Regional Ecosystem Office
333 S.W. First Avenue P.O. Box 3623
Portland, Oregon  97208-3623
Website:  www.reo.gov    E-Mail: REOmail@or.blm.gov
Phone:  503-808-2165     FAX:  503-808-2163
  Memorandum
Date: April 4, 2003
To: Regional Interagency Executive Committee (see attached distribution list)
From: David E. Busch, Acting Executive Director
Subject: April 2003 Regional Interagency Executive Committee Meeting Notes

Enclosed please find notes briefly summarizing the discussion and agreements from the Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC) meeting on April 1, 2003 held at the Double Tree Hotel, Lloyd Center located at 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland, Oregon 97220. The RIEC agreed upon several items which provided direction for the new Memorandum of Understanding. The committee also set up several action items which included:

- RIEC members are to provide comments and clarification ideas regarding the RIEC operating principles to Dave Busch, Acting REO Executive Director by April 8, 2003.
- RIEC members were asked to review the draft NWFP revised MOU (included in the prework and discussed at the meeting) to Dave Busch, Acting REO Executive Director by April 8, 2003.
- The RIEC Futures Subcommittee (Linda Goodman, Dave Powers, Mike Crouse, and Anne Badgley) will work with the staff work group to redraft the operating principles and MOU and present this at a future RIEC meeting.
- And finally, RIEC members were asked to review the RIEC distribution list and provide any comments or changes to Becky Loomis (503-808-2167 or bsloomis@fs.fed.us).

As a reminder, future meeting dates include:

June 3, 2003 - Northwest Natural Resources Forum
July 1, 2003 - Regular RIEC meeting
August 3, 2003 - RIEC/Intergovernmental Advisory Committee Meetings

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these notes, do not hesitate to contact your REO representative, or REO Management Analyst Kath Collier.

Enclosure:
• April 2003 RIEC Meeting Notes

1810/kc


To:  Regional Interagency Executive Committee Members & Designated Alternates

Anne Badgley, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Rowan Gould, US Fish & Wildlife Service (Alt)
Elaine M. Brong, Bureau of Land Management
Judy Nelson, Bureau of Land Management (Alt)
Jon Jarvis, National Park Service
Jim Shevock, National Park Service (Alt)
Linda Goodman, Forest Service
Lisa Freedman, Forest Service (Alt)
Bob Graham, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Col. Richard W. Hobernicht, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Curt Loop, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Alt)
Anne Kinsinger, USGS Western Region
Dave Busch, USGS/REO (Alt)
Robert Lohn, National Marine Fisheries Service
Mike Crouse, National Marine Fisheries Service (Alt)
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Western Ecology Division, EPA
Dan McKenzie, Western Ecology Division, EPA (Alt)
Dave Powers, Environmental Protection Agency
Dan Opalski, Environmental Protection Agency (Alt)
Stan M. Speaks, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Alex Whistler, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Alt)
Tom Quigley, Pacific Northwest Station, Forest Service
Cindi West, Pacific Northwest Station, Forest Service (Alt)

California Federal Executives
Kent Connaughton, Forest Service
Kathy Anderson, Forest Service (Alt)
Steve Thompson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
John Engbring, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Alt)
Phil Detrich, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Alt)
Michael Pool, Bureau of Land Management
Paul Roush, Bureau of Land Management (Alt)

ISSUE SUMMARY

REO Contact/Phone: Dave Busch, 503-808-2192
Topic: RIEC Operating Principles and New NWFP MOU
Issue Statement: The RIEC reviewed draft operating principles and provided direction regarding specific aspects of the initial draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Timeframes and next steps relative to both topics were agreed upon.
Summary of Discussion: RIEC Operating Principles. The RIEC reviewed the list of draft operating principles and discussed several items in detail. Key concepts raised during the discussion include:
  • Operating Principles apply to full RIEC meetings, i.e., meetings where all RIEC members (or their alternates) are expected to be present. Pre-work and notes for these meetings are available to all RIEC members.
  • The RIEC has identified a core group which includes FS(R-6), FWS, BLM, and NMFS. At full RIEC meetings, this core group of agencies constitutes a quorum for the purpose of decision making.
  • The core group meets as needed (outside the full RIEC forum) to serve as a frequent, rapid-response forum to address and make decisions on time-sensitive plan implementation issues. A question was raised regarding what was included in "implementation issues," and concern was expressed that core group decisions could have implications for other agency budgets - without those agencies being involved. Discussion indicated that core group meetings generally focus on how decisions will be implemented and specific legal requirements, rather than overarching issues with policy or budget implications for other RIEC agencies.
  • Several executives questioned the bullet regarding consensus and indicated that the RIEC developed language regarding decisionmaking at a previous executive session. The concept was that while individual agency missions may at times preclude full RIEC consensus, the individual executives were committed to working collaboratively on issues of mutual concern.

RIEC members agreed to provide any additional comments regarding the operating principles to Dave Busch by Tuesday, April 8, 2003. The REO will revise the draft and work with a RIEC subcommittee to finalize a set of operating principles for RIEC approval. The revision will clarify the role of the core group and what is meant by implementation issues, include previously developed language regarding collaboration, and address any other comments that may arise.

NWFP MOU. The RIEC discussed several aspects of the draft MOU and agreed on the following concepts:

  • Further focus the RIEC/ISC relationship, i.e., the RIEC may refer issues to the ISC as needed.
  • Retain both Federal and non-Federal membership on the IAC.
  • Retain broadly worded provisions regarding PIEC and PAC roles; provincial review of this section is not needed.

During follow-up conversations regarding MOU signatories, questions were raised regarding the extent to which the NWFP MOU can address the ISC if it is signed at the regional level. The REO will seek additional input from agency attorneys and draft a separate MOU for potential use by ISC members in lieu of having them as parties to this MOU.

RIEC members agreed to provide any additional comments regarding the draft MOU to Dave Busch by Tuesday, April 8. (Note: at the IAC meeting in the afternoon, IAC members were provided with the draft MOU and the same comment window.) The REO will work with a RIEC subcommittee to revise the draft MOU by April 25. The revision will address the bold bullets (as shown in the draft MOU provided to RIEC and IAC members) along with any other comments. The full RIEC will be given a brief opportunity to review the revised draft before it is forwarded to Washington, D.C.

Updates were provided on related topics as follows:

  • ISC Meeting - Elaine Brong described her interactions with Department officials on behalf of the RIEC. (No additional dialog on this topic between other RIEC members and their headquarters offices was reported.) The RIEC agreed that a draft MOU will be forwarded to Department officials at the end of April, along with a request to convene the ISC.
  • Transition Issues - Anne Badgley plans to meet with each RIEC member individually, shortly after her arrival in REO on April 7. The REO will finalize the FY03 Work Plan as soon as possible when Anne is on board. The REO will develop a transition plan to address anticipated changes in the REO ( work will begin in advance of a new MOU).
  • Status of REO GIS discussions - An update was provided to the RIEC regarding the future role and structure for REO GIS staff. Dale Guenther provided background information on how this decision was separated from the overall REO decision due to potential BLM and FS agency workload impacts. A task group has been assigned, comprised of BLM and FS technical personnel, and led by Kim Rivard and Duane Dippon. They have briefed their managers on the goal and scope of this review, established a list of assumptions which will affect the decision process, drafted 4 options for consideration, and selected a preferred. A timeline has been established that calls for the BLM and FS managers to be briefed on these products, and their subsequent recommendation. This recommendation will then be presented to the BLM and FS Executives. A proposal will then be made to the RIEC, and the IAC will be provided an opportunity to comment. Recommendations on this topic are scheduled for presentation to the RIEC in July 2003
Next Steps (who/what/when):

RIEC operating principles

  • Comments on the draft RIEC operating principles are due to Dave Busch by Tuesday, April 8, 2003.
  • The REO will work with a RIEC Futures subcommittee (Dave Powers, Linda Goodman, and Mike Crouse) to revise the draft RIEC operating principles.
  • Revised RIEC operating principles will be provided to the full RIEC for review and approval in July (or sooner if possible).

NWFP MOU

  • Comments (from both RIEC and IAC members) on the draft MOU are due to Dave Busch by Tuesday, April 8, 2003.
  • The REO will work with a RIEC Futures subcommittee (Dave Powers, Linda Goodman, and Mike Crouse) to revise the draft NWFP MOU by April 25, 2003.
  • There will be a brief window for full RIEC review before the MOU is sent to the Washington Office with a request to convene the ISC. The intent is to forward the MOU to Department officials by the end of April, 2003.

Transition Issues

  • Anne Badgley will begin setting appointments with individual executives after April 7.
  • The REO will finalize the FY03 Work Plan and present it to the RIEC for approval in July (or sooner if possible).
  • The REO will develop a transition plan to address anticipated changes in the REO as soon as the new executive director is on board.

ISSUE SUMMARY
Presenter/Sponsor: Elaine Brong
REO Staff: Dave Busch and Teresa Kubo
Topic: Preview of April 1, 2003 IAC
Issue Statement: Preview of April 1, 2003 IAC
Summary of Discussion: Elaine Brong informed the group that the FACA charter for IAC had been signed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Special thanks were extended to Linda Goodman for seeing that this accomplishment was achieved. In response to a question about the status of FACA rechartering for the PACs, it was pointed out that they had not been rechartered and that FS-Public Affairs has responsibility for this action. Two principal agenda themes were outlined by Dave Busch. The first of these was a panel discussion on social and economic factors. The second major theme was an update on the future direction of the NWFP, including the development of a new MOU.

Hot Topics

Litigation

Tribal Monitoring - The Tribal IAC representatives sent a letter outlining concerns with the tribal effectiveness monitoring program to Elaine Brong and Steve Odell. Dave Busch pointed out the likelihood for this issue to come up at the IAC meeting, in view of the agenda's focus on social/economic issues and the MOU revision. Jon Martin briefed the group on the letter and a meeting held on March 31 with monitoring program staff and tribal personnel to discuss the tribal monitoring module. Jon alerted the RIEC to the possibility that the tribal IAC representatives would request that the RIEC reactivate the tribal monitoring advisory group. The RIEC felt that reactivating the tribal advisory group makes sense, and that they should work through the Monitoring Program Managers and Interagency Monitoring Team to provide advice.

Northwest Natural Resources Forum - Dave Busch provided an update to the RIEC on the planned June 3, 2003 forum meeting. Anne Badgley and Bob Graham continue to be committed to fleshing out concepts and an agenda related to a theme of "water issues for the coming year." REO staff have begun checking on logistical issues for the planned forum.

Housekeeping

Questions on Status Reports: No questions were received; Kath Collier offered that several agencies have signed the MOU for the Budget exemptions and that interagency agreements were being developed with the appropriate agency staff to complete this task.

Meeting evaluation: No comments or suggestions were received.

Future Potential Topics:
- Effectiveness Monitoring Updates - Tribal
- NWFP Implementation in California (Jack W. Thomas Review)
- Potential Implementation Monitoring Modeling (Healthy Forests counterpart regulations)
- Wrap on Budget MOU
- RIEC Operating Principles
- Report on MOU revision and ISC status

April 2003 RIEC Meeting Attendees

Kath Anderson FS CA R5 Jon Jarvis NPS PW
Gary Benson PNW REO Curt Loop COE
Elaine M. Brong BLM OR/WA Becky Loomis REO
Dave Busch USGS REO Ken Mabery NPS REO
Kath Collier BLM REO Jon Martin Monitoring
Kent Connaughton USFS R5 Barry Mulder FWS
Mike Crouse NOAA Roger Nesbit Regional Solicitor's Office
Linda Goodman USDA FS Dave Powers EPA
Bob Graham NRCS Debbie Pietrzak BLM REO
Becky Gravenmier PNW Tom Quigley PNW
Dale Guenther FS REO Paul Roush BLM CA
Dianne Guidry NRCS Jay Watson FWS REO
Rich Hobernicht USACE Alex Whistler BIA NWRO

Reminder:  Be sure to mark your calendars for April 28-30, 2003, for the "Innovations in Species Conservation" symposium. Assistant Secretary Craig Manson is the keynote speaker and RIEC Chair Elaine Brong will provide the summation address at the close of the conference.

Handouts:

3/27/2003 Prework Package
Proposed Agenda (separate sheet)
Summary of Results 2002 Survey & Manage Annual Species Review
3/31/2003 March 2003 RIEC meeting notes
RIEC/IAC Contact List
News articles of interest