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:

/s/August 9, 2005

To:

Regional Interagency Executive Committee (see attached distribution list)

From:

Anne Badgley, Executive Director

Subject:

REGIONAL INTERAGENCY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CONFERENCE CALL MEETING NOTES FROM JULY 28, 2005

Regional Interagency Executive Committee
Conference Call Agenda

Time

Topics

Purpose

Presenters

9:00 a.m.

Housekeeping

Facilitator

9:05

Opening Remarks

Stage Setting

Elaine Brong, RIEC Chair

9:10

• Fire-Prone Systems
• Communications
• Adaptive Management Subcommittee
• Future Monitoring Program FY06 & Beyond

Update & Discussion

Bernie Weingardt, FS, R5
Elaine Brong, BLM
Tom Quigley, PNW
Lisa Freedman, FS

10:15

Marbled Murrelet Zone Issue

Discussion

Terry Rabot, FWS

10:40

Update

Anne Badgley, REO

10:50

Feedback

Facilitator

10:55

Closing Remarks

Elaine Brong, RIEC Chair

11:00 a.m.

Adjourn

Topic: MANAGING LATE-SUCCESSIONAL AND OLD GROWTH HABITAT IN HIGH FIRE FREQUENCY FORESTS

RIEC Sponsor/Presenter: Dave Gibbons, FS, Region 5

Issue Statement: Late-successional and old growth forests in the drier provinces of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area are at risk to habitat loss from catastrophic wildfire. Monitoring results indicate that fuels management in dry forests has fallen short of expectations. Following the NWFP Science Conference, the RIEC established a sub-committee to pursue avenues for increasing treatment acres in fire-prone regions of the NWFP and restoring forests to sustainable conditions.

Summary of Discussion: Bernie Weingardt, Region 5, leads a RIEC sub-committee in charge of investigating ways to accelerate forest restoration in fire prone regions of the NWFP. A letter was recently issued to Forest Supervisors and District Managers on behalf of the RIEC by Bernie on this topic. The letter specifically asks field managers to identify barriers (such as processes, policies or existing direction) that impede successful implementation of risk reduction treatments aimed at reducing risk in fire-prone regions of the NWFP. The results of the questionnaire will be evaluated to determine potential follow-up actions for the RIEC. Other committee members are Dave Powers (EPA), Mike Crouse (NOAA-Fisheries), Terry Rabot (USFWS), Jim Sedell (PSW), Alex Whistler (BIA), and Shawne Mohoric (FS).

RIEC Decisions: NA

Next Steps: The August 2005 Intergovernmental Advisory Committee field trip will focus on fire ecology and wildland interfaces in northern California.

Topic: RIEC SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - COMMUNICATIONS

RIEC Sponsor: Elaine Brong, BLM

REO Contact/Presenter: Anne Badgley, REO

Issue Statement: Three fact sheets are available on the Northwest Forest Plan website (www.reo.gov/riec/Factsheets.htm). Those fact sheets plus a Powerpoint presentation and Talking points have been provided to all RIEC members and agency representatives via a compact disk (which is being delivered to you via regular post).

Next Steps (who/what/when): Additional assistance and advice may be requested.

Topic: ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

RIEC Sponsor/Presenter: Tom Quigley, PNW

REO Contact: Becky Gravenmier, PNW REO Representative

Issue Statement: A RIEC subcommittee was formed to look at opportunities to improve adaptive management within the NWFP. At the June RIEC meeting, it was agreed that the RIEC pursue the development of a framework for adaptive management.

Summary of Discussion: Tom Quigley reported on the status of the workgroup that was assigned to work on the adaptive management task. The RIEC oversight group includes Tom Quigley, Anne Kinsinger, Jim Sedell, Linda Goodman, and Elaine Brong. This oversight group has met to determine the initial tasks needed to move the adaptive management task forward.

Due to the potential overlap in tasks, Region 6 Deputy Regional Forester, Jim Golden and Tom Quigley decided to merge the adaptive management and long-term monitoring subcommittee into one team. Jim Golden and Tom Quigley are co-leading the RIEC oversight group for the tasks that will include the adaptive management piece and the task related to monitoring.

The team leaders sought names from Forest Service Regions 5 and 6, Pacific Southwest and Northwest Research Stations, US Geological Survey, and OR/WA Bureau of Land Management to serve as subgroup members. The subgroup will complete some preliminary tasks and bring the topic back to the larger RIEC in the future. Subgroup members include: John Laurence, PNW (co-lead),Lisa Freedman, FS R6 (co-lead), Miles Brown, BLM; Dave Busch, USGS; Carol Schuler, USGS (consultant); Becky Gravenmier, PNW; Martin Ritchie, PSW; and FS R5 (yet to name team member).

(1) Staff out the draft Systematic Adaptive-Management Framework to provide more detail.
(2) Develop a process for identifying the Corporate Priority Questions. These questions will be used to guide investments in monitoring, extensive management experiments, intensive studies, and other potential activities at the regional scale.
(3) Develop a template, or study design, for extensive management experiments addressing salvage following disturbance.
(4) Develop a vision for NWFP monitoring.

Timeline: The goal is to complete tasks 1, 2 and 4 prior to October 1, 2005. The group will try to complete the development of corporate priority questions as soon as possible so they may be used to set priorities for FY06 monitoring activities.

Next Steps: The adaptive management and long-term monitoring subgroup will have a conference call August 11, 2005.

Topic: FUTURE MONITORING PROGRAM FY06

RIEC Sponsor: Tom Quigley, PNW

Presenter: Lisa Freedman, FS, R6

Issue Statement: A RIEC subcommittee was formed to look at future monitoring activities within the NWFP. The subcommittee was to address monitoring priorities for FY 06 and develop a long-term vision for monitoring. Due to the potential overlap in tasks, Jim Golden and Tom Quigley decided to merge the adaptive management and long-term monitoring subcommittee into one team which they would co-lead (see Adaptive Management Subcommittee summary). Lisa Freedman and John Martin will work with the interagency Senior Managers Group to look at short-term questions and costs in 2006.

Summary of Discussion: Lisa Freedman updated the group on the progress of evaluating the short-term monitoring questions and costs. The group is continuing to make progress and is looking for efficiencies to apply to future monitoring efforts.

Next Steps: The target for reporting back to the RIEC is October.

Topic: MARBLED MURRELET ZONE ISSUE

RIEC Sponsor/Presenter: Terry Rabot, FWS

REO Contact: Kristi Young, FWS REO Representative

Issue Statement: At the June RIEC meeting, it was asked if, given the new scientific information about the marbled murrelet, whether pre-project surveys are still needed in murrelet zone 2. The FWS agreed to look into the issue and report back to the RIEC.

Summary of Discussion: Terry Rabot provided some background on the issue, describing how the Record of Decision (ROD) had established two marbled murrelet zones, based on expected occupancy and proximity to marine environments. The ROD requires pre-project surveys of murrelet habitat according to the established protocol in both zones. In recent years, the requirement to conduct surveys has been suspended in certain areas due to extensive and time-consuming landscape-scale surveys (although the actual zone boundaries have not changed). Terry noted that the 10-year monitoring report did not conclude that murrelets were absent from zone 2. Rather, the report authors were not able to use survey data from zone 2, due to the high degree of uncertainty with the data. Further systematic surveys are needed to accurately determine the distribution of the species.

RIEC Decision: The RIEC agreed that the issue needed to be investigated further.

Next Steps: Terry agreed to work with the other members of the interagency Senior Managers Group on this issue. Potential questions include: What kind of information is being obtained from the pre-project surveys? What would be involved in completing similar landscape scale analyses for the remaining unsurveyed areas? Would ROD changes be required? The FWS will provide a report at the October RIEC meeting.

Topic: CALIFORNIA FIELD TRIP

RIEC Sponsor: Bernie Weingardt, FS R5

REO Contact: Anne Badgley, REO

Summary of Discussion: Planning efforts are underway. The travel memo and prework will be sent out shortly. Location: Klamath National Forest, Yreka, California. Focus: Fire-prone ecosystems and wildland interface.

Badgley, Anne

Gravenmier, Becky

Mohoric, Shawne

Brong, Elaine

Haske, Mike

Morris, Steve

Busch, Dave

Jenkins, Laurie Lee

Pena, Jim

Clemens, Kathy

Kinsinger, Anne

Quigley, Tom

Collier, Kath

Kubo, Teresa

Rabot, Terry

Crouse, Mike

Loomis, Becky

Rousch, Paul

Freedman, Lisa

Loop, Curt

Shevock, Jim

Gibbons, Dave

Miner, Cindi

Westburg, Rory

Goodman, Linda

Young. Kristi