WRP Executive Committee Meeting
Members Present: Tina Proctor, Jim Athearn, Susan Ellis, Scott Smith,, Blaine Parker, Mark Sytsma, Mike Stone, John Chapman, Nate Dechoretz,
Members Absent: Dwight Williamson, Ted Grosholz
Next call: Thursday, June 13 , 2002, 9:00 Pacific Time
1. WRP Meeting in Salt Lake City
Final dates: Wed., September 11 and Thurs., September 12. Westcoast Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah. The Committee discussed whether the meeting should last for 1 2 days or 2 days and decided to plan for 2 days. Tina will send hotel information to the WRP members and will include a request for ideas for presentations or discussion topics for the meeting.
Scott suggested a section focusing on legislative issues with a discussion on how to inspire legislators to get interested in the ANS problems. John volunteered to do a session on climate and aquatic introductions. Jim suggested that we give Randy Radant from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources an opportunity to do a presentation about local issues.
2. Rapid Response Plan
Nate talked about the latest Rapid Response Plan (supposedly Final Draft) as being a guidance document based on real life examples. He would like to see a summary section with bullets about the things a state would need to know to address an ANS situation which would require a rapid response. The Committee agreed would be useful. Nate and Pat Akers will submit a summary to the Committee for review and the whole document will be given to the WRP one last time. Tina will send the appendices to the Committee since they were left off her e-mail from last week.
3. Update on Screening Process Workshop
Mike Fraidenburg submitted the final copy of the Proceedings of the Screening Process Workshop that was held in January in Las Vegas. Scott has drafted a letter to be sent to the Western Governors= Association along with the Proceedings since the funding for the Workshop was part of an agreement with them. Tina will send the letter and Proceedings to the Committee for review.
The Committee discussed the next steps for the Screening Process and decided that Scott, Mike Fraidenburg and John will create some ideas for us to review and discuss at the next conference call.
4. Letters to New WRP Members
Sharon Gross said the letters inviting new members to the WRP had been signed by David Evans and would be sent out today. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has appointed Larry Riley as an interim representative until they have their next meeting this coming summer and can officially vote on who should represent them.
5. WRP funds - FY 2002
Sharon Gross has received funding requests from all four regional panels. Since there is an additional panel this year (Northeast Regional Panel), but the same amount of money to distribute, we will probably not receive the amount of money that we have requested. Several members expressed concern that there should be a faster way for the fiscal year funds to be allocated. Tina will ask Sharon to send us a letter describing the criteria for dividing the funds with a time line for next year.
6. Planning for State ANS Workshops
Susan will be speaking with Mike Fraidenburg next week when he is in California and setting a date for the California ANS Management Plan Workshop. Montana is having a meeting on Thursday, May 23 for a long list of participants to present the draft Montana ANS Plan to request their help in fine tuning the document before it goes out to the public. Mark mentioned that Idaho is also working on a plan. Arizona still hasn't picked a date for their workshop.
7. Draft Research Priorities
Stephen Phillips is finalizing the draft ballast water research list this week. The list will be sent to the WRP for comment, then it will be finalized and posted on the WRP website. NOAA will be consulting the list when reviewing proposals for ballast water research funding. The Committee discussed having two research needs lists, one for ballast water and one for other ANS projects. The list the WRP created last year includes both.
8. Updates on Projects
Display - Susan asked Marcia Brockbank to look into how much it would cost member agencies to buy the Threats to the West panels with velcro on the back to stick onto their own displays.
Website - Tina is working the Charlie Grimes at FWS to transfer the website to the FWS server. Charlie suggested that the current address is not easy to remember nor does it have any meaning to most people. He suggested www.answest.gov because the people involved with aquatic nuisance species would know the acronym ans and west could represent the Western Regional Panel. The committee supported pursuing that address to represent the WRP website.
May 9, 2002