IAC Opportunities Letter - September 2002

Intergovernmental Advisory Committee
September 2002

Involvement Opportunities

What’s New!	Upcoming Events
IAC Liaison Appointed -- In an effort to better equip Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) members to participate in Northwest Forest Plan related issues, and to create conditions conducive to improved communication and mutual learning between the Regional Ecosystem Office, the Regional Interagency Executive Committee and the IAC, the REO created a new IAC Liaison position. This position will be filled by Teresa Kubo, who is a new representative to the REO from the Environmental Protection Agency. Teresa has a long-standing interest in collaborative processes, and is very enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by the creation of this position. She can be contacted at tkubo@or.blm.gov, or by telephone at (503) 808-2171. IAC Letter goes electronic! -- In the past, a paper-based IAC Opportunities Letter was periodically sent out to the IAC describing opportunities for involvement in initiatives related to the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). With this issue, we are converting to a web-based format. By putting this letter on the web we hope to provide the IAC with more comprehensive and easily accessible information. We welcome your feedback as we will be continually seeking to improve the content and format of this site in order to best address your needs. Please contact Teresa Kubo with your comments and suggestions.	Forest Futures Conference September 25, 2002 Salem, OR	Forest Futures: Science, Politics and Policy for the Next Century. There will be a one-day conference at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon on September 25, 2002. Interdisciplinary panels will discuss: -- The Future and Challenges of the Northwest Forest Plan -- What is Sustainable Forestry? -- Endangered Species – What is on the Horizon? -- The Role of Science in Policymaking For more information, visit www.willamette.edu/publicpolicy/forest_futures
	Fire in Oregon’s Forests: October 23-24, 2002 The Riverhouse Bend, Oregon	Fire in Oregon’s Forests: Assessing the Risks, Effects and Treatment Options. There will be a conference on fire in Oregon’s forests on October 23, 2002 at the Riverhouse Resort Hotel in Bend. Conference presenters include notable fire and forest health experts, fish and wildlife ecologists and other scientists, as well as state and federal policy makers. An optional field trip the following day will examine actual results of treatment options for reducing the fuels that feed forest fires. For more information visit http://outreach.cof.orst.edu/wildfire/
	RIEC/IAC Meetings November, 2002 Portland, OR	The next meeting of the Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC) and the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) is tentatively scheduled for November 2002. Exact date, time and location are yet to be determined. For more information, please contact Teresa Kubo (503-808-2171).
	REO Website Additions The Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) has been working diligently to update and improve the function and content of the REO website. The following additions may be particularly useful to the members of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee: RIEC Prework and Notes from prior meetings IAC Prework and Notes from prior meetings List of RIEC decisions made in the last 18 months REO Reports and Presentations, including many of the frequently requested reports such as the Record of Decision, Standard and Guidelines, Watershed Analysis, and more. New and improved Interagency Regional Monitoring home page New and improved Adaptive Management Area Network page Newly available 5^th and 6^th field watershed boundary data RIEC Transitions The Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC) recently underwent a series of changes in membership: Elaine M. Brong is the new State Director of the Oregon/Washington Office of the Bureau of Land Management, and will assume the duties of chair of the RIEC and IAC at least until the end of the present fiscal year. Her predecessor, Elaine Zielinski, has accepted a position as the State Director of the BLM’s Arizona State Office in Phoenix. Linda Goodman is serving as Acting Regional Forester for Region 6 of the Forest Service. Harv Forsgren, is now Regional Forester for Region 3, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, Nancy Graybeal, who has served the RIEC and IAC in many capacities since their origination, has been selected as the new Associate Deputy Chief of the NFS, but fortunately will still be stationed in Portland. Bob Szaro has been selected as Acting PNW Research Station Director. The former Station Director, Tom Mills, is now Forest Service Deputy Chief in charge of Business Operations (Acquisition, Financial, Human Resource and Information Resource Management). Click Here to view the farewell festivities

Aquatic/Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring

A draft version of the Aquatic Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Plan (AREMP) Module was recently posted on our website. The purpose of AREMP is to assess the ecological condition of watersheds by evaluating status and trends in watershed, stream and riparian conditions.
A pilot project was conducted in 2001 in 16 watersheds to continue the refinement of the data collection protocols and to answer other questions related to implementing the monitoring plan.
With 2002 came full implementation of the AREMP module, though on a reduced budget. Ultimately the team will be able to use the monitoring results from 250 randomly selected watersheds within the NWFP area.
At the November 2001 IAC meeting, strong interest was expressed in Federal/non-Federal collaboration to implement programs for monitoring aquatic and riparian systems. As a result, monitoring-plan personnel began hosting monthly meetings in November 2001 with IAC members and state agency representatives from Washington, Oregon, and California to explore how to develop a monitoring partnership.
As an outgrowth of these meetings, there will be a workshop on November 18-19, 2002 in Portland to discuss options for integrating Eastside (Pacfish/Infish Biological Opinion [PIBO]) and Westside (Aquatic/Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Plan [AREMP]) watershed monitoring efforts. The first day will be spent reviewing and discussing the results of this year’s field season. Data gathered through PIBO and AREMP will be analyzed to determine the statistical benefits/drawbacks of AREMP and PIBO. The second day will be spent trying to develop a framework for integrating these two monitoring approaches. IAC members are welcome to attend.
For more information, contact Steve Lanigan, AREMP Acting Module Coordinator (503-808-2261) or visit http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/watershed.

Tribal Effectiveness Monitoring

In 2001, an interagency Tribal monitoring work group and an IAC subcommittee developed a questionnaire to serve as a monitoring survey tool that can be used in interviews with Tribal officials to gather standardized information about government-to-government consultations and the resource conditions and trends most important to Tribal governments.
IAC supported the implementation of a Tribal Effectiveness Monitoring Pilot Study in 2000. Based on feedback obtained in this pilot study, the monitoring questionnaire was shortened and clarified, and the pilot's "sampling" interview methodology was replaced with a "census" approach under which all 76 tribes in the NWFP area will be interviewed periodically.
In June of 2002, RIEC approved the Tribal Effectiveness Monitoring Module. This module and the associated activities will be the responsibility of the Regional Monitoring Team (RMT).
Ten tribes will be interviewed in 2002. Six interviews will be conducted by the Forest Service, four will be conducted by BLM.
The level of consultation will be tailored to remain respectful of the tribal involvement.
An annual monitoring report will be released detailing the results of the tribal monitoring effort, and making recommendations for improvements when appropriate.
For more information, contact Les McConnell (503-808-2603) or visit http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/tribal.

Socio-Economic Effectiveness Monitoring

On August 19, 2002, the Monitoring Team for Social and Economic Change brought Susan Charnley on as their new team leader. Prior to taking this position, Ms. Charnley was the National Coordinator for Human Dimensions at the Washington Office for several years.
Social and Economic Monitoring development has progressed in two parts. During 2001, Phase I was completed. The Phase I Report by Dr. Paul Sommers of the University of Washington reviewed available information, and recommended developing a community-scale model and data-collection strategy. The Phase II Report, by J. Elizabeth Jackson, Robert G. Lee, and Dr. Paul Sommers, was completed in 2002. The Phase II report examines alternative methodologies, and makes technical recommendations for a monitoring protocol. The Phase II Report will soon be posted on the monitoring website.
The monitoring team is currently taking the Phase II Report’s recommendations under advisement. Using this report, field level data from the client base, and ROD requirements, the monitoring team will refine potential objectives and information uses and make a presentation to the RIEC and IAC. Through an iterative process with RIEC and IAC, the monitoring team will then draft the final monitoring protocol. The monitoring team hopes to begin consulting at the field level within six weeks, and to begin an iterative refinement process with RIEC and IAC by the end of the calendar year.
For more information, contact Claudia Stuart, Monitoring Team Coordinator (530-879-6608), or visit http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/socio.

Research

Researchers Nancy M. Diaz and Richard W. Haynes released a General Technical Report in July of 2002 entitled Highlights of Science Contributions to Implementing the Northwest Forest Plan (PNW-GTR-540). This publication is oriented toward a discussion of critical issues and management implications derived from a synthesis of research completed between 1994 and 1998.
Researchers Richard W. Haynes and Gloria E. Perez edited a General Technical Report in January of 2001 entitled Northwest Forest Plan Research Synthesis (PNW-GTR-498). This document synthesizes research accomplishments initiated and funded under the Northwest Forest Plan since its inception in 1994.