| |
December Meeting Minutes |
Approved minutes
MRC Members present: Chair Tom Campbell, Sayed El-Sayed,
Dick Toft, Don Meehan, Phyllis Kind, Roger Sherman, Jeff Tate, Mike Gallion,
Vice Chair Tom Roehl. Executive Director Gary Wood. We are sorry that
Julie Buktenica made the effort to come, but was involved in a traffic
accident while turning into the parking lot. MRC secretary Kate Poss.
Excused absences-Matt Klope, Marty Behr, Hi Bronson, Sharon Hart
Visitors: Joan Drinkwin, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team;
Frank Roberts, Lagoon Point; Bill White, Clinton (Beach Watcher).
4:05 pm-A quorum is present and Chair Campbell called
the meeting to order
4:06 pm-Approval of today's agenda and 11/28 minutes
· Meehan added discussion of the 2002 Workplan to today's agenda
· Kind added discussion of the 12/8 DNR meeting on aquatic reserves
to the agenda
· Today's agenda was approved.
· Action: Meehan moved for approval of the 11/28 minutes. Dick
Toft seconded the motion, which was carried. The 11/28 minutes were approved-with
some added clarifying language to our reference about DFW's proposal to
establish an MPA at Scatchet Head (our MRC voted to not adopt DFW's proposal
as written). Another clarification-correcting Sharon Hart's name. She
was incorrectly listed as Karen.
Discussion of 11/7 minutes
· At our 11/28 meeting Sego Jackson, a member of the Water Resources
Advisory Committee or WRAC, noticed that the 11/7 minutes were incorrect
in noting the amount of money that was being requested for Deer Lagoon.
Deer Lagoon, like our Island County MRC, is requesting grant funds from
the Salmon Recovery Funding Board or SRFB for a project. The Island County
WRAC scores proposals and forwards them to SRFB.
· Sego sent an email to the MRC 11/29 at 6:14 am asking to correct
an error in the minutes. The incorrect entry reads "Deer Lagoon is
asking for $1.6 million to acquire land as a buffer around the lagoon."
Jackson asked that the minutes be rewritten to read: "The Whidbey
Camano Land Trust requested $175,000 to conduct a Deer Lagoon Restoration
Feasibility study with technical and landowner assessments, public outreach
efforts and to form a citizen restoration work group.
"The actual request was for $174,616 of SRF Board funds with a $185,000
sponsor match."
· While Jackson's words are correct, a debate ensued over the email
about the fact that Jackson, who did not attend the meeting and who is
not an MRC member, proposed correcting the minutes. Yet the minutes were
incorrect. Meehan made an executive decision to ask Kate to listen to
the 11/7 tape and transcribe the portion of it referring to the SRFB grant.
5.5 hours and nine typed pages later, the transcription was sent to Campbell,
Meehan and Wood.
· Meehan said the 11/7 transcription will be added to the 11/7
minutes as an addendum once Wood clarifies some aspects of the transcript
that Kate was unable to understand
· Campbell asked members in the future to speak one at a time;
otherwise the taped record reflects a jumble of voices. Kate was asked
to raise a flag when something is unclear to her at meetings and have
it explained then and there so that the minutes can reflect the facts.
4:15 pm-2002 Workplan
· Meehan handed around revised copies of the 2002 Workplan and
asked the MRC whether they thought we were spending our money on the right
kinds of things and what our highest priorities should be. The Workplan
reflects benchmarks we are required to attain.
· It was agreed that forage fish and eelgrass are our highest priorities
· Next in line of priority: shoreline armoring, feeder bluffs and
estuary assessment
· Regarding Marine Protected areas (which are one of our benchmarks):
o Gallion-said that MPAs do not necessarily have to be established, unless
good science is there to prove it.
o Discussion went round to what an MPA really does do. Wood suggested
visiting the website at www.mpa.org to see the federal definition. He
added that 19% of the Puget Sound nearshore meets the definition of an
MPA.
o Campbell read the original verbiage from the Murray-Metcalf bill, creating
MRCs 3 years ago. He said MPAs create healthy habitats.
o Roehl said that doesn't necessarily mean we need to create MPAs in Island
County.
· Meehan asked how our priorities (which our grants fund)-forage
fish, eelgrass, shoreline armoring, feeder bluffs and estuary assessment-apply
to our benchmarks-County Participation, Regional MPAs, Net Gain Habitat,
Shellfish, Bottomfish Recovery, Increase in Indicator Species, Data Sharing/Protocol
and Outreach/Education.
It was agreed that:
· Forage fish involve all of the benchmarks
· Eelgrass involves all of the benchmarks
· Feeder bluffs/accretion shore forms involve all the benchmarks
· Shoreline armoring applies to all benchmarks but regional MPAs
and bottomfish recovery
· Estuary assessments apply to all of the benchmarks
· Other priorities to ponder:
· Shellfish, including crab
· Flat fish-aka flounder
· Identify littoral zones; drift -Wood will provide Army Corp.
of Engineer contacts to Sayed on this issue
· Wood says we have $10,000 to study feeder bluffs/accretion with
a $56,000 request from SRFB with Island County MRC as the lead
· Shoreline Stewardship Certification-to reward good behavior and
raise awareness' of shoreline owners' pride in their property.
· Derelict gear-we're involved in outreach
· Pollutants?
o Drinkwin says she understands urban runoff is a pervasive problem.
o Roehl said we do not have data to support the charge of saying there
is a problem. If there is one, we need to see where it is; for instance
sampling of drainage outfalls at shoreline bluffs
o Tate noted that Island Co. is spending $200,000 on a plan for Freeland's
development and its contribution to stormwater runoff.
o Wood noted that outfalls are being noted while our forage fish studies
are being done. He said they need to be mapped first; then find out if
they're contributing to pollution
· PIE grant to fund youth participation in our grant-funded work
and get them school credit at the same time.
· Synthesize all the data we collect and say what it all means.
· Meehan asked that we take a look at the workplan and send him
the final edits.
5:20 pm-Creosote is it an issue?
· Meehan, Campbell and Wood met with three of Dept. of Fisheries
and Wildlife (DFW) biologists to get their take on creosote and its affect
on the environment. The meeting follows the wake of local activist Tony
Frantz's attempts to broadcast the dangers of creosote and the need for
piling removal; meanwhile Matt Klope says Hancock Lake, the focus of Frantz's
energy, is pristine.
· Studies on creosote from UC Davis at Bodega Bay document that
mortality rate was high for herring eggs laid on creosote pilings-something
we need to pay attention to, even though most herring lay their eggs in
eelgrass beds in the Puget Sound.
· Meehan said his concern is that while we are committed to supporting
maritime industries such as marinas, the idea of our saying they need
to pull their creosote is ludicrous. Yet our responsibility is to balance
economy with the environment.
· Campbell said he learned that 40- to 50-year-old creosote pilings
still emit chemicals.
o If it is an issue, then he suggests it be tackled by the state and federal
government, not the MRC.
· Meehan asked if it is a problem, how does it fit in with MRCs
priorities; he added that he didn't get a clear answer from the 3 DFW
biologists
· Wood says DFW is asking some applicants to clean up creosote
logs as a mediation for their project's impacts. Yet Island County doesn't
have a list of clean up sites. This led Wood to talking about disposing
of the creosote material and whether or not it is safe to expose the buried
stuff to the air. Some of the buried stuff contains asbestos, which becomes
poisonous when exposed to the air.
· Gallion said his conversations with divers at Hancock Lake reveal
that some of the old pilings are covered in mussels and pileworms-wouldn't
this indicate health?
· Tate said while Island County cannot prohibit the use of creosote,
it recommends using half the number of pilings and using concrete and
steel instead.
· Sayed added that creosote manufacturers need public pressure
to make a safer product.
· Meehan said there should be a connection between creosote and
forage fish; i.e. egg mortality with the presence of creosote.
5:35 pm-Candidates for nomination 2002
· Nominating committee-Dick Toft, Hi Bronson and Roger Sherman-nominated
Tom Campbell as chair; Tom Roehl as vice chair and Gary Wood as the NWSC
representative for 2002.
· Any other nominations-please email Toft, Bronson and Sherman
with other candidate suggestions
· Posts will be voted on at the Jan. 9 meeting.
5:37 pm-Dept. Natural Resources meeting with Phyllis
Kind and Roger Sherman
· Kind said the DNR wants to set aside land for aquatic reserves.
o DNR's timeline: Environmental Impact statement by summer, 2002; get
public review of selected reserves by Fall, 2002.
o Wood commented that these reserves include land that is leased by DNR
to marinas and ports. Selected marinas and ports are taken out from the
existing inventory of leased land. Will more ports and marinas be added
to the areas of protection or will ones that are protected now be put
back in the leasing pool in exchange for the new ones that are selected?
There is no answer to that one.
· Kind asked earlier this month what type of criteria our MRC would
like to see for Marine Protected Areas. That set off a flood of emails
on what our members think. Comments will be summarized. She suggested
getting DFW and DNR representatives out to a future MRC meeting to discuss
this hot topic.
· Meehan said it is important when talking to groups of various
stakeholders that we focus on what we're trying to do; not on the term
MPA.
· Campbell added it might help if MRC asks the stakeholders what
they would like to see as far as MPAs go
5:50 pm-Gary Wood
· Wood applauded the presence of our little tug in Neah Bay as
it rescued two run away craft.
· He talked of today's front page article in the Whidbey News Times
regarding anglers' response to DNR's 3 proposed MPAs.
6 pm-New business
· Our next meeting will be held Jan. 9 instead of Jan. 2 in light
of the New Year's holiday. The meeting will be at the Heller Road Firehall
in Oak Harbor from 4 t 6 pm.
· Gallon suggested we review the 2002 calendar for holidays and
potential schedule changes and set the schedule for 2002 meetings then.
· Gallion asked why the letter to DFW did not reflect the 11/28
minutes which said our MRC supported a MPA at Admiralty Head with the
proviso that the salmon fishing season be honored. (Note: Wood corrected
this position in an email to MRC members on 12/13 at 1:06 am. He asked
for input and will send the amended version to DFW.)
· Frank Roberts passed around a letter stating his position on
open meetings, sound science and hardened shorelines, plus a letter he
wrote and email exchange with Wood. The letters will be discussed at the
next meeting. Church ladies had the room at 6 pm and we needed to exit.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:08 pm.
