RIEC Decision Index 2001

2004-Current | 2003-2002 | 2001 | Meeting Agendas and Notes

December 4, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Monitoring Program Implementation
  • Although details regarding support for some monitoring modules need to be resolved, the RIEC concurred with the budget and priorities presented.

November 1, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Fiscal Year 2002 REO/RMG Work Plan
  • Concurred with the FY2002 Work Plan with proposed edits.
• Topic: Northwest Forest Plan Briefing Powerpoint Presentation
  • The presentation was approved with minor changes.

October 2, 2001

• Topic: REO/RMG Fiscal Year 2002 Work Plan
  • The RIEC concurred with the REO's recommendation that agencies submit feedback on the preliminary draft work plan to the REO by October 16, 2001. The REO will then make any necessary changes in response to the feedback and seek to circulate a revised, final draft of the plan within a week of having received input from all commenting agencies.
• Topic: Northwest Forest Plan Power-point Briefing Presentation
  • The RIEC concurred with REO's recommended next steps for completion of the presentation.
• Topic: Potential Management Adaptations in Survey and Manage Program (S&M)
  • The RIEC decided that the proposed changes arising from the 2001 ASRP should be submitted directly to a RIEC subcommittee (comprising executives from the Forest Service, BLM, FWS, and PNW) for review and consideration, without the need for the REO to conduct a preliminary review for the purpose of developing recommended review findings.

September 5, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Progress Report on Fiscal Year 2002 Regional Ecosystem Office Budget
  • The RIEC instructed that the REO contact the ISMS Team and instruct them not to sign any lease for office space outside the REO until they consider the vacant REO offices. Given the need to reduce overall agency expenses, the ISMS Team should be able to occupy the vacant offices and REO Conference Room, if necessary. It also makes better use of and integrates the current REO and ISMS GIS systems. The RIEC further instructed the REO GIS section to coordinate with the Forest Service and BLM Information Resource offices to seek systems support efficiencies which may lead to reduced costs or the elimination of one of the REO contractors.
  • The RIEC requested that the REO return at the October RIEC meeting at which time an update on the development or a final REO budget can be discussed.
• Topic: Options for Implementing FY02 Monitoring Program
  • The RIEC agreed that agencies should evaluate their commitments with a view of trying to more fully support the monitoring program.
• Topic: Thinning Findings Adaptive-Management Options Development
  • The RIEC delegated authority to the "Thinnings" RIEC (TRIEC) subcommittee to oversee final TMOD tasks and to coordinate implementation hand off to FS and BLM.

August 2, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) Budget
  • RIEC directed the REO to develop and present to the committee a series of options for the FY 2002 REO budget that focus on different outcomes with respect to core REO functions.
• Topic: The Oregon Agreement Proposal
  • In response to inquiries about attending the September 5 briefing from several non-federal IAC members during the IAC members conference call later in the day, the RIEC asked Steve Odell to coordinate with Louise Solliday on extending invitations to interested parties not on the RIEC, including Rocky McVay of the Association of O&C Counties, George Smith of the Intertribal Timber Council, and officials from the Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration.
• Topic: RIEC/REO Coordination/Review of Gifford Pinchot Forest Plan Amendment effecting site-specific modification of Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Standards & Guidelines (S&Gs)
  • The RIEC offered unanimous concurrence with the REO’s recommended findings that the proposed modification to the NFP S&G under review is consistent with the objectives of the NFP S&Gs, as documented in REO’s August 1 memorandum. The REO was directed to prepare a letter of transmittal for RIEC Chair Harv Forsgren notifying the GPNF of the RIEC’s concurrence.
• Topic: RIEC/REO coordinated review of a modification to a Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Land Allocation on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBSNF)
  • The REO was asked to circulate its final set of written recommended findings to RIEC members upon completion and provide 2 weeks or so for review and proposed concurrence.

June 20, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Follow-up Assignments from May 31 Executives Off-Site Meeting
  • The RIEC decided that a subgroup of executives from the FS, BLM, FWS, and NMFS will meet to further discuss legal and administrative/management options in response to the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling.
  • The RIEC agreed to meet offsite to further discuss options to re-examine or revise specific elements of the NFP.
• Topic: RIEC/REO Coordination/Review of Gifford Pinchot Plan Amendment that would effect site-specific modification of Northwest Forest Plan Standards & Guidelines
  • The RIEC directed REO to finalize the review process and provide them an opportunity to review the draft recommendations.
• Topic: Thinning Findings Adaptive-Management Options Development
  • The RIEC agreed to review the information presented and discuss this topic further at the proposed July offsite RIEC meeting. Executives may provide input on this topic prior to the offsite meeting.

May 31, 2001 (draft)

• Topic: Thinning Dense, Young Stands: Charter of Management Options Development Group
  • The RIEC accepted the TMOD charter, subject to the changes and modifications as discussed. The RIEC concurred with the staff assignments of the TMOD work group and the proposed work schedule.
• Topic: Land Allocation Map Modifications and Guidance: Time Table & Plan of Work
  • The RIEC concurred with the recommendation and directed the REO to develop the guidance and present it to the RIEC for approval at the August RIEC meeting.
• Topic: Survey and Manage (S&M) Program Implementation
  • The RIEC requested that the roles of all Annual Species Review participants be clearly defined in writing and that a complete administrative record be prepared for the Annual Species Review (ASR).
• Topic: Interagency Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Briefing Materials
  • The RIEC directed the REO to complete the draft Briefing Document and provide them an opportunity to review the final document prior to distributing it to the IAC

April 3, 2001

• Topic: Interagency Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Transition Briefing
  • The RIEC approved the four critical issues and added Survey and Manage as a fifth critical issue to be highlighted in transition briefings. RIEC directed the REO to complete the draft Transition Briefing Document and provide them an opportunity to review a final draft.
• Topic: FERC/ASC Short-Term Questions
  • The RIEC agreed to accept this document as a partial response to its March 2000, and agreed to provide responses, as appropriate, on the long-term questions by April 17.
• Topic: Identification of Potential IAC Advice Topics for Remainder of 2001\
  • The RIEC agreed that the May IAC topic will be the "Future Direction of Adaptive Management Areas" topic. For the August IAC meeting the topic would be the "Five-year Implementation Monitoring Program Strategy" and no decision was made for the November topic since it would depend on future developments or rulings.
• Topic: Alternative Management Strategies for Conserving Rare and Little-Known Species
  • The RIEC agreed that further development of alternative management strategies for rare and little known species was warranted. The REO was asked to continue working with PNW to develop the process highlighting this topic. The RIEC agreed that the S&M Species RIEC Subgroup (Executives from FS, BLM, PNW, and FWS) will serve as a sounding board for the development of options.

March 6, 2001

• Topic: Follow-up Activity on Findings re: thinning dense, younger stands for LSOG habitat
  • The RIEC concurred with the REO recommendation that development of a set of adaptive-management options is appropriate. A REO/RMG facilitated interagency workgroup will be established to assemble and evaluate the current situation., and alternatives for incorporation of the research findings into management action. The May RIEC meeting was identified as a desirable schedule for the REO to report recommendations to the RIEC.
• Topic: Aquatic/Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Plan (AREMP) - Completion of Initial Development Phase
  • The RIEC unanimously concurred with the development-phase version of AREMP presented at the meeting and with transition to the implementation phase of AREMP.
• Topic: Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC)/Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) Review of Modifications to Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Standards & Guidelines (S&Gs) or Land-Use Allocations (LUAs)
  • The RIEC concurred with the proposed time table set forth above but emphasized that the process should be developed as quickly as possible. The RIEC also agreed to form a subcommittee that can provide further direction to the REO work group as necessary or advisable during development of the review process. The subcommittee is composed of Harv Forsgren (FS), Elaine Zielinski (BLM), and Mike Crouse (NMFS).
• Topic: Interagency Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) Transition Briefing
  • The RIEC expressed preliminary approval of the general format laid out in the draft Table of Contents in the ATO and also agreed to review the ATO Addendum for Chapters IV and V and to provide any additional critical issues or ongoing Initiatives that should be highlighted in the briefing document to the REO by March 16, 2001.

February 1, 2001

• Topic: Final version of REO/RMG CY 2001 Work Plan
  • The RIEC unanimously concurred with the final version of the REO/RMG Work Plan as provided in the meeting's pre-work materials and discussed at the meeting.