MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL CONSERVATION WORKING GROUP Meeting Minutes Tuesday, January 16, 1996 Moss Landing Harbor District Office Moss Landing, CA Conservation Working Group members in attendance included: Rachel Saunders, Chair (Center for Marine Conservation); David Iverson (Save Our Shores); Melissa Hippard (Save Our Shores); Korie Johnson (Sea Grant); Milos Radakovich (BAY NET/American Cetacean Society); Daphne White (League of Women Voters/Pacific Grove Natural History Museum); and Mark Pickett and Jane DeLay (Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary). I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 10:15 a.m. II. CWG ADMINISTRATION 1) The DRAFT meeting minutes from November 16, 1995 will be reviewed by CWG members and amended or approved at the February meeting. Please review the DRAFT minutes and contact Jane DeLay at (831) 647-4246 if you have any comments or changes. 2) The next meeting of the Conservation Working Group will be on Tuesday, February 20, 1996 from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Moss Landing Harbor District Office. (NOTE: CWG members are reminded that working group meetings are usually scheduled for the THIRD Tuesday of each month unless otherwise noted.) 3) Due to limited time constraints, the discussion on the Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) originally scheduled for January 16 will be postponed until the February meeting. 4) Other meeting dates: á Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 26, 1996 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the Hudson House at Pt. Lobos State Reserve. 5) CWG Member Announcements: á The Sanctuary is currently accepting applications for a Citizen-At-Large on the Sanctuary Advisory Council. Applications are due in the Sanctuary office by close of business Friday, February 2, 1996. á Friends of the Sea Otter is seeking a Membership Coordinator. The position would require 37 hours per week at $8.75 per hour. á Save Our Shores also has a job opening requiring 25 - 28 hours per week at $8.75 per hour. á The first group of Save Our Shores Sanctuary Stewards will have a public graduation ceremony on January 27. All CWG members are invited. á There will be a meeting with jet ski industry representatives, the Sanctuary and interested persons on January 23 at 2:00 p.m. at the Moss Landing Harbor District office. á BAY NET whale watching cruise on Sunday, January 21 at RandyÍs in Monterey. $12 per person. III. SANCTUARY REPORT Mark Pickett, MBNMS Assistant Manager, provided the following report on Sanctuary activities: Education: á Liz Love, MBNMS Education Coordinator, is busy preparing for the Sanctuary Symposium scheduled for this Spring. Flyers are available for the event and help in distributing them is greatly appreciated. á Efforts are underway to include some local teachers on the McArthur cruise this Spring. The teachers would be part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationÍs (NOAA ďs) Teacher at Sea Program. á The text for the jet ski brochure is being reviewed by NOAA headquarters. In the meanwhile, Sanctuary staff is working on graphics for the publication. á The next MBNMS Newsletter is complete and will be available soon. á Sanctuary staff is preparing a slide show that can be used for presentations about the Sanctuary. á Liz Love will be attending a National Marine Sanctuary Education DirectorÍs workshop in Florida. á A Sanctuary Resources Directory is currently being produced. Water Quality Protection Program: á Draft Strategies for Marinas and Boating are available. (A copy was provided at the meeting for CWG members to preview.) á The Final Strategies for Urban Run-off are also completed. (A copy was provided at the meeting.) The strategies will be printed and available for distribution. á A strategy planning workshop for Agriculture is scheduled for February. á The WQPP has a position open for an Education/Outreach Assistant. The contract is for 18 months and work is expected to be part-time. Research: á Sanctuary staff is still looking for projects for the McArthur cruise. The Sanctuary will be allocated 25 days in May and June 1996. á A Proposed Rule on Shark Chumming is expected at any time. Progress on the issue was delayed due to the Government Furlough and bad weather. There will be a public hearing scheduled once the Proposed Rule is published in the Federal Register. The Public comment period will be 30-days. á There is an intern working to put a researcher database on the Sanctuary web-page. á Andrew DeVogelaere, MBNMS Research Coordinator, is also working on the research portion of the Sanctuary Symposium in March. Miscellaneous: á Sanctuary staff is working with the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to see if it is feasible for the California National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to administer a $1 million grant to facilitate research on state-designated marine reserves. Rachel Saunders is also working on this. Rachel provided CWG members with some background information about the Sanctuary Foundation and its current status. The Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) signed a contract with NOAA to investigate the feasibility of establishing a non- profit 501(c)(3) organization to raise money and support Sanctuary programs. Presently, the California National Marine Sanctuary Foundation has been incorporated at the State level and will be incorporated at the Federal level shortly. The name will be changed to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation as soon as possible. Mike DeLapa, from Sea Studios, worked under contract to the Center for Marine Conservation and has contributed considerable time and energy to the Foundation. He continues to lend his time and expertise pro bono. It is hoped that he will begin to be compensated at some time in the near future. The CDFG money, a ballot initiative and legislation designed to promote research in CaliforniaÍs Marine Reserves, will provide needed administrative funds for the Foundation. The Sanctuary Advisory Council, at its December 1, 1995 meeting, voted to take whatever steps necessary to accept the money from CDFG. Advisory Council members were in agreement that this would be a good project for the Foundation and would provide money for staff and some good public relations opportunities. The Sea Grant Extension Program has also been approached as a likely candidate to administer the funds. Should the funding come through, the Sanctuary Foundation, CDFG representatives, and the Sanctuary will work together to implement a viable process for reviewing and awarding funds for research in the four California marine reserves. Rachel will keep the CWG briefed as more information becomes available. á The Vessel Traffic Study is currently at NOAA headquarters. The Coast Guard provided some additional data to the report, stating that a significant number of tankers do traverse the Sanctuary. However, most of them are reported to be empty and are not considered a serious threat to Sanctuary resources. á A meeting is scheduled for January 19, 1996 to discuss a viable enforcement plan for the Sanctuary. Participants will include Senator Henry Mello, Congressman Sam Farr, Assemblyman Bruce McPherson, the MBNMS, representatives from CDFG, and State parks. á Assemblyman McPhersonÍs office is working on legislation that would provide support for the State Mussel Watch program for another five years. á Pillar Point, in Half Moon Bay, will be the first place to install the jet ski buoys. á A NOAA aircraft may be assigned to the California Marine Sanctuaries. It will be a small aircraft capable of doing research, tours, monitoring, and enforcement. The plane will be stationed here in Monterey. á Save Our Shores (SOS) is planning a public forum to educate the public about the shark chumming issue. They plan to hold a forum just prior to the SanctuaryÍs public hearing. They will make the forum available to proponents of chumming, but the focus of the forum will be anti-chumming. IV. SANCTUARY CURRENTS ń96 Rachel briefed CWG members on the latest news about the Symposium, calling attention to the flyers. She encouraged all working groups members to help distribute them to generate a large public turnout. There will be a Symposium planners meeting on Wednesday, January 17 at the offices of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Rachel will be attending. Mike Weber, formerly with the Center for Marine Conservation and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, and co-author of The Wealth of Oceans, has agreed to give the Keynote address on Saturday morning. His speech titled ńBeyond Monterey Bay and Our Splendid Isolation ń will focus on the isolation of people with different areas of interest and the importance of trying to build linkages between the various groups. Mr. Weber will also make connections between the different Sanctuaries. CWG members focused on the task of deciding on topics and speakers for the Conservation element of the SymposiumÍs Saturday afternoon concurrent sessions. Following some discussion, all agreed that the panel should be kept interesting and lively, and should ństretch the minds of the choir we are preaching to.î An overriding theme of the panel should be the process of solutions. Ask the panelists to answer the question ńHOW.î Assign and suggest topics for the speakers at the time of the invitation to guarantee that there will be a minimum of repetition. Also consider having a conference call prior to the panel so that the speakers can get an idea of what the others are planning and tailor the panel to one another. All agreed that an ideal panel size would be 4 -6 people. Specific topics to be addressed by the panel participants included: 1) Connections and Interdependency -- Address land use as it pertains to the Sanctuary; describe the connections and interdependency of our population and its affects on the ocean as the common denominator of the planet. 2) Citizen Action Area -- Incorporate citizen action into every talk. Panelists also need to make the connection between Federal and State agencies as much as possible. Reiterate to the audience that they need to contact their local representatives and teach them how to do it; explain the process that goes on in a Congressional RepresentativeÍs office when a phone call or a letter is received. (Suggested speakers -- Rachel Dinno, from Congresswoman Anna EshooÍs office, and/or Donna Blitzer, from Congressman Sam FarrÍs office.) 3) Environmental Legislation -- Communicate to the audience what has happened to environmental legislation over the past year and what might happen on a local, state, and federal level. Provide an activist view on a Federal level. Provide the audience with the tools needed to make a difference i.e. alternatives to conventional avenues and mechanisms to build bridges to all aspects of the community. (Suggested speakers -- Dave Dickson from the Center for Marine Conservation, National office.) 4) State Perspective -- (Suggested speakers -- Gary Patton) 5) Overall Ocean View -- provide a global perspective on ocean issues. (Mike Weber, Keynote Speaker) 6) Alternative Perspectives to Conservation Efforts -- Maybe provide a republican Congressional memberÍs perspective on conservation efforts. (Suggested speakers -- someone from Tom CampbellÍs office. Dave Iverson has connections should we decide that we want someone from the office represented.) 7) Updates on the Status of Current Issues -- (suggested speaker -- Warner Chabot, Center for Marine Conservation, San Francisco office.) Suggested Speakers included: á Dave Dickson, Center for Marine Conservation, Washington, D.C.; á The new Sanctuaries and Reserves Division Chief; á Dan Haifley, Senator MelloÍs office; á Cynthia Koehler, Natural Heritage Institute in San Francisco -- issues for her include dredge spoil dumping and monitoring; á Rachel Dinno, a local aid for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo - her experience might be good for a Federal perspective or a local perspective on national issues. Good speaker, articulate, very sharp and very in-touch. She works as Anna EshooÍs environmental point person for this area; á Donna Blitzer, Congressman Sam FarrÍs office; á Linda Sheehan, CMC San Francisco office -- could make the connection between Federal and local for issues affecting water quality; á Mike Weber, Keynote Speaker; á Gary Patton, Planning and Conservation League; á Daphne White offered to send for a list of the WomenÍs Aquatic Network to get more ideas for participants; á Save the Bay organization also has a lot of people to choose from. Due to the amount of topics CWG members wish to include in the panel, Rachel may try to extend the time from 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours. Warner Chabot, from the Center for Marine Conservation, was suggested as a possible Moderator. Finally, CWG members agreed that this forum be used as a continuing education opportunity for the BAY NET volunteers and the SOS Sanctuary Stewards. Symposium organizers agreed to present an award to the founding classes of BAY NET and the Sanctuary Stewards. Rachel and Melissa Hippard, from Save Our Shores, will work to provide additional publicity for the Conservation Panel. V. STATUS REPORTS /UPDATES 1) San Mateo County -- Dave Iverson provided the following update about activities and issues in the northern part of the Sanctuary: á There is considerable confusion about the management of the MBNMS and the Gulf of the Farallones NMS sparked by three issues: tunnel; dredging; and the proposed visitors center on surferÍs beach in Half Moon Bay. The entire coastside is ńup in armsî about the proposed Visitors Center, and many are concerned about what the SanctuaryÍs position on the development is. Consequently, the highly publicized controversy has brought the question of authority to the forefront. á Another issue that earned some attention about the division of authority was the ńBuilding Partnerships with the Sanctuaryî meeting held in Half Moon Bay this past December. Three members of the MBNMS staff including the Manager, Terry Jackson, attended the session to inform the business community about the Sanctuary. Ed Ueber, the Manager of the GFNMS, was unable to attend. á Dave reported that an environmental group in the Half Moon Bay area publicly proposed that the MBNMS be split and the northern part become part of the GFNMS. á Finally, Dave mentioned that there is a new non-profit organization called the ńFarallones Marine Sanctuary Associationî to promote the GFNMS. 2) MBNMS Research Plan -- Comments provided by Rachel on behalf of the Conservation Working Group have been given to Andrew DeVogelaere. A revised draft of the research plan will be presented to the Research Activity Panel in early February. 3) Monterey Marine Park proposal -- nothing new to report. 4) SOS Sanctuary Stewards -- Vicki Nichols reported that the Program is meeting all of its goals. 5) BAY NET -- Rachel and Milos Radakovich, Director of Volunteer Training for the BAY NET Program, reported that it was off to a very successful start with positive responses from the public. BAY NET volunteers can be found Friday through Sunday in Pacific Grove and Monterey. BAY NET has just instituted a 24-hour phone line for volunteers to call for information on scheduling, special events happening in the community, and special excursions. BAY NET will be recruiting another 25 volunteers for a second training session to begin on Wednesday, March 6 at the Pacific Grove NOAA facility on Lighthouse Avenue. Please call Milos at 373-6396 or Rachel Saunders at 375-4509 for more information. The meeting adjourned at 12:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jane M. DeLay MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator Conservation Working Group Draft Meeting Minutes 2/16/96 Page 6