevin provided information on a new book, ìHeal the Oceanî, and a new Surfrider campaign for public restroom displays regarding marine water quality.
Minutes: Minutes from the January 7 meeting were deferred to the next meeting. David noted that some members prefer to receive draft minutes very close to the next meeting date while others prefer to have them the same week as the meeting covered. He said Helen will accommodate either way if members will let her know their preference individually.
Coordinator update: Two candidates will be interviewed this week. Members David Loyd and Jim Slocomb will participate along with the director and deputy director of the Community Development & Planning Department.
Presentations: Neither of the scheduled presenters was able to attend. In their place, Kevin used the time to introduce a proposed work item under the general water quality category. Prompted by a derelict boat at Deer Harbor heíd contacted Sarah Wilson, head of DNRís derelict vessel program to learn what could be done about this and other such vessels in the county. Sheíd advised that the only local entity legally allowed to take ownership and have them removed is the county, through the Board of County Commissioners. The program has money to reimburse the county for the total cost of removal and disposal. The program has criteria to prioritize where money is spent first, including habitat protection and the likelihood a vessel will shortly break up.
The boat at Deer Harbor is both on or adjoining an eelgrass bed and in danger of no longer resembling a vessel. To have it removed, the county would need to give notice of intent to claim possession, make the claim, apply for an emergency hydraulic project approval from WDFW, and then contract for removal. The county would be reimbursed by DNR within approximately two months. Several salvage contractors operate in the county and would probably respond quickly to a request for proposals.
There was discussion about whether the MRC should focus attention on the Deer Harbor vessel or should take the broader view of derelict vessel removal in general as part of marine clean-up efforts in the stewardship area. Jim noted several vessels he knows of and volunteered to produce a map of their locations. He also noted that derelict vessels are another form of garbage and that the committee should consider pursuing funding for clean-up in general. Kevin indicated that funding sources and agency responsibilities vary and that opportunities vary with them.
Robyn suggested two opportunities: the National Coastal Clean-up Day in September, and the State Parks program to coordinate volunteer clean-ups. She said the PSAT also has seed grants that may help.
Kelley said heíd prefer a statement from the MRC recommending a general policy to the Board while Kevin felt the specific situation in Deer Harbor deserved specific attention.
Motion: Kevin moved, seconded by Mary, that the MRC recommend that the Board pursue removal of the derelict vessel in Deer Harbor and authorize the chair to send the Board a letter in support of pursing removal of others as shown on an attached map. Jim supported an amendment to the motion, also seconded by Mary, that the MRC get county authorization to seek estimates for removal costs through the DNR program for the other vessels. In discussion, David Loyd noted that this would be another example of the MRC helping to bring dollars into the county and Kevin said that since the vessel in Deer Harbor is an eyesore to the community, action by the MRC to abate it is a positive reflection on the committee. The motion passed unanimously.
Kevin will ask Sarah to talk with David Loyd about attending a meeting. Heíd already suggested that she get on meeting agendas for all of the MRCs and the NWS Commission.
New/Old Business:
Forage Fish Workshop Update: Members attending the January 15 workshop included Laura, Jim, Peter, David Loyd and David Hoopes. A total of 45 attendees was reported. Discussion among committee members followed regarding the stateís ìno net lossî policy, current rules for ìcritical areasî (including forage fish spawning habitat) and the scheduled update requirements using ìbest available scienceî, and the local Shoreline Master Program and what protections exist at present.
Laura suggested that it may not have been clear from workshop speakers that although the HPA process may have limited influence the county has permitting authorities and that the MRC may want to look at whether the existing rules are adequate. Kevin said the topic also ties into the Surfrider and Tulalip Tribes work on the Salmon Beaches Project, which is intended to produce the science to support policy changes to be presented to the NW Indian Fisheries Commission and then to the Fish & Wildlife Commission. There was also discussion on the significance of a pending court case following from the Boldt decision, in which the tribes are claiming the right to protect as well as to harvest 50% of fish stocks, as co-managers. Kevin suggested the MRC work on critical areas issues through the context of the stewardship area program and in cooperation with the tribes.
Peter expressed interest in having the MRC as a group trained to identify forage fish eggs on the beach.
La Conner Report: Jim and David Loyd attended the recent meeting of the NWS evaluation panel. They reported their observations of roundtable discussions between the panelists and the tribes, and the panelists and county commissioners. It was noted that tribal representatives have found MRCs to be a venue in which theyíre treated honestly, and that commissioner representatives all supported reauthorization primarily because counties lack funds and political will to act other than through collaborative, voluntary means. The commissioners also expressed that the initiative must function from the grassroots level and not be top-down. Jim reported that he had a brief discussion outside the meeting with panel chair, William Ruckelshaus, about the San Juan marine stewardship area effort as an example of what MRCs can do. Ruckelshaus offered to assist by contacting the recreational anglers, groups Jim had noted are notoriously difficult to engage in stewardship efforts. The panelís report is due in March. Funding decisions will follow.
Grants:
NWSC Bottomfish Symposium project ñ a time extension is being requested by the county; the symposium deliverables are overdue.
USFW grant proposal ñ David Hoopes will circulate information on the private stewardship grants program.
Request from Ken Brown for MRC support on a DNR grant proposal for bioremediation of creosoted logs ñ it was reported that county liability for using county-owned transfer station locations require alternative locations for disposal and detoxification of the logs, but alternatives havenít yet been identified. David Loyd said that Russel Barsh believes the Samish Nation can accommodate a site.
Motion: Kevin moved and Peter seconded to delegate authority to the chair to work with Russel, et al, to see if they will prepare a grant proposal and if so, to follow up on behalf of the MRC to support submittal of the application. Passed unanimously.
Bottomfish Ad: Jim said he was looking for a motion to spend the annual funds for the WDFW ad because the space in the fishing rules pamphlet would have to be reserved soon. The effectiveness of the ad in reaching the target fishers and other means to target them were discussed. These included direct mail, Soundwatch, putting the funds toward the coordinator for outreach, and relocating the ad to coincide with bottomfishing rules in the pamphlet. Jimís motion to commit to the back-page ad was withdrawn as there was agreement that there is time to address it further at the next meeting without losing the ad space.
Office move: David Loyd explained that the new office, while pink, is a deal with rent and utilities split with the countyís homeland security office. A work party is planned to move MRC materials and donations of furniture to the Jensen Building after the MSA signing ceremony on January 27th.
Meeting adjourned at 10:40 am.
