PORTAGE BAY SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUMMARY

ZIp File of 2002 Summaries

AGENDA

MEETING ATTENDANCE

DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED

• Agenda
• 1/23/02 IFA Portage Bay Meeting Summary
  

MEETING CONTENTS

1. Public Comment Period

No comments from the public.

2. Review Previous Meeting Summary and Meeting Agenda

1/23/02 Meeting Summary
The AC reviewed the January summary.

• Action: Release the January summary as final with edits.

Meeting Agenda
Mak Kaufman was unable to attend the meeting. Ed Halasz received a call to inspect a possible septic overflow and could not attend. Items 3 and 4 of the agenda were tabled for a future meeting.

Action Items from the 1/23/02 Meeting
Mark Henderson sent Ami Stillings an electronic copy of the TMDL summary. Ami will distribute it to the AC.

The AC sent a letter to the State Conservation Commission recommending the local allocation of funds raised by enforcement actions in Whatcom County.

3. County Health Update

Ed Halasz was unable to attend the meeting. The AC rescheduled this item for a future meeting.

4. DOE Stormwater Inspection Presentation - Mak Kaufman

Mak Kaufman was unable to attend the meeting. The AC rescheduled this item for a future meeting.

5. Discussion: Setting Priorities for Addressing Other Pollution Sources

Follow-up to November Roles Discussion
On 2/15/02 Ami Stillings, Chris Woodward, Geoff Menzies, and Bruce Roll met to discuss Ami's role as Shellfish Coordinator. The discussion centered on issues raised at the November Portage Bay Roles Meeting. The attendees agreed that the Shellfish Planner will focus on:

• Education and Public Outreach
• Grant Funding and Grant Management
• Data Management Issues
• Regulatory Follow-up.

A summary of the 2/15 meeting discussion was distributed to the group.

Next Steps
The AC discussed whether to continue monthly meetings with agency representatives, or whether to stagger meetings with agency participation. Agency representatives would be welcome at the other AC meetings, but the focus of the meetings would be project development. Members agreed on the importance of having combined meetings on a regular basis. One member suggested having quarterly agency update meetings that would coincide with the Protection District Quarterly Progress Reports and focus on getting updates on work being done by the various agencies. Each implementing agency update meeting would include a water quality update from the Northwest Indian College and the Department of Health.

• Action: The next implementing agency update meeting will take place in April. Ami Stillings will schedule the meeting to coincide with Don Lennartson's monitoring in Portage Bay. These update meetings will be held on a quarterly basis.

The AC agreed that agencies working on local issues such as the Whatcom County Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Ecology, and the Conservation District are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings and all implementing agencies are encouraged to attend the quarterly implementing agency update meetings.

The AC discussed possible focus areas for 2002. One member mentioned the example of the Drayton Harbor AC which is focusing on stormwater and the marina. Suggestions for focus areas included working with diking and drainage improvement districts and increased cooperation with the tribes. The AC discussed the need to be aware of the WRIA 1 Project and the activities of the Nooksack Recovery Team, the Conservation District, and the Agricultural Preservation Committee to avoid duplication of efforts.

Due to the geographic extent of the Portage Bay watershed, most property owners are not familiar with Portage Bay and do not realize that their property drains to the bay. One member expressed interest in developing educational materials that express the cultural and economic importance of the shellfish beds to the tribes. What is harvested in Portage Bay? What were the harvests like historically? This type of information, in conjunction with maps and a chronology of shellfish bed closures, would help with public education projects.

• Action: Andy Ross will pass on the AC request for an assessment of the cultural/economic importance of the shellfish beds in Portage Bay to the tribes.

6. Advisory Committee Chair

The AC will vote for committee chair at the next meeting. Members nominated Chris Woodward for chair. One member suggested voting for a vice-chair as well.

7. New Business

Reporting to DOH
Don Lennartson has requested a single-page report of water quality improvement actions in the Portage Bay Shellfish District. The report could help Don justify continued monthly water quality monitoring in the bay.

• Action: Ami Stillings will draft the report and forward it to the AC for review.

Presentation to the County Council
Ami Stillings gave a presentation to the County Council Natural Resources Committee for the Drayton Harbor and Portage Bay Shellfish Protection Districts. Ami mentioned that although the presentation was scheduled for the Natural Resources Committee, the entire Council was present. Ami gave a brief review of the AC activities to date as well as an update. Ami gave the Council members water quality data sheets and copies of the closure response strategy. One member stressed the importance of simple clear reporting to staff and elected officials in each of the jurisdictions inside the Protection District. The AC could use the DOH update to inform local elected officials and the staff at the various relevant municipalities as to the activities occurring within Whatcom County to affect changes in water quality. This will hopefully result in shellfish growing areas meeting water quality standard for approved status.

8. Next Meeting's Agenda

The AC discussed presentations at the March meeting. Suggestions included:

• Matrix and Closure Response Strategy