Minutes
August 2, 2006
Members Present: Laura Arnold, Michael Durland, Ron Henrickson, Terrie Klinger, Skeet Lowe, David Loyd, Mary Masters, Kit Rawson, Howie Rosenfeld, Ken Sebens, Joy Sevier, Jim Slocomb, Jonathan White, Tina Whitman
Absent: none
Staff: Jody Kennedy, Barbara Rosenkotter, Helen Venada
Guests: Kat Fennel, Joe Gaydos, Phil Green, Birgit Kriete, Pete Rose, Rowann Tallmon, Sandy Wylie-Echeverria
Chair Kit Rawson called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Islanders Bank Annex, Friday Harbor. He introduced Pete Rose, the new County Administrator. Mr. Rose said that he is reviewing the Charter and how the MRC fits into the bigger picture, e.g. with respect to the CAO update process.
Minutes:
Minutes of the 7/5/06 meeting were approved as read. It was agreed that minutes of the non-quorum 7/19/06 meeting be posted as read.
San Juan County Budget proposal:
There was discussion on the process for passing on a proposal to Ron Henrickson for consideration in the 2007 CDPD budget proposal. Jody said that the Executive subcommittee has put forward a draft memo to Ron to fund the positions of MRC Coordinator and Lead Entity Coordinator, now contracted to Jody and Barbara respectfully, as full-time county employees. Members discussed implications to the MRC program and agreed to discuss the proposal further at the November MRC Retreat. Barbara pointed out that there are specific activities in the Lead Entity Coordinator’s contract that receive Salmon Recovery funding.
Motion: Mary moved, and Howie seconded, that the budget proposal be sent to CDPD. The motion was approved, with Ron abstaining.
MRC Charter:
Laura distributed copies of a draft resolution with attachments, regarding the MRC charter update.
Motion: David moved, and Terrie seconded, that the draft resolution and business rules be adopted. The motion passed unanimously.
Orca Critical Habitat Recovery Plan:
Tina provided background on development of the proposed plan and of MRC draft comments to NOAA, which were distributed. Based on her attendance at the recent meeting on the issue, Rowan Tallmon briefly clarified the explanation for why military zones were excluded from designated critical habitat for terrestrial species. There was discussion on MRC’s supporting expansion of the proposed critical habitat areas to include areas of orca winter range and the shallow nearshore waters of less than 20 feet; it was emphasized that the orcas depend on the nearshore for prey, as identified and designated for protection by the county’s ecosystem-based initiative process. Mike Ahrenius asked whether adding nearshore to designated orca habitat would add another burdensome layer of regulation on local activities. Barbara explained that this issue would likely be addressed through salmon recovery work. The MRC comments will include the suggestion to establishing conservation measures for military zones in orca habitat.
Motion: Terrie moved, and Howie seconded, that the revised draft comments to NOAA be approved as revised. The motion passed unanimously.
Update on Proposals for Tidal Energy Generation:
Kit said that the deadline for intervention regarding potential environmental impact is August 21st. He circulated a copy of letters from the Tulalip Tribe and from Island County. There was discussion on potential impacts from support facilities on land in the Deception Pass proposal.
Motion: Terrie moved, and Mary seconded, that the MRC encourage the County Council to formally intervene in the process. The motion passed unanimously.
Kit will send a memo to the County Council urging County intervention. Jody suggested an MRC-sponsored evening presentation on the design and engineering of the proposals. Ken recommended that members read the “Proceedings of Hydrokinetic and Wave Energy Technologies Technical and Environmental Issues Workshop” that is posted on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Salmon Technical Advisory Group update:
Barbara expressed a big thank you to the TAG members for their time and input. The TAG report is required to report to the MRC as the citizen advisory group regarding their evaluation of proposals. Barbara proposed a salmon retreat for October 23rd at the Labs that would focus on details and prioritization of the strategies.
Barbara distributed copies of the proposals for funding and of the scoring matrix; she presented an overview of TAG comments and member discussion followed, including additional meeting comments from Joe Gaydos and Kit. The final ranking/scoring and formal vote are scheduled for the next MRC meeting. Jody asked that members who expect to be absent from the next MRC meeting send Barbara their comments on the proposals.
Coordinator’s Report:
Jody asked if members were available to staff an MRC booth at the County Fair. With no volunteers stepping forth, Rowan said that the Beachwatchers could offer some help.
Jody announced that she will be moving to Seattle in October and strongly suggested that it would be helpful to have a new Coordinator by the November retreat; she said that there is a huge benefit to having a full-time staff for the MRC. She said that RFQ’s for the MSA Coordinator position (Kirsten’s) and for the Genetic Stock ID project have been posted. Jody has been working with the NWSC Foundation on next year’s funding.
Jody distributed copies of Lew Moore’s memo describing NWSC’s potential ecosystem projects for 2006-2007. She asked that members bring their comments on the regional proposals to the next MRC meeting.
Mary suggested that members make an effort to speak to the County Council about the budget proposal.
Next meeting: The next MRC meeting will be held in the Community Room at Islanders Bank in Friday Harbor on Wednesday, August 16th, from 8:30 to 10:30 am.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am.
Submitted by Helen Venada
