Memorandum
Date: July 13, 1995
To: Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Members (See distribution list)
From: Donald R. Knowles, Executive Director
Subject: July 1995 Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Meeting Notes
Enclosed are the notes from the July 1995 Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting, including:
Our next IAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 3, at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, Portland, Oregon. The telephone number to call for reservations is 503-326-2500. The agenda review conference call for the August meeting will be Thursday, July 20, at 10:00 a.m. IAC members who wish to participate in the conference call, or have any questions or suggestions, can contact their agency representative or Linda Kucera (503-326-6283).
Enclosure
cc:
REO
OFED
427/ly
Date: July 13, 1995
Subject: July IAC Notes
Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Distribution List
California
Francie Sullivan, Shasta County Supervisor
Terry Gorton, Assistant Secretary, Forestry and Rural Economic Dev., California Resource Agency
Oregon
Rocky McVay, Curry County Commissioner
Paula Burgess, Assistant to the Governor for Natural Resources, Office of the Governor
Washington
Harvey Wolden, Skagit County Commissioner
Amy F. Bell, Deputy Supervisor for Community Relations, WA Dept. of Natural Resources
Bob Nichols, Senior Executive Policy Assistant, Governor's Office (Alternate)
Tribes
Greg Blomstrom, Planning Forester, CA Indian Forest & Fire Management Council
Mel Moon, Commissioner, NW Indian Fisheries Commission
Jim Anderson, Executive Director, NW Indian Fisheries Commission (Alternate)
Gary Morishima, Technical Advisor, Intertribal Timber Council
Guy McMinds, Executive Office Advisor, Quinault Indian Nation (Alternate)
Federal Agencies
Michael Collopy, Director, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, National Biological Service
Dennis Fenn, Western Regional Director, National Biological Service (Alternate)
Anita Frankel, Director, Forest and Salmon Group, Environmental Protection Agency
Eugene Andreuccetti, Regional Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Bob Graham, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (Alternate)
John Lowe, Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service, R-6
G. Lynn Sprague, Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service, R-5 (Alternate)
Thomas Murphy, Director, Environmental Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency
Charles Philpot, Station Director, Forest Service, PNW
Stan Speaks, Area Director, Portland Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Ron Eggers, Assistant Area Director, Portland Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Alternate)
Ron Jaeger, Area Director, Sacramento Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Michael Spear, Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
William Stelle, Jr., Regional Director, National Marine Fisheries Service
Hilda Diaz-Soltero, Southwest Regional Director, National Marine Fisheries Service (Alternate)
Jacqueline Wyland, Division Chief, Environ. & Tech. Services, National Marine Fisheries Service (Alternate)
Elizabeth Gaar, Senior Policy Coordinator, National Marine Fisheries Service (Alternate)
Tom Tuchmann, Director, Office of Forestry and Economic Development (Ex Officio)
William Walters, Deputy Field Director, National Park Service
Elaine Zielinski, State Director, Bureau of Land Management, OR/WA
Ed Hastey, State Director, Bureau of Land Management, CA (Alternate)
Seattle, Washington
July 6, 1995
Opening Comments by Committee Chair, John Lowe
Welcome all members and the public to the July IAC meeting.
June minutes were certified as correct by the Chair.
Today's meeting is key, focusing on two critical issues. Intend to formalize recommendations on the Federal Guide to Watershed Analysis, to discuss the Implementation Monitoring Plan revision, as well as updates on several other items.
Tom Tuchmann Update on Interagency Steering Committee and on the Presidential Party Visit to
Portland
The recent Interagency Steering Committee meeting in Washington, DC:
ISC met for the second of quarterly meetings.
Update on the timber sale program of the Northwest Forest Plan and desire to meet the 1.1 billion board-feet schedule.
Discussion of non-timber management issues.
Review of budget priorities, and a restatement of the top priority for implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan.
Discussion of the increasing proposals for land swaps, with a proposal to look at the "New Zealand option." Administration has set up a 6 month policy group to see if this has merit.
Salvage in Rescission Bill which will be signed by the President if the Bill passes.
Secretary Glickman's visit to the Northwest in June:
Secretary Glickman is taking a personal interest in the Forest Service and natural resource issues.
Visited three timber mills, and met with industry and with environmental groups.
President's Economic Summit, Portland, Oregon:
Natural resources continue to be of high interest at the meeting. The Vice President hosted a break-out workshop on natural resources.
Summit was not geared specifically to Option 9 or the Forest Plan, but looked at the broader economics of the five state area.
Watershed Analysis: Discussion of the Final Draft Federal Guide
Mike Tehan, REO representative, gave an overview of the most recent draft of The Revised
Federal Guide for Watershed Analysis.
There was discussion by the group regarding the treatment of fire, in particular for its influence on watersheds in California. Fire is not included in the Guide as a core topic to be addressed in all watershed analyses, but will be considered as an influencing process in any of the core topics; e.g., vegetation, when preparing a watershed analysis. The IAC Policy subgroup and REO will review this issue prior to finalizing.
There was extensive discussion of how "non-federal lands" are addressed in the draft Guide. While it was generally understood why the Guide needs to consider all lands within a watershed, some thought the existing wording might generate concern among non-federal landowners relative to the federal versus private land issues. The importance of non-federal involvement being voluntary was also discussed, and the importance of local-level input and "buy in" to the process. Resolution of these issues was accomplished as follows:
The voluntary aspect of non-federal landowner participation in federal watershed analysis will be emphasized in the Guide.
A clarification was made that if non-federal landowners do not voluntarily choose to participate in federal watershed analysis, only publically available, existing data for non-federal lands would be used. No new data would be collected without voluntary agreement by the non-federal landowner.
The wording and emphasis on the non-federal section in the Guide will be redrafted for policy review by representatives from the IAC membership at a meeting on July 19.
There was discussion on the intent of core questions and whether they were meant to establish minimum requirements for required detailed analysis of all core questions in all analyses, regardless of the issues in the watershed. The issue of minimum standards and when/if to require them in a watershed analysis was discussed. The intent of core questions was clarified as follows:
They are general in nature and are designed to allow teams flexibility in determining the appropriate level of analysis.
They are expected to guide teams through the steps of the analysis process.
Teams are expected to address core topics and questions in all analyses, however the level of detail for any question will depend on the issues identified by the team.
Teams should document their logic and reasoning for how core topics and questions were addressed in the watershed analysis process.
It was agreed that:
The REO will redraft the Guide to assure understanding in the field regarding the core questions.
Changes will be reviewed by the policy group of IAC.
Motion made and agreed to by members to have the REO review and revise the document to address the key concerns of members regarding non-federal lands, core questions/minimum standards, and other issues for review by the policy group of IAC in July. The results from the policy group meeting will be reviewed at the August IAC meeting.
Public Comments
Bill Keeton from The Wilderness Society made comments regarding the watershed analysis discussion. He drew attention to a letter from a coalition of environmental groups regarding support for core topics and questions for a watershed analysis, and also identified gaps in the current set of core topics and questions. One comment was that Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives are not adequately covered by the core topics. He proposed that another core topic be included called "landscape ecology," or similar, to reflect a broader relationship of watershed analysis to the landscape. A copy of this letter should have been sent to each IAC member.
Guy McMinds from the Quinault Indian Nation made comments:
He commended the technical people who have worked preparing the watershed analysis Guide, and suggested that from a technical standpoint it was probably the way to go.
In relation to the problems raised regarding private property, he stated that the tribes are concerned about impacts on fishery resources and the possible listings of fish.
The issue of watershed analysis is critical, and the Guide needs to be fine-tuned relative to current political issues. He stated that he feels that it is now a management and political job to fine tune, that the technical people have gone as far as possible.
He proposed a tribal initiative. The Quinault tribe had voted to proceed with watershed analysis on reservations with the best technical people they can get, and he offered their process of involving the best people from all areas to get together and test this guide with the Quinault Tribe.
He thinks that we can have timber and fish, but can't write this just to gather a timber resource. Need to look at other resources, such as fish. Need to bite the bullet and get the show on the road.
Activity Information Sharing
Chris Hamilton, REO GIS staff, passed out a notebook with the core existing information topics
represented.
As more information is gained, it will be sent out to members for insertion in notebook.
General consensus that the information is useful, but that a brief "executive summary" for each topic would be useful. Future distribution may be limited to this summary data.
Decision made that members will take notebooks back to their staffs and get any recommendations to Chris on what is good, bad, needed, etc., within the next 2 weeks.
Implementation Monitoring Plan
Dan McKenzie, REO Research and Monitoring Group, presented a progress report.
Discussed the concerns from the June IAC meeting, reviewed the revised plan which makes the checklist voluntary, with sampling a percentage of completed projects/activities at local levels. The census plan was dropped, with greater emphasis on field and existing documentation. Review teams to be at agency, interagency, and province levels.
Proposed next steps to include cleaning up the draft document, discussion with Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management staff to coordinate with ongoing efforts, and to figure out details of sampling process and develop team guidance. Also need to develop a mock-up for an annual monitoring report.
Agreement by IAC to carry on the development of the detailed implementation monitoring program and provide a review and update at the August meeting. This may take the form of a status report.
Presentation from the Olympic Peninsula Province Advisory Committee (PIEC)
Ron Humphrey, Chair of the Olympic Peninsula Province Advisory Committee (PAC) gave an
overview of the PIEC and the PAC.
A decision was made to have future presentations from other PIEC/PAC groups. They will try and convey what the PIECs/PACs do as they meet.
Hot Topics
Announcement that the marbled murrelet draft recovery plan and the draft critical habitat plan
will be coming out soon.
Winter treatment of roads discussion on using chemicals for de-icing rather than salt or sand.
Anadromous fish: discussion that actions the IAC takes regarding the Northwest Forest Plan can have important influences, both good and bad, on fish in other places.
Announcement of an August 16-18 Northern Spotted Owl Conference in California, sponsored by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State of California agencies, and the University of California, the purpose being to assist in commenting on the 4(d) Rule. Concern expressed that sweeping budget cuts will kill the 4(d) Rule process, which is frustrating because the rule would be a relief to private landowners.
Agenda Items, August and October
Agenda items discussed for the next two IAC meetings.
Decision made to concentrate on resolving policy issues on the Watershed Analysis Guide at the August meeting.
Decision to hold the October meeting in Sacramento.
| Meeting Date: July 6, 1995 | REO Contact: Mike Tehan |
| Topic: Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale: The Revised Federal Guide for Watershed Analysis (Guide). | |
| Objectives: Review final draft of Section I of the Guide, including core topics and questions. Review other unresolved issues to be addressed by IAC watershed analysis policy group. Agree on the next steps to move forward with revision of the draft Guide. | |
| Summary of Discussion/IAC Actions:
1. Section I of Guide: The IAC did not approve Section I of the Guide as presented. Several paragraphs will need to be re-written by the REO to address IAC concerns. The two headings in the Guide that generated the most discussion were: Federal Watershed Analysis and Non-federal Lands and Core Questions. Federal Watershed Analysis and Non-federal Lands Some members expressed concern that as proposed, wording in the Guide would give the mistaken impression that federal agencies intend to analyze non-federal lands in the watershed regardless of private landowners' willingness to voluntarily participate and cooperate. There was also concern that information about non-federal lands collected during federal analysis could subsequently be made public without landowner consent. Others were concerned that the federal watershed analysis process could be used to regulate non-federal lands. Conversely, some members emphasized the importance of considering the roles and interactions of all lands (including non-federal) in a watershed when conducting watershed analysis, especially to address anadromous fish conservation issues and cumulative effects. Core Questions While there was general acceptance of the core topics and questions as presented in the review draft, there was concern that the present wording could mistakenly be interpreted by some as establishing minimum requirements for detailed analyses of all core questions regardless of the issues (events triggering the analysis and resource concerns or problems) in the watershed. The committee clarified the intent of the core questions:
| |
| Other points of discussion on Section I included fire and forest health, the link to the Aquatic
Conservation Strategy, the purpose of watershed analysis, tribal participation, and
monitoring. Public comments included recommendations for additional core topics and
questions (e.g., landscape ecology) and recommendations regarding cooperative analysis
efforts on non-federal (including tribal) lands.
2. Other Unresolved Issues: Some members suggested that the IAC focus solely on Section I of the Guide until the document is finalized and transmitted to the field. Others suggested that the IAC begin to address the outstanding policy issues described in the ATO (Section II of the Guide, team certification, review of analysis reports, etc.). There was a recommendation that the IAC address watershed analysis to the exclusion of all other agenda topics until all watershed issues are completely resolved (i.e., Sections I and II of the Guide and other implementation issues). | |
| IAC Agreements:
1. Section I of Guide: The IAC remanded the Guide to the REO for revision of the topics described in item #1 above (non-federal lands, core questions, etc.). The REO re-write will be reviewed and approved by interested IAC members at a watershed analysis policy group meeting on July 19. The final, approved Section I of the Guide will be provided to the IAC (concurrent with transmittal to the field) on or before the August meeting. 2. Other Unresolved Policy Issues: In addition to the REO re-write of Section I of the Guide, the IAC agreed to discuss policy issues related to Section II of the Guide during the July policy group meeting. The goal of this discussion is to establish policy and direction for use by the REO/WACT in developing Section II (Analysis Techniques and Methods). If there is time at the meeting, the policy group may also discuss the other remaining policy issues described in item #2 above. | |
| Follow-up Actions:
1. The REO will revise Section I as directed and provide it to the IAC before July 17, 1995. The REO will contact IAC members to identify those interested in participating in a day-long meeting of the watershed analysis policy group meeting on July 19. The meeting date was chosen based on IAC members availability. 2. REO will prepare briefing materials that describe options for Section II of the Guide and provide them to the IAC prior to the July 19 policy group meeting. | |
| Meeting Date: July 6, 1995 | REO Contact: Chris Hamilton |
| Topic: Activity Information Sharing | |
| Objective: Share existing information agencies currently have to help identify issues and help prioritize where to do watershed analysis, restoration projects, timber sales, and other projects. | |
| Summary of Discussion/IAC Actions:
1. The IAC members received initial delivery of notebooks containing information regarding the following topics: Timber Sales Watershed Analysis Restoration Projects As additional information is obtained by the REO it will be distributed to IAC members for inclusion in the notebooks. It was generally felt that information summaries have more value to the IAC. Some members requested information beyond that contained in the major topics; e.g., data on budgets, status of legislation, and results of litigation might be included. 2. An explanation of the GIS pilot test was presented. Some members felt that the maps may assist agency coordination and decision making more at the PAC and PIEC level. Other members felt that future mapping efforts should be limited to specific requests by the IAC due to the expense and time required. 3. The current status of watershed delineations was discussed. A handout was distributed describing the current status of efforts in each state - Washington, Oregon, and northern California. | |
| RIEC Decisions: NA | |
| Follow-up Actions (who/what/when):
1) The IAC felt that information summaries would have more value, as well as summaries of other relevant topics not currently identified in the notebook. 2) Present the information collected, especially the GIS pilot, to the Willamette province meeting in late July to determine utility to the PAC and PIEC. 3) IAC members will have their staffs review the information distributed and provide comments, identify additional information, and suggestions for improvement to REO within 2 weeks. | |
| Meeting Date: July 6, 1995 | REO Contact: Dan McKenzie |
| Topic: Implementation and Effectiveness Monitoring | |
| Objective: Agree on revised approach for implementation monitoring. | |
| Summary of Discussion/IAC Actions: The presentation provided a summary of the previous proposal (May 30 draft) and IAC concerns from the June meeting. The revised approach will rely more on existing documentation during the planning stage and closer coordination with agency efforts to review design and layout and implementation stages. The list of questions in the draft will be retained and be used in two ways: 1) voluntarily, as a check list for agency staff during the planning stages, and 2) as a list of questions to be answered during the project/activity review process. The census sample and database will be replaced by a percentage sample (statistically selected) and database at the FS District/BLM Resource Area (lowest level of the organization). Reviews will be conducted following completion of relevant activity and may include both design-layout and completion. Implementation monitoring will determine compliance with all S&Gs, with different categories of projects/activities having different sampling percentages, and subsequent statistical uncertainties. An annual monitoring report will aggregate the sample database to provide province and regional-level summaries and reporting. Interagency review teams will be used and opportunities for involvement by additional parties developed; e.g., PAC members, publics, etc. | |
| IAC Agreements: The IAC agreed with the basic approach and direction as presented for implementation monitoring. There was general agreement with the next steps of working with the agencies to develop the details of the sampling and information management, and how these could be coordinated with current agency monitoring and reporting. An example outline and sections for an annual regional report was considered a useful product for the IAC. | |
| RIEC Decisions: The RIEC concurred with the IAC agreement. | |
| Follow-up Actions (who/what/when): The RMC and the REO will meet with FS and BLM staff to develop a detailed implementation monitoring plan for presentation to the IAC in August. The August presentation will include the example annual regional report. | |
| TIME | DURATION |
AGENDA TOPIC |
PRESENTER |
| 9:00 |
20 min. |
Welcome, certify July meeting notes, review the August meeting objectives and agenda | John Lowe & Linda Kucera |
| 9:20 | 110 min. | Revision of Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed
Scale: The Revised Federal Guide to Watershed
Analysis
| Mike Tehan |
| 20 min. | |||
| 15 min. | Public Comment: Emphasis on the Guide | Linda Kucera | |
| 11:45 | 75 min. | ||
| 1:00 | 30 min. | Reach closure on the morning discussion | Mike Tehan |
| 1:30 | 30 min. | Recap agreements and follow-up assignments (what/who/when) from the discussion this morning on the Guide | Mike Tehan & Linda Kucera |
| 2:00 | 30 min. | Habitat Conservation Planning | Curt Smitch |
| 2:30 | 30 min. | Provincial Presentation | TBD |
| 3:00 | 30 min. | Salvage Update | John Lowe & Elaine Zielinski |
| 3:30 | 20 min. | Break | |
| 3:50 | 15 min. | Agenda Items for the October Meeting | Linda Kucera |
| 4:05 | 20 min. | Hot Topics | All |
| 4:25 | 5 min. | Closing Comments | John Lowe |
| 4:30 | Adjourn | ||
Status Reports for August
| STATUS REPORT | REO CONTACT |
Research and Monitoring Committee
| Dan McKenzie |
Information Management
| Tim Quinn |
| Federal Timber Sale Program Update | Chris Hamilton |
Preliminary Agenda Topics for October 5, 1995
Role of Government-to-Government Consultation--Present an analysis of ways to enhance government-to-government consultation and communication between federal, state, tribal, and local governments on issues related to the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan.
July IAC Handouts:
Status Reports:
Survey & Manage Update
For the Sake of the Salmon
FY 1996 Funding
Information Management: Watershed Boundaries
Effectiveness Monitoring Plan
Handouts:
House of Representatives-Appropriation Language
Organizational Chart - NW Forest Plan
IAC Identification List
RIEC Identification List
REO Telephone Directory
Acronym List and Acronym Definition
June IAC Notes
July IAC Agenda & Prework
Draft Watershed Analysis Guide: Section 1
PIEC Presentation Information
Symposium on Status & Management of the Northern Spotted Owl in California
Activity Information Sharing
Record of Decision (ROD)
4(d) Rule
IAC Matrix
RIEC/REO Organization Chart
Correspondence Log with Current Correspondence Sent - Available to request copies
| Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Meeting
July 6, 1995 Attendance List | ||
| Name | Title | Agency |
IAC Members and Alternates:
| Bell, Amy | Deputy Super. for Community | Washington Depart. of Natural Resources |
| Blomstrom, Greg | Forest Planner | CA Indian Forest & Fire Mgmt Council |
| Burgess, Paula | Policy Advisor Natural Resources | Office of Governor, State of Oregon |
| Collopy, Mike | Director, Coop. Research & Tech. | National Biological Service |
| Eggers, Ron | Assistant Area Director | Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| Frankel, Anita | Director, Forest and Salmon | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Gorton, Terry | Asst. Sec, Forest. & Rural Econ. | Office of the Governor, State of California |
| Hollowed, John | Director, Habitat Services | NW Indian Fisheries Commission |
| Knowles, Don (DFO) | Executive Director | Regional Ecosystem Office |
| Lowe, John | Regional Forester | Forest Service, R-6 |
| McVay, Rocky | County Commissioner | Curry County, State of Oregon |
| Morishima, Gary | Technical Advisor | Intertribal Timber Council |
| Philpot, Charles | Station Director | Forest Service, PNW |
| Spear, Mike | Regional Director | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Stelle, William Jr. | Regional Director | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| Sullivan, Francie | Shasta County Supervisor, District | Shasta County, State of California |
| Tuchmann, Tom | Director | Office of Economic & Forestry Development |
| Walters, Bill | Deputy Regional Director | National Park Service |
| Wolden, Harvey | County Commissioner | Skagit County, State of Washington |
| Zielinski, Elaine | State Director | Bureau of Land Management, OR/WA |
Regional Ecosystem Office:
| Fritzler, Carol Lee | Administrative Officer | Forest Service |
| Hamilton, Chris | GIS | Bureau of Land Management |
| Kucera, Linda | Facilitator | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Loop, Curt | Representative | Corp of Engineers |
| McKenzie, Dan | Research & Monitoring Leader | Environmental Protection Agency |
| McNair, Ranotta | Representative | Forest Service |
| Pietrzak, Debbie | Representative | Bureau of Land Management |
| Powers, Dave | Representative | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Quinn, Tim | GIS Administrator | Bureau of Land Management |
| Sisto, Tony | Representative | National Park Service |
| Tehan, Mike | Representative | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| Watson, Jay | Representative | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Ystad, Laurie | Secretary | Forest Service |
| Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Meeting
July 6, 1995 Attendance List | ||
| Name | Title | Agency |
Other Intergovernmental Agencies:
| Bradley, Bill | Forestry Chief | Bureau of Land Management |
| Campbell, Vicki | Technical Senior Staff | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Caraher, Dave | Riparian Manager, Coordinator | Forest Service, R-6 |
| Clauson, Steve | R-5 Representative | Forest Service, R-5 |
| Fenn, Dennis | Western Regional Director | National Biological Service |
| Hall, Jean | Director, State & Private Forestry | Forest Service, R-5 |
| Harder, Virgil | West Washington Cascades - PAC | |
| Humphrey, Ron | Forest Supervisor | Forest Service, R-6 |
| Jope, Kathy | Chief, Research & Resources Mgmt. | National Park Service |
| Keeton, Bill | Conservation Biologist | The Wilderness Society |
| McMinds, Guys | Executive Office Advisor | Quinault Indian Nation |
| Moeller, George | Deputy Station Director | Forest Service, PNW |
| Rudlett, Michael | Ecology Regional Director | Washington Dept. of Ecology |
| Shaffer, Anne | Policy Analyst | Quileute Tribe |
| Siguenza, Ruth | Facilitator | West Washington Cascades - PAC |
| Smitch, Curt | Assistant Regional Director | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Somers, Dave | Watershed Team | Bureau Indian Affairs |
| Sprague, Lynn | Regional Forester | Forest Service, R-5 |
| Tortorici, Cathy | Biologist | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Tugel, Arlene | Assistant State Conservationist | Natural Resources Conservation Service |
| Wyland, Jacqueline | Division Chief | National Marine Fisheries Service |
Public:
| Schmidt, John | Student | Evergreen State College |