Minutes
October 5, 2005
Members Present: Laura Arnold, Michael Durland, David Loyd, Mary Masters, Victoria Parker,
Joy Sevier, Jonathan White, Tina Whitman
Staff: Jody Kennedy, Helen Venada
Absent: Mike Bertrand, Brian Calvert, Terrie Klinger, (Alan) Skeet Lowe, Kit Rawson, Jim Slocomb, Dennis Willows
Guests: Kirsten Evans, Robert Fritzen, Phil Green, Andy Sinclair, Rowann Tollman, Jacques White
Vice Chair Mary Masters called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Islanders Bank Annex, Friday Harbor.
Citizens’ Comments:
Rowann Tollman announced that there will be a satellite class on stormwater issues to be held on Tuesday, October 11th, from 9-11:30 am, at the WSU Extension Office (Skagit Valley College). She said that some invitees are staff from SJC Public Works and from Town of Friday Harbor; others are welcome to attend. The program will highlight innovative community suburban/ rural approaches to stormwater management.
Robert Fritzen introduced himself as an Environmental Planner/Shorelands Specialist out of the Department of Ecology’s Bellingham Field Office. He works in the SEED Program.
Minutes:
Minutes of the 9/21/05 meeting were approved with emailed revisions, corrections to the spelling of Audubon and Dr. Ken Sebens, and changing “responses” to “inquiries” in the last paragraph.
WORK SESSION:
Salmon Strategy Resolution
Jody said that Olympia has requested that MRC, as lead entity, submit a resolution indicating that the BOCC has endorsed the SJC Salmon Recovery Chapter. She added that Barbara has looked at several other counties’ resolutions, applied them to San Juan County situations, and prepared the revised draft resolution for the MRC to review. Jody said that Olympia wants to see if the county governmental body has endorsed the local strategy and is onboard. There was a discussion about process. Jody noted that the Chapter is an adaptive document that will grow as we grow. Tina pointed out that it is part of a regional plan.
Motion: David moved, and Victoria seconded, that the MRC approve the revised draft resolution and forward it to the BOCC for their endorsement of the SJC Salmon Recovery Chapter. The motion passed unanimously.
MSA Workshop
Jacques White introduced himself. He manages The Nature Conservancy’s Marine Conservation Program and is working with the core planning team on developing the conservation plan for the MSA. Phil Green said that he works with Jacques and the SJC MRC. MRC members introduced themselves.
Jody said that the workshop coming up on October 20th and 21st is a great opportunity for MRC to share what the MSA is all about. Kirsten Evans noted that a few MRC members attended NWSC’s meeting in August which was a refresher of the process. She distributed copies of “The 5-S Framework” and a “Situation Analysis Example.” Kirsten said that target setting is what was done at the June 14th workshop and work on the other part of Step 1, Viability Analysis, has been ongoing over the last few months with the goal of determining the status and health of each target (looking, for example, at what drives the stresses that are affecting a target, such as development, fishing, land use, etc.). The Situation Analysis part of Step1 will flush out the picture, she said. Kirsten briefly reviewed the four other Steps that are used to develop the Plan and to update it based on new information gathered.
Kirsten presented updates on a few of the seven targets (shallow rocky habitat, beaches or nearshore, sand,/mud/gravel, bottomfish, salmon, marine mammals, birds). There was discussion on the freshwater fish target being dropped by the core team. Kirsten said that the viability analysis identifies key ecological attributes that characterize a target or allow it to exist. She noted that the process involves a considerable amount of technical work on complex ecological targets. There will be a preliminary read on the status of the identified targets for the October 20th workshop; Kirsten noted that the stresses, sources, and situation analysis are the heart of the process. Kirsten reviewed the Situational Analysis handout’s example for a beach community in California; she said each source and stress is ranked and a prioritized threat list is developed. A high priority target identifies where work is needed. Kirsten recommended focusing the funding on the priority that delivers the biggest bang for the buck.
The objective of the October 21st workshop is to complete the situational analysis, one part of which will be developing the “human use” (i.e. social, cultural) target(s). Kirsten said the facilitator will introduce the topic by pointing out that human use of biological targets is an integral part of the ecosystem; “the social, cultural aspects that are important to you need to be factored in,” Kirsten added. The workshop will try to capture the strategies developed over the two days. Jody read from a broad list of about 35 researchers, agencies, tribal representatives and stakeholders (outside of the MRC) that have been invited; of the 35, the workshop organizers are seeking more marine users than scientists to participate.
Jacques said that he had a discussion with Terry Williams on how to engage the tribes in the process. One idea is for TNC’s core planning group to visit the tribes after the October 20th workshop to present the process to them and invite their participation. There was discussion on how to urge the BOCC to involve themselves peer-to-peer in tribal relations and on whether to invite all the 8 regional tribes. Jody said that she has asked the BOCC’s office to pull together Past Commissioner Rhea Miller’s records of her interactions with the tribes. There was discussion on how the MRC could formally participate in the November tribal conference; Jody noted that it would be a good opportunity to share MSA information. Jody encouraged MRC members to take advantage of the October 20th workshop by being present and active in the Process; she said that MRC members are aware of the objectives of the MSA and could set the tone for the workshop.
Jacques thanked the MRC for partnering with TNC through the 5-S Process. He said TNC has 5 preserves in the San Juans, which is an important place for its biological diversity, and the TNC would like to increase their work here. Jacques added that the next workshop is key to identifying issues; strategies will develop later based on this work. He added that the NWSC has funding to do a managers’ workshop. Jacques credited Kirsten for her hard work.
Regarding the Memorandum of Understanding, Jacques said that both the TNC and SJC attorneys have approved the MOU but financial details need to be squared away (e.g. how best to pay Kirsten for her time).
Mooring Buoys:
Mary provided some background information on the mooring buoy issue, noting that Commissioner Ranker has urged the MRC to tackle the writing of some kind of revisions to the Shoreline Master Program about the issue of enforcement (i.e. he thinks there are too many illegal mooring buoys in the San Juans). Mary said that the sub-committee met with three DNR representatives and learned that DNR is receiving comments from San Juan County residents as well and, therefore, wants to use the Islands as a test case in developing a revised permitting and enforcement process. Jody pointed out that the issue is part of MSA work, e.g. highlighting areas on maps that are appropriate for buoys.
Tina said that, as of last year, there were 49 registered mooring buoys in the Islands; now, 162 are registered (100 in Fisherman’s Bay alone). 90% of these have not been through a permitting process (state, county, DNR, or FWS), she added.
Jody said that the mooring buoy issue is part of a greater issue, that is, what is happening with the county’s shoreline management practices and the Shoreline Master Program and how can the MRC help in strategic planning and policy making? David said that opening this can of worms will create firestorms unless a systematic approach is developed. Tina said that a future with registered mooring buoys of appropriate design in appropriate places is the goal; there is no intention to remove existing buoys. Jody said that there is a lawsuit from citizens of Bainbridge Island against DNR for not pulling out illegal buoys. Mary said the MRC should be asking, “what do we want in terms of an appropriate number of mooring buoys?”; she said that the county has authority to move forward on this (per DNR) and that DNR is doing a mapping project of existing buoys that might be helpful. Tina said that aerial surveys indicate that there may be up to 6,000 buoys in the region and pre-1999 buoys are grandfathered in. Jody said that DNR is talking about working with installers to help owners with proper paperwork.
David said the matter of dock permits is complicated by observations that herring are back in Cowlitz Bay, spending their days under docks. Laura pointed out that the argument that docks provide habitat is faulty since a dock displaces original habitat.
Laura suggested that the mooring buoy/dock permitting issue be put on next year’s docket to secure mooring buoys and dock permits as part of the process. She said a letter could be written between January 1st and March 1st making a proposal and developing the concept.
Mary felt that a lot of inroads were made with DNR in a cooperative relationship-building. Mary will be talking with Whatcom County which, according to DNR, has a procedures model in place. She added that Barbara Rosenkotter will be working with Matt Zybas of CDPD to clarify with county staff what their process is and to get their recommendations. She proposed an MRC work session on the issue. Laura suggested a follow-up meeting with county staff on their review and compliance process (e.g. exemption standards, interference with normal public use of the water). Laura said that there is precedent in the county for setting aside areas where mooring buoy exemptions won’t be issued because of a predetermination that a given area is not an appropriate place for mooring buoys. She added that in the late 1980s there was an interpretation given for part of the Friday Harbor water area under county jurisdiction that it was not an appropriate place for exemptions to apply and a permit would be needed.
Michael said that DNR can lease open water moorage and anchor areas to the local government; these leases are intended to partially address liveaboard issues. Victoria said that this is a very timely and important issue that could serve to spark public awareness. Tina suggested running this through the MSA checklist. She added that one strategy could be to file a formal complaint with the code enforcement officer. David re- iterated that mooring buoys are a way of living for many islanders so the issue has to be approached with care.
Collecting human use data:
Jody explained that as part of MSA work, data will be collected on human impacts to the environment, such as boat wake disturbance. The issue is particularly timely with the recent proposal to list orca whales as an ESA threatened species. Boat counts may be one way to begin the process (aerial data, Whale Museum data, etc.). She said that the issue of boats came up at the seabirds meeting last week, i.e. boats disturbing nesting sites and driving birds off their nests. The science committee will start looking at the technical side of this issue. Jody has been talking with Rowann about how to bring the Beach Watchers (by contract?) in to capture marine user data; Terrie suggested that protocols should be developed to assure the credibility of such data collection.
Tina said that Beach Watchers’ steering committee identified a collection of use data at public lands such as
Westcott Bay as a priority project so it could be a good fit with MRC needs. She suggested that data
collection be done at such selected targets and that partnering with other public shoreline managers would also be useful. Rowann said that volunteer training for the Beach Watchers Program will begin
in March and April for summer 2006 work. She said she needs input from the MRC science subcommittee on protocol that will be doable by a trained volunteer effort. Rowann also inquired about MSA priorities.
Laura questioned how well the MRC has defined what it wants to know. Kirsten said that the 5-S process will help in determining what is most important to know, what to prioritize.
Jody said that boating is a big issue; a large number of boats come into this county and there is a lot of discussion about boat impacts (e.g. waste). Tina said that the Economic Development Council will be looking at components of the local economy over the next nine months which should provide a sense of where the marine element fits into the picture from an economic point of view. Also, the Visitors Bureau may be tracking boat traffic.
Reports:
Watchable wildlife:
Mary attended last week’s conference on watchable wildlife, sponsored by the Tourism Bureau and others. She found the morning session instructional and relevant to MSA implementation. The noon session highlighted scenic byways; a Federal program provides resources to communities who want to designate either roads or waterways as scenic byways, to promote what is special in their area (i.e. educational outreach). There is a lot of support in our region (from Anacortes and possibly Sydney), she said, for designating ferry routes as national and state scenic byways. Mary said there will be an excellent opportunity to apply for 2007 funding for interpretive displays at ferry terminals and for naturalists on ferries, for instance, providing stewardship education to the many riders who come here. Rowann added that people from Washington State Ferries in attendance at the conference were very interested in the idea; Beach Watcher training includes ferry presentations by volunteers. Mary said the afternoon session focused on tourism.
Seabirds and seaducks:
Jody reported on the SeaDoc meeting last week in response to the decline of seabirds and seaducks. Joe Gaydos pulled together a lot of top marine bird scientists to look into the threats to marine birds here (a 5-S process conservation target). Three species were identified as a Puget Sound-wide focus: the surf scoter, rhinoceros auklet and Western grebe; the MRC might want to think about a representative bird for the purpose of local targets, Jody said. She added that the WDFW talked about the listing process for the Western grebe, for example, which is currently stalled. One criterion for listing is that a species doesn’t have a lot of research money available now.
Jody said that the surf scoter population is in significant decline, largely related to the decline in Cherry Point herring but also due to its being hunted in surprising numbers. David said that the rhinoceros auklet is a herring indicator and the pigeon guillemot is an indicator for salmon. Jody said the oyster catcher is important for the San Juans but was not discussed because it is a shorebird. Laura said that there is the capability for the county to list species of local concern within the critical areas process. Jody said there was a debate on the impacts on birds of boat disturbance which is hard to measure. There is concern over the increasing numbers of kayaks and motorized boats. David said he has a copy of the Rafael data on boat numbers on the water. Phil added that there was discussion at the meeting about the Christmas bird counts data and other volunteer data. Jody said that she will send Joe Gaydos’ meeting notes to MRC members.
NWSC:
Jacques said that the Governor is highly motivated to develop an action program in response to a whole array of problems in Puget Sound...from toxic sediments to declining species and habitat loss to stormwater runoff. Governor Gregoire is looking to her advisors, including the PSAT. There is a bill pending in the
legislature which would re-format how the Action Team does its job in overseeing all the groups involved in
MRC minutes, page 4
10/05/05
Puget Sound recovery; the bill would set up a citizens leadership group made up of people who are involved in every segment of the population with interest in or who live around Puget Sound to advise on how to move
forward on these, to date, intractable issues, Jacques said. In 1985, the then Governor Booth Gardener developed the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority that was supposed to do this but it hasn’t worked. Governor Gregoire is looking at what is possible and is balancing that against the fact that there is probably going to be a takings initiative in Washington similar to Oregon’s. Jacques suggested that the environmental community really needs an effective public outreach campaign in order to convince more people that this is the right
thing to do; he noted that most people watch television and a good campaign focusing on Puget Sound could help people decide that minor personal sacrifices are worth it to save Puget Sound. Jacques said that one of the components of the campaign, looking at the success of the MRCs and NWSC, is to export similar actions to south Puget Sound.
Jody said that one of the things that came up at the NWSC meeting was a resources protection database that Island County is putting together; they’re trying to take all their shoreline data and put it into an Access program so that in MS Access maps can be pulled out with all the data right there. Jody added that they would be willing to come to an MRC meeting here to talk about it. Tina said that the Friends of the San Juans’ webpage has maps with easily accessible related data on nearshore, forage fish, and eelgrass that is user-friendly and detailed.
Jody said there was a session on Spartina; People for Puget Sound has put together a citizens handbook that can be ordered. She wondered if meetings on Spartina monitoring and removal would be appropriate here or if it should be an MRC agenda item to explore how the MRC can be more helpful in this issue. Tina said that Hilary Culverwell of PSAT is planning a November workshop on Spartina, which will include the Noxious Weed Boards, Beach Watchers, etc. in the region. She added that Megan at the UW Labs has a Sea Grant on Spartina research.
Jody said that members who are planning to attend the NWSC conference on the 4th and 5th will have to make their own hotel reservations at the Bow Casino and submit their receipts to her for reimbursement.
Joy Sevier said that the Community Foundation had a “breakfast of champions” to acknowledge the non-profit recipients of this year’s grants ($30,000). She noted that Victoria spoke eloquently, as usual, and that the event was very well attended.
MSA Anniversary Celebration:
Victoria said that four applicants will be interviewed for the coordinator position on Monday.
Victoria announced that the partnership of the Sea Doc Society, SJ Nature Institute, and YMCA Camp Orkila will have their opening lecture of the winter series on October 11th at the YMCA Marine Salmon Center on Orcas. Dr. Eugene Kozloff will speak on symbiosis among species. Subsequent lectures will be held on the second Tuesday of each month over the winter. Russel Barsh has been invited to speak in December at a family night on the reef net sight that is just off the shore at Camp Orkila.
Tina announced that Don Rothaus, WDFW biologist, will be speaking on the Pinto abalone which is listed as a species of concern. The event, part of FOSJ’s endangered species and habitat lecture series, will be held on October 12th at the Grange and the 13th at the Orcas Senior Center.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am.
Submitted by Helen Venada
