Minutes

January 8, 2003 , 4:00 – 5:40 pm

Heller Road Firehall

Oak Harbor

Present: Chair Tom Campbell, Martin Behr, Hi Bronson, Mike Gallion, Phyllis Kind, Don Meehan , Sayed El-Sayed, Roger Sherman, Dick Toft, Admin. Ass't. Dan Pedersen.

Absent: Jim Hawley (Roehl alt.), Jeff Tate, Benye Weber, Exec. Director Gary Wood.

Visitors: Nancy Waddell, Maxwelton Salmon Adventure; Gwenn Maxfield, Island County Public Works; Frank Roberts, Lagoon Point.

Call to order: 4:08 pm , Chair Tom Campbell called the meeting to order and declared a quorum.

Agenda: Adopted with these additions.

> Kind -- several minutes to talk about aquatic birds.

> Nancy Waddell – several minutes regarding Maxwelton Salmon Adventure.

Minutes of 12-11-02 . Adopted. Motion by Bronson, second by Kind, no objections.

Reports:

> Bird Survey Proposal. Phyllis Kind reported that Frances Wood, a prominent Whidbey Island birder, has suggested that along with our monitoring activities, we consider surveying the nesting sites of three birds that breed in the bluffs. These are the pigeon guillemot, belted kingfisher and rough-winged swallow. Wood is an experienced surveyor who organized last year's Island County Breeding Bird Survey. She would be willing to coordinate a comprehensive survey of nesting sites of these three birds if we could find grant funding to pay the costs. Don Meehan asked whether Kind thought Wood might be willing to give the MRC a presentation on this and explore how it fits in with other work we are doing. Kind said she will approach Wood about it.

> Maxwelton Salmon Adventure. Nancy Waddell of Maxwelton Salmon Adventure distributed copies to the committee of A Journey Through the Maxwelton Watershed , a natural and social history published with the support of the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team. Meehan commented this is a superb book that should be of great interest in tying our cultural heritage to the natural systems. He said it would make an excellent gift for newcomers. Waddell said the group's purpose in publishing the book was to document the area's rich history for the old-timers and landowners, and make it available for newcomers. She said many newcomers value the same things the old-timers value. In March, a day-long visioning exercise will be held for the watershed, to explore how the public would like the watershed to look 50 or 100 years from now.

> Get-Well Motion. Campbell provided an update on executive director, Gary Wood, who's been out with health problems but is on the mend, pending one more surgery. Action: By acclamation, the committee voted to send Wood their good wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

> Contracts and grants. Filling in for Wood, Meehan outlined the status of contracts and grants:

NWSC Phase III . A $50,000 grant currently is funding our derelict gear outreach, the recently-completed upgrade of our MRC Web site, and Shore Stewards pilot program.

NWSC Phase IV. We've applied for a $75,000 grant for 2003, which is close to being signed, to fund some administrative costs, a shoreline hardening survey on Whidbey, Cama Beach shade tree project for forage fish, Cama Beach rail ramp on stilts, and Penn Cove spartina project.

NFWF. A $45,000 grant for the forage fish region -- $30,000 for the three other counties and $15,000 for Island County .

SRFBrd #1252 . A $257,000 grant, signed by the commissioners, for forage fish, eelgrass surveys, feeder bluffs study and Shore Stewards. Much of the eelgrass work has been completed but the contract had never been signed. This will pay Jim Norris for work already done and some remaining.

SRFBrd #1673. A $50,000 eelgrass grant carry-over from last year.

> Sound Waters. Meehan says Andrea Copping of the NWSC board and Washington Sea Grant will give the keynote address on marine resources of Island County at the Sound Waters one-day university, Feb. 1. Roger Sherman will again lead a class on Whidbey's Maritime Heritage. The MRC's interests will be represented in Copping's remarks, and in several of the classes that deal with shoreline hardening, forage fish, derelict gear, Shore Stewards and other topics. Action: Motion by Toft, second by Kind, for the MRC to support Sound Waters in the amount of $500, budget-permitting. Passed unanimously with one abstention by Meehan. Meehan said the MRC will reimburse registration fees for committee members who attend. Any who choose not to submit reimbursement forms may consider their tuition a donation to Sound University . Action: Motion by Meehan, second by Behr, for the MRC to reimburse registration fees of committee members who attend Sound Waters. Voting for: Campbell , Behr, Bronson, Gallion, Meehan, El-Sayed, Sherman , Toft. Voting against: Kind.

New business.

> County personnel changes. Gwenn Maxfield reported that Public Works is hiring a grant-funded Camano watershed person to produce a surface-water runoff action plan. Within a year, a citizens' advisory committee will be appointed to meet regularly and discuss pollution issues and possible solutions for those runoff contaminants. Within a month, Public Works will begin interviewing to replace Janet Kearsley, who recently left. One of the position's responsibilities is to oversee Island County 's process as the lead entity for reviewing SRFB funding applications.

> LIDAR. Meehan reported that Doug Kelly now has LIDAR in operation – digital, laser technology for accurately determining topography in Island County . For the MRC, this offers the possibility of overlaying ordinary high-water data with bulkhead location to see which bulkheads extend beyond ordinary high water and which ones don't.

> Whidbey-Camano Land Trust. Behr reported that he and Campbell met today with Pat Powell, new executive director of the Whidbey-Camano Land Trust. A planning retreat will be held in February to prioritize the Land Trust's future direction. The Land Trust is interested in supporting, through easements and land purchases, goals of the MRC with regard to critical uplands or watersheds. Sherman asked whether it would be appropriate to invite Powell to give the MRC a presentation. Behr said yes, and will invite Powell to speak at the MRC's March 19 meeting.

> Feeder bluff RFP. Meehan has sent out the request for proposal on the feeder bluff project.

> SRFB first-round funding hearing. Maxfield reported that on Feb. 6, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board will hold its first-round hearing in LaConner on project proposals. Our Maylor's Marsh project is one of four to be considered. Sponsors will get 10 minutes apiece to talk, and it would be beneficial if the MRC is represented. Meehan said he'd make sure we're present.

Adjournment. 5:45 pm , with no further business, Campbell declared the meeting adjourned.

NEXT MEETING: 4 - 6 pm , Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Trinity Lutheran Church , Freeland