Western Regional Panel
MEMBERS PRESENT: Blaine Parker, John Chapman, John Wullschleger, Karen McDowell, Mark Sytsma, Robyn Draheim, Susan Ellis, Tina Proctor
MEMBERS ABSENT: Scott Smith, Dwight Williamson, Ted Grosholz
NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2005
1. Planning for the WRP annual meeting – morning session 9-8
The EC discussed the WRP morning session (8 – 12) for September 8 which will be a separate meeting from the MRBP. Suggestions for the session are: Business meeting with election of EC and presentation of budget, Work Plan Committee proposal presentations and vote, current project updates, WRP Recommendations to States and updates, and a discussion of the charge of the WRP and getting members more active. A final agenda will be determined at the next conference call.
Tina will put together a slate of members who are interested on being on the Executive Committee and get a few sentences from each one about who they are and why they want to be on the EC. There was a discussion about changing the terms of the EC from four years to staggered two or three year terms. It was suggested that we vote on this at the Business Meeting. Tina will send an e-mail out before the meeting to alert members about this vote.
The EC also considered discussing the role of committees in the WRP during the Business Meeting. This question occasionally emerges about whether we should have standing committees or ad hoc committees. Susan will lead the discussion.
Tina will make sure we have a status report on all the current projects – either an oral presentation or a written report.
Susan would like to receive ideas about what the WRP and MRBP can achieve jointly. That will be an important part of the discussion at the joint meeting. She asked that EC and WRP members send her and suggestions or ideas that have now.
2. Update on projects
Robyn reported on the Educational Materials Database. She has some computer experts who are interested in working on it. There is currently interest from the terrestrial weed folks about materials that could be included as well.
We had a report last year on the PCEIS coastal database and it is appropriate to have a written update this year. The final product will be ready by early 2006.
Mark is working with Robert Leavitt on a budget with the Aquatic Plant Research Workshop.
Since Kansas returned the $10,000 for developing a State ANS Management Plan, Tina will find out if there are other states who could use the money for developing a Plan.
Kevin Anderson reported that he will not be able to use the $5,000 we targeted for a Bilateral Rapid Assessment of ANS in Puget Sound and Georgia Basin. We will retarget these funds to another project.
3. Request for Proposals for 2006
Karen will send out a RFP (for pre-proposals) by the end of next week with a due date of August 30. She will slightly modify the current version.
4. Experts Database
Ron Lukens, Coordinator of the Gulf and South Atlantic Regional Panel, sent a proposal to the other panels regarding making a joint recommendation to the ANS Task Force about creating an experts database. Several questions emerged as the EC discussed this proposal. Members were asking for more information about how it would be used, what would the experts qualifications be, what is someone’s commitment who agrees to be on the list and who will be providing the list? Tina agreed to send an e-mail to Ron with our questions and to ask for a conference call of the panel coordinators. Robyn agreed to represent the WRP on the phone call.
5. WRP Session at the Desert Fishes Council Meeting
John reported on the poster that he created that has been mailed and e-mailed to the DFC and WRP members as well as to Mexican and SW US universities. Susan suggested that John send the poster to the e-mail list from the CANBIO meeting she attended in June in Mexico City. Information about the meeting can be found at: http://www.desertfishes.org/index.html
Minutes prepared by Tina Proctor, WRP Panel Coordinator
Executive Committee Minutes
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2005
bettina_proctor@fws.gov