Regional Ecosystem Office
333 SW 1st 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:

May 13, 2005

To:

Regional Interagency Executive Committee (see attached distribution list)

From:

/s/Anne Badgley, Executive Director

Subject:

REGIONAL INTERAGENCY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES FOR APRIL 21, 2005

Dave Allen, US Fish & Wildlife Service
  Terry Rabot, US Fish & Wildlife Service (Alt)
Elaine M. Brong, Bureau of Land Management
  Mike Mottice, Bureau of Land Management (Alt)
Jon Jarvis, National Park Service
  Rory Westberg, National Park Service (Alt)
Linda Goodman, Forest Service
  Jim Golden, Forest Service (Alt)
Bob Graham, Natural Resources Conservation Service
  Dianne Guidry, Natural Resources Conserv. Service (Alt)
Col. Richard W. Hobernicht, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  Curt Loop, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Alt)
Anne Kinsinger, USGS Western Region
  Carol Schuler, USGS Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (Alt)
Robert Lohn, NOAA Fisheries
  Mike Crouse, NOAA Fisheries (Alt)
Tom Fontaine, Western Ecology Division, EPA
  Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, West. Ecology Div., EPA (Alt)
Dave Powers, Environmental Protection Agency
  Socorro Rodriguez, Environ. 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
  Dave Gibbons, 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)
Jim Sedell, Pacific Southwest Station, Forest Service
  Garland Mason, Pacific Southwest Station, Forest Service (Alt)

Regional Interagency Executive Committee April 21, 2005 Meeting Agenda

Time

Topics

Purpose

Presenter

1 p.m.

House-
keeping

Facilitator

1:10

Opening Remarks

Elaine Brong

1:20

• Key points, issues, surprises, and recommended priorities

Discussion

Moderated discussion
Anne Badgley

1:50

Next Steps – Bringing the data and advice together

Planning
Discussion

Moderated discussion
Anne Badgley

2:30

• Future meeting dates
• Preferred strategies

Planning
Discussion & Decision

Moderated discussion
Anne Badgley

2:50

• Future meeting dates & topics
• Assignment/Agreement review

Update
Feedback

Facilitator

2:55

Closing Remarks

Elaine Brong

3:00 p.m.

Adjourn

Topic: DEBRIEFING THE SCIENCE CONFERENCE

Presenter: Anne Badgley, Executive Director, REO

Issue Statement: This was the first opportunity for the committee to debrief the conference among their peers. The informal discussion targeted key points, issues, surprises, and recommended priorities.

Summary of Discussion: Several committee members talked about the content and value of the advice provided by the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) earlier in the day. There were comments encouraging members to look at how the agencies might make meaningful changes, consider some bold and inventive action steps, while being thoughtful about how we work and communicate with partners and members of the public. It was also suggested that we explore areas where local communities can "share" ownership and explore management practices.

Topic: NEXT STEPS: BRINGING THE ADVICE AND DATA TOGETHER

Moderator: Anne Badgley, REO Executive Director

Issue Statement: The RIEC discussed several broad themes: (1) Restoration of forest ecosystems in high fire regimes; (2) Improving adaptive management practices; and (3) Improving communications, internally and externally. Notes related to the options and opportunities for feedback, as well as assignments and agreements, have been incorporated in this section.

• Science supports the need to restore high fire regime ecosystems to more sustainable conditions for fuel loads, structure, and composition.
• Many acres are at risk for stand replacing fires, especially in the dry provinces of the NWFP; much is at risk including loss of habitat and water quality impairment.
• There is a need to include Late-Successional Reserves (LSR) in restoration priorities but also consider the broader landscapes adjacent to LSRs that are out of natural range for fire condition class.
• Areas need to be prioritized for treatments.
• There needs to be an examination of post-fire treatment options and practices. How well are we meeting restoration and salvage goals in post-fire landscapes? Are there barriers that inhibit management activities?
• There is recognition that much is unknown about effects from management activities on post-fire landscapes; but the knowledge base is increasing. There needs to be more investigation and research on appropriate activities for restoring burned landscapes.
• There was a recognition that some fuels reduction work to protect LSRs is being executed but there is some uncertainty as to how much of this work is being done and what barriers may exist preventing risk-reduction treatments in LSRs. A need exists to define existing barriers to completing risk reduction projects. Are Standards and Guidelines (S&Gs) problematic? Is consultation? Are budgets or priority-setting processes the problem? Litigation? In Region 5 only a small percentage of LSRs needing risk reduction activities are actually treated on an annual basis.
• Desired outcomes that can be qualified and quantified need to be defined before we can define barriers to accomplishing some stated goals.
• There was agreement that goals should be established for treatment in high priority areas where progress and accountability can be measured.

Action: Jack Blackwell agreed to take the lead in developing a draft map of high fire regime NWFP landscapes and proposing draft goals and objectives and priorities for treatments by the June 1 RIEC meeting.

• Much has been discussed concerning the barriers to achieving adaptive management.
• A legal review of the S&Gs has been conducted; there are no latitudes or exceptions in Adaptive Management Areas (AMAs) land allocations to conduct research outside the S&Gs without executing plan amendments.
• Some are of the opinion that adaptive management should be a concept embraced institutionally across all landscapes, and not just in AMAs.
• Monitoring will be critical to moving forward with adaptive management principles.
• There is a need to identify the questions to be answered using the adaptive management approach.

Action: Tom Quigley, with help from Jim Sedell, will take the lead in revisiting the Adaptive Management Area Issue. They will propose options for the RIEC that could include using existing AMAs as centers for testing and learning as well as considering options for including a broader landscape approach for institutionalizing the adaptive management concept. The draft proposal will be done by the June 1 RIEC meeting.

• There is a need to develop key messages from the science conference on behalf of the RIEC and to communicate them inside and outside of the Federal government.
• There is a need to manage expectations from the many discussions that have taken place.

Action: Elaine Brong volunteered to lead the effort on behalf of the RIEC to develop draft key messages for RIEC review by the June 1 RIEC meeting.

OTHER AGREEMENTS: The RIEC agreed to expand the June 1, 2005 to a full day.

Allen, Dave (FWS)

Fontaine, Tom (EPA)

Mottice, Mike (BLM)

Badgley, Anne (REO)

Gibbons, Dave (FS, R5)

Pool, Mike (BLM, CA)

Blackwell, Jack (FS, R5)

Goodman, Linda (FS, R6)

Powers, Dave (EPA)

Brong, Elaine (BLM, OR/WA)

Golden, Jim (FS, R6)

Quigley, Tom (PNW)

Connaughton, Kent (FS, R5)

Graham, Bob (NRCS)

Rabot, Terry (FWS)

Crouse, Mike (NOAA Fisheries)

Kinsinger, Anne (USGS)

Schuler, Carol (USGS)

Detrich, Phil (FWS, CA)

Mason, Garland (PSW)

Westberg, Rory (NPS)

STAFF

Busch, Dave (USGS, REO)

Jenkins, Laurie Lee (NPS, REO)

Morris, Steve (NOAA- Fisheries, REO)

Collier, Kath (REO)

Loomis, Becky (REO)

Pietrzak, Debbie (BLM, REO)

Gravenmier, Becky (PNW, REO)

Mohoric, Shawne (FS, REO)

Young, Kristi (FWS, REO)

OTHERS

Clement, Kathy (FS, R5)

Johnson, Terry (BLM)

Powell, Doug (FS, WO)

Freedman, Lisa (FS, R6)

Martin, Jon (FS, R6)

Shevock, Jim (NPS)

Hussey, Tom (FS, R6)

Molina, Nancy (BLM)

Stouder, Deanna J. (FS, WO)