Island County Marine Resources Committee http://www.islandcountymrc.org

MINUTES

March 3, 2004, 4:08 – 6:03 pm

Heller Road Firehall

Oak Harbor

Present: Chair Roger Sherman, Tom Campbell, Sayed El-Sayed, Mike Gallion, Dick Toft, Benye Weber, Exec. Director Gary Wood, Admin. Ass’t. Dan Pedersen.

Alternates: Pedersen and Bredensteiner.

Absent: Martin Behr, Hi Bronson, Ian Jefferds, Phyllis Kind, Don Meehan, Rolf Seitle, Jeff Tate.

Visitors: Kim Bredensteiner, Island County Public Works; Robyn Du Pre, Puget Sound Action Team; Tony Frantz, Puget Sound Creosote Awareness; Frank Roberts, Lagoon Point; Nancy Waddell, Maxwelton Salmon Adventure.

Call to order: 4:08 pm, Sherman called the meeting to order, pointing out no quorum was yet present.

Quorum: Declared at 4:26 with arrival of Toft and Weber.

Agenda: No action.

Minutes of 2-18-2004: Adopted. Motion by Toft. Second by Campbell. No objections.

Summary of Decisions

MOTION CARRIED: To partner with Washington Trout in studying juvenile salmon sites on the west side of Whidbey Island.

Double Bluff field trip – the MRC will tour Double Bluff Beach Tuesday, April 13, with Tony Frantz.

Maylor’s Marsh point person -- Dick Toft will be the MRC’s point person on the Maylor’s Marsh project.

Stewardship launch chair -- Benye Weber has agreed tentatively to chair the stewardship launch event.

Acronyms – Sherman asked Wood to compile a glossary of acronyms frequently used.

Bylaw review – Sherman asked members to review the bylaws for any needed updates.

Benchmark assignments – see page 3.

Benchmark updates – members are to revise their benchmarks for 2004 before the March 17 meeting.

Summary of grants – Wood will prepare a list of MRC sponsors / partners (showing their logos) for inclusion in the MRC 5-Year Report.

Double Bluff creosote field trip

Sherman invited Tony Frantz to speak first. Frantz is founder of the Puget Sound Creosote Awareness Program (PSCAP). Frantz asked MRC members whether they would be interested in a field trip to Double Bluff beach to view the extent of the creosote log problem -- most in the room raised their hands. Frantz said creosote logs are associated with high mortality in forage fish, and commented that Double Bluff would be an easy beach for him to clean up because a road runs parallel to the beach. Sherman set a date of Tuesday, April 13, for the field trip. Website of the PSCAP is http://www.pscap.net.

Executive Director’s Written Report -- Wood

Wood distributed the following report by e-mail prior to the meeting:

Forage fish data released

This week saw the culmination of three years of work when the full GIS databases for the forage fish spawning habitat assessments were transmitted to the Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish MRCs. More distribution will follow. Thanks to Doug Kelly for converting thousands of pages of DFW field and laboratory notes into GIS databases that will enhance planning & resources maps in all four counties. DFW will eventually have the data available on their website, too. For the first time, researchers will be able to rely on consistent digital data to probe the nearshore relationships between spawn, bulkheads, eelgrass and the intrepid feeder bluff. Or just appreciate great maps!

DNR Project

As authorized by the committee, members were emailed the MRC’s formal proposal to Dave Roberts at the Department of Natural Resources for the the Maylor’s Marsh, Oak Harbor, bulkhead removal and pilot beach restoration project, partnered with the Navy. DNR funding of $15,000 is anticipated. ACTION ITEM: The MRC should designate a member or members to act as ‘Point’ on this interesting project. We may want to enlist additional sponsors and combine outreach elements as well.

ALEA Letter of Intent

On Monday we submitted an LOI to the Outdoor Recreation Grant officer at the Interagency Committee, to begin the process for this year’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) -- seeking funding for interpretive shoreline signage.

City of Coupeville Shoreline Management Committee

GW represented the MRC (February 23^rd) on the committee that will update Coupeville’s Shoreline plan. This is the task that the county and other cities must also undertake, and should begin, instead of waiting out the extended 2008 deadline. MRC data will play a most useful role here.

PSGP Grant Opportunity

As authorized by MRC resolution, the federal “Private Stewardship Grants Program” application from the MRC to the US Fish & Wildlife Service is well underway. This is the new program that provides grants to individuals and groups engaged in local, private, and voluntary conservation efforts on private property that benefit federally listed, proposed, or candidate species. We propose to partner with the Conservation Districts to extend the Shore Stewards program to agricultural properties. (Benye take note.) Thankfully, the due date on this program was just moved from 3/8 to 3/31.

Governor Locke Visits Derelict Gear Project

Last Friday the Clallam County gear removal operation was reviewed in person enthusiastically by the Governor. This year’s work began with a massive load of nets recovered from Port Angeles harbor, seen behind project manager Jeff June and Clallam MRC Chair Joe Schmitt at right. The Straits Foundation – our non-profit – has contracted for several hundred thousand dollars in clean-ups for this year, putting the NOAA and SRFB grants to work.

2004 Workplan

The job of preparing this year’s workplan can wait no more, and will be the focus of this meeting. Hooray, you say? For that purpose I am attaching a copy of our 2003 Workplan with this report, so that we might use it – update it – and make some rational decisions about what interests us and what we need to finish. They won’t likely be the same, alas.

Shore Stewards Workgroups

Under the strong lead of Madeline Johnson, new Shore Stewards Coordinator, the Camano Committee created three Work Groups at its 2/18 meeting, as outlined below:

· Applications Review - This Work Group will review applications for Shore Stewards Certification; it will also pre-qualify those interested in applying; and, it will create a way to work with pending applicants to assure that they receive substantive answers to their stewardship questions.

· Program Marketing & Publicity - This Work Group will develop and implement marketing and publicity for the Shore Stewards program.  Its initial objective will be to bring shoreline property owners on Camano Island into the program.  This will be done through a variety of outreach opportunities including media, advertising, events, public presentations, schools, businesses, and more.

· Building the Program - This Work Group will develop seminars, post-application follow-up, and other forms of outreach to certified Shore Stewards.

Workplan update

Prior to the next meeting, March 17, members should update the benchmarks for which they are responsible. For the 2003 plan, go to: www.islandcountymrc.org

Benchmark assignments for the 2004 workplan are:

1. County participation: Meehan

2. Regional MPAs: Sherman and Kind

3. Net Gain Habitat: Tate, Behr, Seitle

4. Shellfish: Bronson and Jefferds

5. Bottomfish Recovery: Toft and Gallion

6. Increase in indicator species: Campbell and El Sayed

7. Data sharing/ protocol: Wood

8. Outreach / Education / Stewardship: Meehan, Pedersen, Weber

Frank Roberts asked why none of the five very specific tasks enumerated for Marine Protected Areas had been addressed during 2003. Wood said a major change had occurred in thinking about MPAs and that the Northwest Straits Commission assigned an employee, Ginny Broadhurst, to take a regional view of it. Sherman said he and Kind were very involved several years ago when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife established the MPAs near Keystone. Toft commented that our group has moved toward stewardship and the identification of habitats, rather than a regulatory approach.

Educational program ideas for 2004.

Wood offered these topics as program suggestions for 2004:

Eelgrass – data will be available within a couple of months.

Forage fish – yesterday the four-county data were completed. Doug Kelly could give a presentation.

Shoreline hardening survey – Clyde Johnson did a presentation on this at Sound Waters. All of Camano

is finished, and about half of Whidbey.

Feederbluff study – Jim Johannesen could probably five a good program on this next fall. The work is going to be done this summer.

Creosote

Beach Watchers – Beach Watcher, Ranger Rick, has a program at Rosario in the summer where 3,000

school children come to the beach and learn about tide pools.

Maylor’s Marsh DNR Project – perhaps a presentation from Betsy Peabody on Beach Replenishment –

how, why, what works, what doesn’t work. Peabody is head of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund.

Other suggestions:

Maxwelton Creek study – results of a Washington Trout study that extended as far up as Miller Lake,

available after mid-May. (Nancy Waddell, Maxwelton Salmon Adventure.)

Flatfish program – invite Jim West of DFW, an expert on flatfish and pollution in the fats and oils of fish in all of Puget Sound. (Gallion.)

Sherman asked whether we should consider presenting some of these programs in Oak Harbor. There was general agreement we should. Pedersen said we‘d probably get better coverage in the Whidbey News-Times for north-end programs than we get in the South Whidbey Record for south-end speakers.

MRC: 5 Years of Leadership report. Sherman asked whether any members have suggestions for additions to this report, prepared by Pedersen. Sherman said his only thought was to mention the MRC Website. Wood said Meehan is part way through converting this to a half-page format, printed front and back. El Sayed suggested adding a summary to the document of grants the MRC has received. Wood said he’d like to show the logos of sponsors who have given us grants. He’ll put together a list and we will add their logos to the document. Sherman declared that unless further input is provided to Pedersen or Meehan in the very near future, the document is approved.

Stewardship area launch event. Sherman reminded members that the stewardship area subcommittee will meet at 4 pm next Wednesday, March 10, at his home. Sherman said he had talked with Behr by telephone. Behr had learned that the Mosquito Fleet whale-watching boat based in Everett is not available starting in May because of other commitments, except after 7:30 pm. Sherman placed a call to Matt Nichols to see about other possibilities, but had not yet heard back from him. Sherman commented that in addition to finding a high-speed boat, we need to talk about financing. He asked Weber whether she is willing to serve as chair of the launch event, and she replied tentatively she will do it, but that she is still determining what her responsibilities are going to be after she retires in the next month. Wood commented that the NWSC commissioners are excited about the stewardship area tour. He also said the kickoff event will be a good deadline for having some informational materials completed.

Public comment

Puget Sound priorities. Robyn Du Pre reported that the Puget Sound Action Team is looking for comment on the 2005-2007 Puget Sound Priorities, viewable online at www.psat.wa.gov.

Whidbey Institute Lyceum Series. Nancy Waddell reminded members of the upcoming Whidbey Institute Lyceum Series on Vital Waters, remarking that the lineup of speakers is truly first class.

Washington Trout juvenile salmon studies. Campbell reported that Washington Trout wishes to partner with the MRC in studying sites where juvenile might be present on the west side of Whidbey Island. Bredensteiner reported two of the four SRFB applications she has received for this round of funding are from Washington Trout for this purpose. Motion carried: Weber moved that the MRC partner with Washington Trout in these studies. Second – El Sayed. All in favor except Gallion (abstained).

Adjournment: 6:02 pm. There being no further business, Sherman declared the meeting adjourned.

Coming Events

March 17, Wednesday, 4 pm

MRC meeting: Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland -- Eric Beamer of Skagit River System Cooperative

March 30, Tuesday, 7:30 pm

Whidbey Lyceum, Jeff Ritchey, UW Prof./Oceanography, speaking about PRISM model of Puget Sound

April 1, Tuesday, 7:30 pm

Whidbey Lyceum, speaker Andrea Copping, NWSC

April 13, Tuesday (time to be announced)

Double Bluff creosote tour by MRC with Tony Frantz.

April 13, Tuesday, 7:30 pm

Whidbey Lyceum, speaker Jacques White on nearshore issues and solutions.

April 17, Saturday

Last day of early-registration discounts for NWSC’s Sound Investment conference

June 4, Friday, midday – 4 pm

Tentative date for Island County stewardship area boat tour / launch event

June 4-5

NWSC Sound Investment 2004 conference at Everett Events Center