HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Apr 25 2023Whatcom County
Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
9:30 AM
Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 10:20 A.M. (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON,
SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil,
OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final April 25, 2023
Resources Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 9:31 a.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Ben Elenbaas, and Kaylee Galloway
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Carol Frazey, and Kathy Kershner
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. A132023-244 Presentation from the Department of Natural Resources on the Cherry Point Aquatic
Reserve
Birdie Davenport, Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Reserves
Program Manager, read from a presentation (on file). She spoke about the
Aquatic Reserves Program, the 2023 Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve
Management (CPARM) Plan update, a background of the planning of the
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Implementation Committee, Primary
features of the CPARM Plan update, and the Cherry Point Citizen
Stewardship Committee and their work studying larval herring dispersal and
Dungeness crab.
Donovan asked whether they have a sense of what has caused a loss of
herring at Cherry Point and whether there are issues at Cherry Point with
green crabs at the same magnitude as areas further south. She stated
predation has exacerbated the decline of herring and Cherry Point is not the
most ideal habitat for green crabs, although they have found a few in
Drayton Harbor and Birch Bay. They are supporting green crab work and got
some funding from the Legislature with which they added a technician and a
boat for that project.
Galloway asked what the public engagement process has been for the
management plan and what public engagement opportunities will look like
going forward, and Davenport spoke about having listening sessions and
working with industry neighbors. She answered whether the plan talks about
the impacts of industry, whether local legislation on Cherry Point
(Whatcom County Code) has been factored in, and whether there is
opportunity for the Council to work with DNR on that. She stated the plan
talks about impacts of industry, local legislation is important, and she would
love to have more interaction with the County and County planners.
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Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final April 25, 2023
Resources Committee
Donovan asked whether a cap on the amount of vessel traffic that comes in
and out of facilities there is part of this plan or whether it is a separate
regulation. She stated it is separate but they included some information on
it in the plan. Some of the leases do include an upper limit on the number of
vessels per year that are allowed and some of them do not have that limit.
She stated those leases have not been renegotiated for a while. Several of
them will be coming up in this decade for renegotiation and all those details
are worked out when those lease renewals come up. Generally, those kinds
of details are not changed during the term of the lease unless a property
changes hands and that might be an opportunity to take a look at some of the
lease requirements. She welcomed them to invite the aquatic land managers
to come talk to the Council because they know more about it.
This agenda item was PRESENTED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2023-286 Resolution authorizing the County Executive to grant an easement to Puget Sound
Energy across park property within an existing access easement agreement
Bennett Knox, Parks and Recreation Department Director, briefed the
Councilmembers and answered where the property in question is located on
the map (on file), and whether the grantee compensates the County for the
easement or just does the work. He stated there is no recommendation for
compensation because it is within the existing access and is not a new
easement.
Donovan moved that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR
APPROVAL. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Donovan, and Galloway
Nay: 1 - Elenbaas
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Councilmembers discussed with the Clerk of the Council and Satpal Sidhu,
County Executive, whether the next meeting could be started early.
The meeting adjourned at 10 a.m.
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Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final
Resources Committee
April 25, 2023
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