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Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership
Steering Committee Meeting
May 18, 2005

Attendees:

Tim Smith, Curtis Tanner, Elaine Kleckner, Doug Myers, Bernie Hargrave, Debby Hyde, Scott Redman, Jacques White, Terry Wright, Fred Goetz, Debbie Rick

Nearshore Science Team Report – Doug Myers

Doug Myers presented the Nearshore Science Team report for April (attached). April’s meeting focused on removal of dikes (management measure) to restore estuarine marsh processes.

Greg Hood from the Skagit River System Cooperative; Jean Takekawa and Marian Bailey from Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge; Florian Leischner from the Nisqually Indian Tribe; and Daniel Hull from the Nisqually Reach Nature Center, were guests to the NST.

The SC discussed in-depth views of management measures (two to-date) and followed with points to clarify processes and understanding. Issues included:

• Do we answer research questions during the project?
• Which research questions require extra study/tasks to complete project?
• Should research questions be an appendix to the Research plan?
• What is the NST’s plan for completion of the research question list?
• What is the relationship between the management measures and the VECs?
• How are management measures linked to the ecosystem natural processes and VECs?

Action: The NST should tie the research questions to VECs and management measures. The Steering Committee needs to know from the NST what role the SC can play in seeking answers to priority questions. . The SC can make recommendations to PSNERP with a call for proposals and alignment with funding sources.

Federal Project Manager Report – Bernie Hargrave

Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Workshops were held in May. These workshops were to ask for projects, and working with designers, to select projects in the future as funding becomes available

In May, Bernie is looking how to spend PSNERP FY05 dollars, and what is the Congressional interest for 2006 and 2007.

Bernie discussed several potential priorities for funding with funds from this year. These included:

• Publication of the Research Plan. The PMT has chosen USGS to do this work for $5,700 (editing, peer review, publishing, and printing.) The Research Plan communicates science needs to the research community.
• Expansion of the Historic Conditions Assessment. Building from the methods developed in WRIA 9, “scale up” to a larger study area in Puget Sound.
• Future without Project. EPA ($40K) money is passing through PSAT to develop an alternative futures scenario approach for this project task. These funds will be used to support Principle Investigator (Marina Alberti) and a graduate student. Corps funds may be used to augment EPA funds.
• VEC white papers. This task would develop a “folio” of white papers, one white paper for each of the nine VECs. These white papers will describe in narrative form the conceptual model that relates VECs to nearshore structure (habitat) and associated processes.

Finally, Bernie informed the Steering Committee of the upcoming American Water Resources Association Conference in November. This conference would give the Nearshore Partnership an opportunity to access to a wide national audience that we have not necessarily reached in the past.

Action: PMT to report on plans, including schedule for VEC white papers at next Steering Committee meeting.

Implementation Team Report – Elaine Kleckner

The Implementation Team’s primary role is project implementation; a development of management measures, and in the future, plan formulation (GI).

The design and development of a nearshore projects database has begun, consistent with the Nearshore Partnership Work Plan. This task involves working with restoration partners to identify existing and potential projects. In the near term, the database will help align projects with funding opportunities. In the longer term, the database will help inform development (in progress) of management measures that become part of a comprehensive portfolio of nearshore actions. The database could evolve into a more robust project management tool and eventually serve as a source of data for geospatial analysis.

Database design and development is occurring under the leadership of the Nearshore Partnership Implementation Team. The State of Washington Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) and WDFW are providing input and resources. Other potential partners and data contributors include tribal governments, the Puget Sound Action Team (PSAT), Lead Entities, watershed and salmon recovery planning groups, Marine Resources Committees, Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups and non-governmental organizations.

The State is providing a temporary coordinator/Implementation Team Co-Lead (Elaine Kleckner) through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2005). The position is housed in WDFW, reporting to Tim Smith and to Nearshore Partnership Local Project Manager, Curtis Tanner. The IAC has agreed to provide support via PRISM staff and consultants and advice of grant program staff. WDFW’s Lead Entity Coordinator would also be a key advisor. The Corps is providing an Implementation Team Co-Lead (Beth Coffey) to work with the coordinator on this task and other Implementation Team activities.

The State has a considerable investment in the IAC’s grants management system, PRISM, which supports a number of existing programs including Salmon Recovery Funding Board grants. Initial evaluation suggests that PRISM, with development of a nearshore ecosystem restoration projects module, could meet the Nearshore Partnership’s needs. The IAC has offered staff and PRISM consultants to support the design, development and maintenance of a nearshore module, but cannot initiate the PRISM design process until June 2005. Since waiting until June, or later, would not allow the Nearshore Partnership to begin aligning existing project ideas with near-term funding opportunities (nor make the best use of the coordinator’s limited time), development of an interim Microsoft Access database is underway. The interim database will house project and sponsor information like the existing PRISM modules and will link projects to management measures. The interim database is being developed in coordination with IAC staff and consultants to enable the eventual “upload” of fields into PRISM following development of the nearshore module. Habitat Work Schedule and salmon recovery plan projects will have a special indicator in the database. Mapping capabilities, a field for protection actions, and links to valued ecosystem components (VECs) and ecosystem processes will be added in the PRISM module. The design of the interim database is currently being refined with suggestions from the Implementation Team.

Testing and population of the database could begin as soon as May 20. The coordinator will work with potential nearshore partners to obtain the data on existing and potential projects. The initial focus will be on restoration projects; however, the coordinator may also collect information on assessments at this time. IAC and PSAT staff will help evaluate existing nearshore project data so that appropriate items can be moved into the database.

Work Plan and Stage II Gantt chart – Curtis Tanner

Assignments from the Work Plan Issues – Stage 2 document:

Possible Role for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in PSNP – Curtis for Andrea Copping

The PSNP Steering Committee engaged in some thoughtful discussion of this matter at their April meeting concerning the engagement of PNNL in PSRP efforts. Based on conversations with PNNL personnel, Andrea proposes that the Steering Committee nominate the following individuals:

For Steering Committee: Mr. Richard Ecker, Manager of PNNL Marine Sciences Laboratory, Sequim

For Executive Committee: Dr. Rod Quinn, PNNL Associate Laboratory Director, Richland.

PNNL has a high level of interest and enthusiasm for nearshore restoration. Given their expertise and resources, their contributions to PSNP would compliment and advance the program. The Steering Committee voted five aye to two nay to recommend addition of PNNL representatives to the Executive Committee, which reviews changes to Steering Committee composition.

Decision: The Steering Committee will recommend these individuals to the Executive Committee in July as well as address concerns. Tim will make revisions to policies and procedures and include selection process guidelines based on some commitment to participate and individual’s qualifications.

Executive Committee Agenda

After discussion, here is the revised draft agenda:

Executive Committee
July 11, 2005
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Pierce County Environmental Services
9850 - 64th Street West
University Place, Washington 98467-1078

DRAFT AGENDA

Welcome and Introductory Remarks from Executive Committee Co-Chairs
Dr. Jeff Koenings, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Colonel Debra Lewis, Seattle District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Membership – Tim Smith

• Executive Committee
  • Dr. Rod Quinn, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, Associate Laboratory Director, Richland
• Steering Committee
  • Richard Ecker, Manager of PNNL Marine Sciences Laboratory, Sequim
  • Paula DelGiudice, Northwest Regional Manager, National Wildlife Federation
• Nearshore Science Team
• Dr. Thomas Leschine, Director, University of Washington School of Marine Affairs

Governor’s Puget Sound Initiative – Elliot Marks (?)

Governor cannot attend
Executive Committee Action: receive the Governor’s report on plans for a Puget Sound Initiative. Discuss ways to align Nearshore Partnership efforts in support of the Initiative.

Discuss Advance Materials

• Accomplishments Report (brief detail – bullet outline)
• June 2005 Project Work Plan Revision
• Status of Recommended Actions
• Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Research Conference
• Budget Reports
  Status of Federal project budget
  Status of Local project budget
• Status of Early Action Projects
• VECs for Executive Committee endorsement

Nearshore Partnership Summit

• Report on results of May 19 Summit meeting of the Steering Committee, Nearshore Science Team, and Implementation Team
  Work Plan status
  Summary of alternatives reviewed
• Recommended alternative for Executive Committee members discussion

Executive Committee Action: Endorse Alternative Recommended at Nearshore Partnership Summit.

Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership Efforts

• Implementing Salmon Recovery in Puget Sound – Bill Ruckelshaus
• Puget Sound Summit: Lessons Learned from NGOs in Support of Ecosystem Restoration and Conservation (September 13-14) – Paula DelGiudice, National Wildlife Federation and Naki Stevens, People for Puget Sound

Executive Committee Action: Provide support for Salmon Recovery implementation, identify appropriate role for Nearshore Partnership. Acknowledge work of NGO partners to advance national recognition for Puget Sound issues.

Next Meeting Agenda Items

WDFW Proviso Work Plan

• 108K Nearshore Administration
• 100K Early Action Projects
• 222K Capitol Lake feasibility study (cross program)

Maintenance level for 14 months
Supplemental Budget
PMT to report on plans, including schedule for VEC white papers at next Steering Committee meeting
Draft Executive Accomplishment Paper
NST Report
SC Policy/Procedures Update
Progress Report on Change Analysis
Typology – Possible uses of it
Program Membership (absentees, write a letter, choose someone else). The SC would like Ron Sims, King County, since Daryl Grigsby is no longer manager, and Jay Manning, Department of Ecology. Suggested that if a member misses six meetings in a year, they should be off the committee or write a letter (personal phone call) and choose someone else.

June 3 Follow-up (Mop-up) of the summit 9:00 a.m. – noon;
Implementation Team 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Announcements –

Jacques White introduced the name for the NGO’s collective, “The Sound of America”, with the tag line of “Promoting Protection and Restoration of a National Treasure.”

Scott Redman is stepping down from the steering committee after the July Executive meeting. He has a different job with PSAT. John Dohrman will be the PSAT’s representative on the Steering Committee.