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Regional
Ecosystem Office |
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Memorandum
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Date: |
March 28, 2005 |
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To:
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Regional
Interagency Executive Committee (see attached distribution list) |
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From:
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/s/Anne Badgley, Executive Director |
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Subject: |
REGIONAL INTERAGENCY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA & PREWORK FOR |
Meeting Room: Conference Rooms A & B (Third Floor), Robert Duncan Plaza Building
Enclosed please find a proposed agenda and pre-work for the Friday, April 1, 2005 Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC) meeting. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end on or before noon. The primary topics to be discussed at this meeting include the status of both the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service planning efforts, the monitoring Management Implications report, Science Conference updates, and plans for the April 21 Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) and RIEC meetings.
If you have any questions regarding this meeting or the attached materials, please contact your REO Representative, Kath Collier (503-808-2179), or me (503-808-2165). I look forward to seeing you at this meeting.
Enclosures:
1 - April Agenda and Pre-Work Materials (6pp)
cc: Presenters, REO Staff
2046/kc
Distribution List for RIEC
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Dave
Allen, US Fish & Wildlife Service |
Stan M. Speaks, Bureau of Indian Affairs Federal Executives Kent
Connaughton, Forest Service |
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Regional Interagency Executive Committee |
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Time |
Topics |
Purpose |
Presenter |
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Welcome
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Housekeeping |
Elaine Brong |
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Region 6 National Forest Plan Revisions |
Updates; Q&A |
Lisa Freedman |
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BLM Oregon/Washington Plan Revisions |
Updates; Q&A |
Dick Prather |
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Break |
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Management Implications of 10-Year Monitoring Reports and Synthesis |
Update |
Nancy Molina |
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Communications Plan |
Update |
Al Mateko |
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Overview; agreement |
Anne Badgley |
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Hot Topics
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Updates |
Dave Gibbons/ |
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Assignment/Agreement review
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Update |
Facilitator |
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Status Report:
“Managing Interagency Records” Brochure
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Topic: REGION 6 NATIONAL FOREST PLAN REVISIONS |
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RIEC Sponsor: Linda Goodman, Regional Forester, Region 6, Forest Service Presenter: Lisa Freedman, Director Resource Planning and Monitoring |
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REO Contact: Shawne Mohoric (FS Rep) |
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Issue Statement: The Forest Service has implemented a national schedule for revising forest land management plans, of which the Region 6 Oregon and Washington) is a part of. An overview of the regional revision strategy will be presented. |
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Background: The National Forest Management Act of 1976 requires the Forest Service to develop, periodically revise and amend all National Forest and Grassland plans. The first generation of Forest plans was developed in the mid-1980’s. There are 49 revisions underway nationally. In Region 6, six National Forests are currently in the revision process. A regional strategy for revising the 19 National Forest land management plans within Region 6 has been developed. Forests will be clustered for the revision process to gain efficiencies in evaluating similar ecosystems and landscapes. Two clusters, each consisting of three National Forests, are currently undergoing plan revisions. The first of these clusters includes the Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Colville National Forests on schedule to complete revisions in 2006. The second cluster includes the Umatilla, Malheur and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests on schedule to complete revisions in 2007. The Winema and Fremont National Forests will begin their revisions in 2006. The revision schedule will continue to be staggered and will likely continue through 2013. |
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Analysis and Options: The National Forests with plans amended by the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) will be the last to finish revisions with the exception of a few Forests that have already started or will start within two years (e.g. Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests). |
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Organizational/Funding Implications: The regional strategy provides consistency in budget, scheduling, and overall implementation of the revision process. Elements of the regional strategy will be discussed including preliminary strategies for adjusting NWFP components for those forest plan revisions currently underway. |
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Action Required: |
[ x ] Information [ ] Decision |
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Topic: BLM OREGON/WASHINGTON PLAN REVISIONS |
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Sponsor: Elaine Brong, State Director, BLM, Oregon/Washington
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REO Contact: Debbie Pietrzak (BLM Rep) |
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Issue: The BLM in Oregon is in the process of revising resource management plans (RMPs) within the Northwest Forest Plan area. |
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Background: The BLM is in the early stages of a plan revision process that will revise RMPs for the Coos Bay, Eugene, Medford, Roseburg, and Salem Districts, and a portion of the Klamath Falls Resource Area of the Lakeview District. All six plan revisions will be developed during a single planning process that is scheduled for completion in 2008. Dick Prather, Project Manager, will describe planning activities and progress made since his presentation at the November IAC meeting. The following aspects of the plan revision process will be addressed: · Progress to date: o Budget. o Schedule. o Interdisciplinary team. · Involving others: o Update on cooperators. o Public involvement. o Informing employees. o RIEC, IAC, PIECs, PACs. · Framing alternatives and future decisions: o Relationship to other plans. o Major laws. o Range of alternatives. o Getting more out of the plan revision process.
The agenda includes time for questions, answers, and discussion. Additional presentations and updates will be scheduled at future RIEC and IAC meetings as appropriate. |
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Action Required: |
[ x ] Information [ ] Decision |
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Topic: MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS OF 10-YEAR MONITORING REPORTS AND SYNTHESIS |
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Sponsor: Tom Quigley, PNW Station
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REO Contact:Anne Badgley |
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Issue Statement: A brief presentation on management implications will be made at the April 19-20, 2005 “Conference on Science and the Northwest Forest Plan.” Management implications are also likely to be a major topic of discussion at the RIEC/IAC meetings on April 21, 2005, and as minor and major changes to the NWFP are considered in the future. |
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Background: At the August 2004 special meeting of the RIEC, an executive subgroup was created to initiate an effort to develop management implications from the NWFP Effectiveness Monitoring 10-year Status and Trend Reports and Synthesis of New Science and Monitoring Information. The purpose of the effort is to create the means for the agencies to have an organized, meaningful, and documented response to the new information. An interagency Management Implications Team (MIT) was appointed to: (1) identify areas of potential opportunity for a new look at the NWFP and how it is being implemented, and (2) suggest possible avenues for making such changes. The team consists of: Nancy Molina, BLM – team lead; John Cissel, BLM; Tom Hussey, USFS-R6; Terry Johnson, BLM; Barry Mulder, USFWS; Dallas Emch, Forest Supervisor/Willamette NF; Jim Fenwood, Forest Supervisor/ Mendocino NF; and Denis Williamson, District Manager/Salem District. Oversight to the MIT is provided by the Westside Senior Managers’ Group. On March 25, 2005, the RIEC management implications subcommittee will receive a briefing on the MIT’s progress to date, and will discuss presentation of key messages about MIT findings at the Conference on Science and the Northwest Forest Plan and the RIEC/IAC meetings in April. This agenda item presents an opportunity for the full RIEC to be briefed on the key messages on management implications to be presented at the Conference and discussed at the post RIEC/IAC meetings. |
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Action Required: |
[ x ] Information [ ] Decision |
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Topic: COMMUNICATIONS PLAN |
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Sponsor: Elaine Brong, RIEC Chair
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Issue Statement: Al will bring the group up to date on communication issues related to the upcoming Science Conference and report release, as well as, how the RIEC/IAC meetings on April 21 might be affected. |
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Action Required: |
[ x ] Information [ ] Decision |
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Topic: |
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Presenter/Sponsor: Anne Badgley, Executive Director |
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Issue Statement: The objective of this discussion is to present draft agendas for the upcoming RIEC and Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) meetings scheduled for April 21. |
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Background: Both the RIEC and IAC will be meeting the day after the Science Conference. Draft agendas for these meetings have been developed and will be presented for RIEC discussion. |
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Analysis and Options: These two meetings provide a unique opportunity to hear from the IAC members in the morning, and debrief the conference and IAC input in the afternoon. It also gives us an opportunity to think about how we can leverage future meetings to address the near term issues and opportunities. |
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Action Required: |
[ x ] Information [ ] Decision [ x ] Advice |
STATUS REPORT
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Topic: BROCHURE “MANAGING INTERAGENCY RECORDS” |
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REO Contact: Kath Collier, REO |
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Background: An ad hoc records group was formed to help work on Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) records issues several years ago. This group helped determine ownership of NWFP records, develop a process for getting older records shipped to the Records Center, etc. which culminated in a Memorandum of Understanding for Northwest Forest Plan Records Managementin 2003. The activities of the ad hoc group was based on a Strategic Records Plan developed by the REO staff and approved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). |
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Status/Update: The Strategic Records Plan identified the need to help managers, particularly those involved with interagency projects, understand
their records management roles and responsibilities. A brief one-page (back to back) brochure was suggested as a
tool to help communicate the basic information. This brochure was recently completed.
The brochure has had extensive review by the ad hoc records group, agency staff and specialists, the Department of Interior Solicitor’s Office, and NARA. The brochure has been exceptionally well received and is now ready to share in a more formal manner. Copies of the brochure will be made available for your information at the meeting. A copy of the final brochure has also been shared with NARA as a potential tool for other projects outside of the NWFP. Completing this task wraps up the work of the ad hoc NWFP records group. The group will not be reconvened unless required or requested by the RIEC or REO staff. Thank you letters to the members of this group are being drafted. Please share this information with your staff and convey our thanks to your staff for their input and this useful product. |