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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Natural Resources Committee
May 26, 2015
CALL TO ORDER
Committee Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Barry Buchanan, Satpal Sidhu, and Carl Weimer
Absent: None
Also Present: Rud Browne, Pete Kremen, and Barbara Brenner
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. DISCUSSION REGARDING A PROPOSED ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING
WHATCOM COUNTY CODE 2.118, CREATING A WILDLIFE ADVISORY
COMMITTEE (AB2015 -175)
Buchanan stated Councilmember Browne is a cosponsor of this proposed ordinance.
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department, gave a staff report
on the Department's approach to wildlife management. He questions whether this
committee would duplicate the critical areas technical advisory committee and the citizen
committee working on the critical areas ordinance update process. He is also concerned
about creating a standing committee. He would rather have a project- specific advisory
committee.
The technical advisory committee in the ordinance includes primarily state and tribal
wildlife biologists and other experts. He asked if they have been consulted, whether they or
staff are going to write the existing conditions plan, and whether the existing conditions
plan has to be done by the deadline in the ordinance. He asked what the committee would
do on a broader scale.
The committee discussed other citizen committees that the Council has created,
whether the Council can require administrative staff to do these things, the size of the
committee, whether there is capacity to develop the initial inventory by the deadline,
making the existing conditions report deadline more flexible, and what the committee will
do regarding the 2016 Comprehensive Plan update that another committee isn't already
doing.
Tyler Schroeder, Executive's Office, answered questions. The administration would
like to provide more information in two weeks.
Natural Resources Committee, 5/26/2015, Page 1
1 Barry Wenger answered questions and spoke about the idea for creating this
2 committee and identifying the work the committee would do. The advisory committee
3 would need help from County staff to gather geographic information system (GIS) data and
4 flood data.
5
6 The committee discussed if people are ready to participate in the technical advisory
7 committee; updating the existing database; using new data; using the existing county
8 restoration plan for fish and wildlife; and how to create this advisory committee in a way
9 that wouldn't overlap the work of existing advisory committees.
10
11 Wendy Harris, Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) Citizen Advisory Committee, stated
12 their goals for this committee are not the same as the CAO technical and citizen advisory
13 committee. She spoke about engaging in monitoring and adaptive management for the
14 long -term, how much this advisory committee can coordinate with staff, and developing
15 wildlife management policies that will include public input.
16
17 The committee continued to discuss the meeting schedule and organization sections
18 to allow the committee more flexibility about when and how often it meets and narrowing
19 the function section to wildlife - related subjects only.
20
21 Weimer moved to amend function statement A, "The committee will provide
22 recommendations on integrating wildlife management and protection issues relative to
23 fulfilling goal 9 of the Washington State..."
24
25 The motion to amend carried by the following vote:
26 Ayes: Buchanan, Weimer, and Sidhu (3)
27 Nays: None (0)
28
29 Weimer moved to amend 2.118.070(B). "...meet at least Fnenthly quarterly."
30
31 The committee discussed how involved the committee would have to allow the public
32 to be to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act.
33
34 Carol Perry stated they are making decisions based on one side of the issue, which is
35 dangerous. She asked how far the purpose of government extends. There are too many
36 committees. The workload of Planning staff may be overextended already. Stay focused on
37 more important priorities, such as the new jail and other basic services.
38
39 Perry Eskridge, Whatcom County Association of Realtors, submitted a handout (on
40 file) and stated there are currently 49 County committees. One -third of those are
41 environment - related. Only two are related to housing issues. The Growth Management Act
42 (GMA) makes housing a priority and requires the County to create several reports and
43 analyses regarding housing that don't yet exist. If they are going to create new advisory
44 committees, create housing committees. If they proceed with this ordinance, add goal six
45 of the GMA regarding land use rights to the ordinance language. It should be a guiding
46 principle. Also include members on the advisory committee that represent the developer
47 and housing industries.
48
49 The committee discussed the reasons why advisory committees stop meeting, being
50 inclusive of all points of view, and the possibility of creating a housing advisory committee.
51
52 Karen Brown stated there are many State wildlife agencies. People's land will have
53 to be taken to create wildlife corridors. Whatcom County doesn't have the money to buy
Natural Resources Committee, 5/26/2015, Page 2
their land. The Parks Department has taken away private land by designating it as a
recreational resource area. This isn't necessary. This is a special interest group. The
Council is making it harder for people to speak to them, except for special interest groups.
Max Perry submitted a handout (on file) and stated 76 percent of land is owned by
federal, state, and local government. Another 20 percent is in agricultural and forestry use.
The forestry land is open for wildlife. Only a small percentage of land is closed to wildlife
corridors.
Ryan Ericson, Critical Areas Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee and Futurewise
Whatcom, stated there was another wildlife advisory committee in another jurisdiction. This
isn't the first in the state. He described the committee on Bainbridge Island. The GMA
mandates that the map includes a wildlife corridor and that property can't be taken without
just compensation. It also mandates that they must plan for rural lifestyles. All factors
must be balanced. This is one aspect. This committee would be a good resource to tie
wildlife corridors to development regulations.
The councilmembers discussed the Wildlife Advisory Committee's scope of work in
determining the existing corridors and policies; identifying potential non - regulatory,
voluntary policies, and; the County's lack of authority to engage in a taking.
Greg Brown stated there isn't a need for this committee. It's duplicative. If there is
a project that needs this data, hire a consultant.
Buchanan restated the motion to amend 2.118.070(B). "...meet at least n9enthly
quarterly."
The motion to amend carried by the following vote:
Ayes: Buchanan, Weimer, and Sidhu (3)
Nays: None (0)
Buchanan moved to hold in committee.
Weimer stated he would like to know how this integrates with existing efforts and the
amount of staff time it would require. Form the committee to create the initial inventory
and ask it to make Comprehensive Plan recommendations on ongoing needs. Also ask the
committee to make recommendations on how it can integrate with the administration and
existing efforts.
The motion to hold in committee carried by the following vote:
Ayes: Buchanan, Weimer, and Sidhu (3)
Nays: None (0)
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
Natural Resources Committee, 5/26/2015, Page 3
1 ADJOURN
2
3 The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
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12 Da. B'ro — Darts, �ruhc clerk
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17 Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Natural Resources Committee, 5/26/2015, Page 4