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Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership
Steering Committee Meeting
October 19, 2005

Attendees:

Paula Del Guidice, James Schroeder, Doug Osterman, Bernie Hargrave, Robert Koeppen, Tim Smith, Jennifer Steger, John Dohrmann, Debby Hyde, Terry Wright, and Debbie Rick

Notes from last meeting were accepted.

Status of Prior Tasks

Attached to the notes from September was a “Status of Prior Task” list summarizing the action items drawn from the minutes. This list can be a Project Management Team tool to track action item(s) progress and completion in the following month.

Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project

Project Manager’s Report - Bernie Hargrave

Bernie passed out General Investigation Financial Report for Fiscal Years ’04 and ’05 (attached). This report explains the federal allocation of $525,000 minus savings and slippage. The General Investigation Program returned most of the Nearshore's savings and slippage for the FY05
total of $511,000."

Bernie predicts that FY06 will be a more robust year with the VEC white papers and the Change Analysis report. He plans to reprogram funds from the General Investigation Program in March 06, after obligating appropriated FY06 funds with pay back of savings and slippage.

Research Plan – Rob Koeppen

Rob reported that the Research Plan is back from peer review and with the authors Tom Mumford and Guy Gelfenbaum.

Action: Authors present briefing at the December Steering Committee meeting.

VEC status – Bernie Hargrave

Bernie passed out a VEC Status of White Paper Preparations spreadsheet (attached).

PSNERP has Kurt Fresh’s supervisor’s commitment to Kurt’s authoring the “Salmon in the Nearshore” VEC paper as part of his Nearshore responsibility. PSNERP would like a draft by December 15 and an agreement that the paper is ours when we need it.

Si and the Nearshore Science Team will write the Conceptual Model Input White Paper. This paper will be customized for each of the VECs.

Action: When Curtis gets back from vacation, decisions need to be made on the author(s) for the Great Blue Heron and Marine/Shore Birds white paper.

The Valued Discussion White Paper needs to be written by the Steering Committee with input from the Social Scientist. Drafts need to be submitted to the

Steering Committee as they are completed before a discussion within a working group for this task can convene.

Engineering Consultant – Bernie Hargrave

PSNERP should think about hiring an engineering consultant such as Louisiana did for Coastal Louisiana project (PBS&J). The Project needs to follow the “Brook’s Act” process to select the best based on qualifications and price. The Project needs to begin soon as this is a six – seven month process.

Report: Joint Implementation Team/Science Team Workshop and Implementation Team News – Bernie for Beth Coffey

  • Randy Carmen from WDFW is joining the Implementation Team. Randy will be working with Curtis on the Burlington Northern – Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad study.
  • BNSF – The IT is proposing to develop a scope that would look at different management measures for the BNSF nearshore areas. Randy and Doug Myers will work on the first draft of the scope for this project. Specifically, they will look into the development of a team to conduct a workshop to brainstorm different measures.
  • Mike Ramsey presented the IT with a SRFB update and IT Review particularly the status of current 2005-2006 SRFB Nearshore Projects (32 on list). These projects include:

    - San Juans
    - Wiley Slough
    - Stillaguamish
    - Pocket estuaries
    - Hood Canal
    - and Derelict Gear

  • The IT walked away from the meeting with a draft outline for the Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA) Report.

    Action: The co-leads will tidy this outline up, have team review, look to the PMT for allocation of work and funding. Briefing next month on the outline and proposal or development.

  • Change Analysis – The NST needs to move forward with this in order to meet the timeline for the SNA.

Science Team – Bernie for Fred Goetz

We did not have NST representation at this Steering Committee meeting. The NST report will be coming.

Action: Distribute Summary of the September NST meeting.
Need to have a future meeting to expand database and create a GIS sub-group

FY06 Federal Budget – Tim and Bernie

Action: Steering Committee needs to adopt FY07 requests.
November PMT work plan discussion with numbers for GI and PSI tasks/costs

Review Draft “One-Pager” – Handout

The SC decided on the version with the Mission Statement.

Action: Final edits are due to Jacques by COB 10/21; Jacques will finalize and submit to Curtis/Debbie for distribution.

Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership
Status of the Governor’s Puget Sound Initiative (PSI) – Tim Smith

Tim presented the Steering Committee with a draft organization chart of the Governor’s proposed vision of the Puget Sound Initiative.

There is broad general support of this concept (Elliot Marks has met with the NGOs, and tribes, Shared Strategy, PSAT)

This structure contains elements important to the Governor and PSI:

Toxins
Waste (human/animal)
Stormwater
Species decline
Habitat

The Puget Sound Trust is the accountable “visible center” identified by the Partnership as something that was needed in our campaign.

What is the “Trust?” A big pot of money (bank) or an accountability or oversight Committee?

Some issues are: 1) flow of money; 2) role of Action Team; 3) role of Puget Sound Council.

Terry: Why start over from scratch? Use an existing organization like Shared Strategy or PSAT.

Paula: Shows NGOs all on same page based on outcome of the Puget Sound Forum. This is a product they support and the NGOs are working well together.

Doug: What is meant by campaign?

Paula: Marketing campaign. By using NGOs lead it is subtle and discreet.

Debby: RISK losing all of the WDFW funding into this big pot of money and others bidding for it or bidding for it again.

Paula: The increase to the resources for Puget Sound is significant.

Action: Reaction to what comes out of the Governor’s Office on 10/24. Two weeks after announcement to know what is going forward to the Legislature.

John: What explains or details what is in the boxes? The Partnership is the tool to implement the initiative.

Action: IT to prioritize a list of project with urgent and obvious criteria by early December. With the initiative will come money to spend perhaps twenty million or as low as five million, once the Legislature passes, the money is available in May.

Keys to creating a project list:

Culling nearshore portions out of the Shared Strategy watershed plans may create more descriptive list and help with gaps in certain watersheds.

What projects have urgent and obvious criteria?

Organize projects according to principles and processes.

Proposed Puget Sound Science Consortium (PSSC) – Tim Smith
(Handout attached)

The NST needs representation in the room or it could be “done to us”.
Raises funding issues?

Status of the Shared Strategy Nearshore Chapter- Tim Smith
(Handout attached)

Implementation of Restoration Projects White Paper

Action: Need a briefing on the white paper

November Agenda Items

  • FY07 Requests
  • PSI
  • PS Science Consortium
  • Workplan – who and how much
  • Presentation and Discussion on Change Analysis Methodology
  • Review Draft “Project Framework”
  • Presentation and Discussion on VEC White Papers
  • Status of Early Action Projects
  • Briefing on the Nearshore Chapter (PSAT) Scott Redman/Doug Myers

Next Executive Committee Meeting

Action: Deb Rick to poll for dates in late January to mid-February

December Holiday “Get-Together” after Steering Committee

Action: Deb Rick and Tim Smith to organize