Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Meeting Minutes

November 14-16, 2000      Cleveland, Ohio

Wednesday, November 14, 2000

Welcome and Introductions

Introductory comments from ARD representatives Joe Dowhan voiced Region 5's ongoing interest and commitment to the Services's Ecosystem Approach teams. Bob Adair - Region 3 represented John Christian in John's absence and emphasized Region 3's continued support of eco-teams.

DRD's Flexfund Concept Presentation & Team recommendations on Flex Fund Proposals Rollin Siegfreid, Special Assistant for Ecosystems, Region 3: Rollin gave a general update on attempts to get uniformity between regions 3, 4, and 5 on the ways proposals were submitted and flex funds spent. He described the proposed chronology of events for proposals and approvals and discussed differences in flex fund criteria between regions Flex fund managers from each eco-system are expected to be more involved as a group in future. All procedures are still in proposed status, everything still under review and nothing finalized at present.

Action item: GLBET member should submit recommendations and comments on the DRD's flexfund proposal to Rollin by December 8, 2000.

Action item: Rollin will relay to Marvin Moriarty and other DRD's that the GLBET recommends that multi-regional ecosystem teams continue to have the option to submit different proposals to different regions (instead of the same proposals to all regions), as the GLBET did for the FY 2001 flexfund cycle.

Concern has been expressed in field stations in both regions 3 and 5 that some flexfund money remain available for stations, in addition to the money that is available to ecosystem teams. Region 5 currently has team members on Flex Fund decision making teams.

Action item: The possibility of including ecosystem team members in Region -3 flexfund discussions should be discussed.

GLBET Flex-fund Proposal Strategy for FY2001

Region 3: 1) GIS/DIS for the Great Lakes ecosystem; $30,000 2) Lake sturgeon restoration assistance by commercial fishers; $8,032

Region 5: 1) Great Lakes Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon and Great Lakes Islands GIS/DSS; $40,000 2) Great Lakes Ecosystem Promotional Video and Powerpoint Program ; $13,000

Great Lakes Video Demonstration: A GLBET Flex-fund proposal

Video with example clips was introduced and presented by Emily Mattison, Bay City, MI. Mattisons are currently working on promotional video for the proposed Great Lakes Discovery Center in Bridgeport, MI.

The video does not yet have a script. Emily called for ideas and ideology for script. The Mattison's have the ability to actually write the script- they just need ideas and a clear message of what is to be portrayed. A call was issued for volunteers to assist on the message for script. Two sources were identified where similar topics and messages have been successfully addressed within the team that may be a useful starting point for the script: 40-foot display verbiage (Jim Hudgins) and Ben Tuggle's SOLEC speech (Rich Greenwood).

Action item: Jim Hudgins will provide the verbiage for the 40-foot display as one starting point for the video talking points.

Action item: Rich Greenwood will provide Ben Tuggle's SOLEC speech as another starting point for video talking points.

The overall purpose, message, and audience for the video needs to be defined. Content of film was discussed at length. Potential messages include a focus on the trust resources, illustrate Service work, relay who we are/ what we do, include footage of the general public, what the USFWS has done for the Great Lakes lately, our mission, reference information such as a map or checklist, and the USFWS's role in protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem. One possible source of expertise is Joe Starinchak from the Washington office. There was additional discussion on how to ensure that videos and brochures are useful tools.

Representatives were requested to assist from various Service programs.
ES: John Rogner & Cyndi Duda
Fisheries:
Refuges: Shiawassee Refuge
Mig Birds:
State Programs: Dave Pederson or Julie Morin
Sea Lamprey:
Partners: Jim Hudgins
Law Enforcement: SA Dan LeClair
++ Chris Lowie and Leslie TeWinkel

This working group will identify sites and issues that have not yet been filmed and research how to make the video most effective.

Action item: Bob Adair will give names for a Fisheries representative by December 1.

Action Item: Leslie will set up a conference call by January 20 to pursue the video. In particular, the group will discuss message, program areas, and geographic areas of the Great Lakes that need filming for the video, and techniques for ensuring that the video is effective n delivering its message.

Executive Committee Proposal to Further Focus Team Priorities & Discussion Refer to memo describing the proposal that was distributed over email prior to the meeting and at the meeting.

David Stilwell discussed the proposal in general and gave an overview of the Ex Com discussion at the August 2000 retreat. He also discussed the role and function of the executive committee in representing the team and functions of the entire group. Several particular issues such as lake sturgeon were identified as areas where the ecosystem team concept has continued to work well. Patti Meyers discussed the importance of the Great Lakes island issue. Patti also discussed several areas where the ecosystem team could participate. Chris Lowie discussed Great Lakes lake sturgeon and summarized the overall situation. Chris cited specific examples of how management of the program is widely based and involves in some way nearly every Service program. Other ExCom members cautioned that as the team moved forward with the proposal that they continue to work on ongoing projects and not squelch other ideas in order not to be exclusionary.

ExCom Composition and Role: Examples were provided of short term requirements and tasks which the executive committee is called upon to address on a day to day basis. The general consensus was that the ExCom's role is to make decisions on quick turnaround items, participate in an annual meeting to address team needs and issues, and participate in conference calls as needed. The Ex Com is currently comprised of 14 members and organized around committee chairs and geographic areas. Current committees are islands, migratory birds, invasive species, lake sturgeon, and stream/habitat restoration. Outreach and GIS/DSS are current tools. Also currently included on the Ex Com are the Immediate Past, Current, and Future Team Leaders.

Volunteers/Nominees were taken for the two committee member at large members: Joe Dowhan, Dave Pederson, John Rogner, and Craig Czarnecki. The team later decided that each of these individuals could be involved in the ExCom instead of just two.

Action item: Leslie will send an email out with the new ExCom composition. The ExCom now includes the following: immediate past team leader; current team leader; future team leader; representatives from GIS/DSS, islands, stream/habitat restoration, mig birds, invasive species, outreach, lake sturgeon; four members-at-large, and the team coordinator. The four members at large who were nominated or volunteered at the meeting were Joe Dowhan, Dave Pederson, John Rogner, and Craig Czarnecki.

Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Miscellaneous Reports: Leslie brought copies of Conservation Biology in Practice for team members Chris Lowie reported that the lake sturgeon brochures were completed, and copies were being sent to field stations which requested them

Further Team Discussion on Ex Com proposal:

David asked for further comments. Overall support was given for the proposal.

Lake Sturgeon Committee: The Lake Sturgeon Committee and the team brain-stormed tasks to support the proposal. Many of the recommendations for other committees were based on list of 24 research and management needs.

Outreach: existing resources include brochure, video, web site; communication and coordination with Tribes

Invasive Species: assist with studies such as goby predation on lake sturgeon eggs, lake sturgeon predation on gobies and potential subsequent bioaccumulation, and the relationship between lake sturgeon and zebra mussels; assist with sampling and funding

All: assist with status surveys; develop restoration/enhancement plans; gather GIS data; inventory dams and barriers; organize hatchery or stocking workshop re: genetics; coordinate basin by basin reaction to CCP's, and assist in leveraging dollars

Islands: assistance with determination of habitat for spawning, nursery grounds, mapping of shoals, and determining correlations between this habitat and submerged aquatics Refuges: stream assessments on Refuges; incorporate sturgeon needs into CCP's; include Refuge GIS layers into GLBET GIS/DSS

Action item: Dan Fitzpatrick will obtain and distribute information on the aquatic GAP Request For Proposals from USGS. The team should consider melding lake sturgeon committee needs, GLFT money, and the GAP program.

Top priorities of the Lake Sturgeon Committee include development of restoration/enhancement plan (requested by WO and RO's, partners have criticized Service for not having a plan), conducting a status assessment of lake sturgeon populations through field surveys, and outreach to partners, tribes, and the public.

Because the service is not acting alone in their work on lake sturgeon in the basin, the team should approach the lake committees for buy-in. The teams efforts need to fit into the broader effort. For example, various States have plans, and in addition fish community plans exist for each Lake. A standardized protocol needs to be developed inventory/assessment of lake sturgeon. The Council of Lake Committees has a meeting upcoming the week of December 11. Bob Adair, Tracy Hill, Mark Holey will be attending. Bob could take the team's message regarding sturgeon to the CLC at this time.

Action item: Chris Lowie and the lake sturgeon committee will prepare briefing for Bob Adair by December 8 for him to bring to the Council of Lake Committees.

In accepting the ExCom proposal, the team was also committing to assist in the team tasks both as they relate to lake sturgeon and islands. The FRO's will be doing various studies related to lake sturgeon committee needs in the future for which they need field support. One way in which the team member can assist the team's lake sturgeon work is by lending assistance for field work.

Action item: Chris Lowie and the lake sturgeon committee will inventory needs related to the team's lake sturgeon work for the upcoming field season. These needs will include the following: when, number of person, boats and other equipment needed, short justification of the project, any training necessary to conduct work, transportation costs, and whether housing will be provided or the responsibility for the volunteer. This list will be developed by January 31, 2001.

Action item: A master list of needs and assistance for the team's lake sturgeon work will be maintained on the team's website. Chris and Leslie will ensure that this list gets on the team's website.

Action item: An internal Service Plan for lake sturgeon restoration will be drafted by a subset of the committee. Volunteers for this task include Chris Lowie, Tracy Hill, Emily Zollweg, and potentially the future project leader at Ashland FRO. A conference call will be held in January of 2001 to begin work on this task.

Action item: Kitty proposals will be submitted to request money for travel costs of the field surveys.

Action item: Other kitty proposals for this year could address funding for additional brochures and lake sturgeon videos. Videos cost $4/each; a first purchase of 500 copies may serve the needs.

Action item: Lake sturgeon videos will be distributed via the field stations.

Another need is to better communicate and work with tribes in lake sturgeon restoration. Field stations that have met with success in this area and have forged partnerships can serve as models for other field stations.

Action item: Individual stations should communicate/coordinate with tribes by the spring field season (~April).

Great Lakes Fishery Trust: Mark Holey reported on the focus and past accomplishments of the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. The Trust funds research, habitat restoration, education, and fishing access projects. A Project Summaries handout was provided to the team. The Trust will have fund additional sturgeon work in the future. There website is www.glft.org.

Islands Committee: The island committee looked at past objectives and developed recommendations for other expertise areas in the Team.

Outreach: prepare briefing statement or narrative on Great Lakes islands that can be used on kiosks, the website, a brochure, etc.; develop brochure; have additional kiosks built on refuge islands and boat landings; organize workshop with partners and publish workshop proceedings; network with R3 and R5 GIS specialists; develop video on Great Lakes islands;

The message in the narrative should focus on number of islands, their collective importance (focus on Service Trust Resources), conservation need, and legal/compatible uses of islands (example- Gulf of Maine);

Action item: David Stilwell will invite a representative from Gulf of Maine team to next team meeting to talk about their program in that region.

Action item: Rich Greenwood and Karen Vigmostad will draft a narrative/factsheet about importance of islands by December 31.

Action item: This narrative and additional information on islands will be added to the team website.

Action item: Brochure verbiage will be developed by the next meeting by Becky Goche, Karen Vigmostad, Tom Kelly, Joan Guilfoyle, and others. Patti Meyers will take the lead in organizing the first meeting.

Migratory Birds: study colonial bird survey/island use; acquire information on waterbird mapping; help fill gaps in research needs & information related to waterbird relationships with islands; assist with control cormorant populations on Refuge islands; and assist with habitat management for desirable species

LE: assist with cormorant issues; control marijuana farming

Action item: Waterbird maps will be acquired from the Joint Venture program.

Action item: Patti Meyers will obtain GIS information from R3 Refuges (Mary Mitchell).

Action item: Doug Spencer will get GIS data on the Detroit River from Bruce Manny and supply to Greg Kennedy by December 31.

Action item: Tom Jasikoff will get GIS data on the Thousand Islands to Jason Rohweder by December 31.

Action item: Jason Rohweder will provide list of data fields, subjects, and needs including team members can provide by January 30.

Action item: The issue of cormorant control will be on the agenda for next team meeting. Leslie TeWinkel will invite Steve Lewis to give a briefing on the EIS and appropriate management actions for cormorant control.

Action item: The team will consider pursuing habitat management on islands that benefits desirable species. Doug Spencer will identify a list of needs and associated costs for this habitat management by January 31, 2001.

Action item: Doug Spencer will also develop a sampling protocol in conjunction with the islands committee and the GIS/DSS committee

Action item: Tom Jasikoff or Tony Leger will contact Walt Quist of R5 about acquiring a database of Great Lakes islands ownership from the Coast Guard, DOD, and other pertinent federal agencies.

Action item: Status on local land trusts

Invasive Species: conduct surveys for invasives; create GIS data layer on invasives; assist with beetle release for loosestrife; educate through team website regarding control of invasive plants; organize workshop for Service staff in identifying plants; and assist with habitat surveys for plants, wildlife, and fish.

Action item: Leslie TeWinkel will invite Tom Cox of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge to give a presentation on the ORINWR's invasive plant problem and their efforts to control them.

Action item: Rich Greenwood or Karen Vigmostad will invite an academician such as Mike Penskar to give a briefing on the status and conservation issues of Great Lakes islands.

GIS data layers associated with the National Mapping Initiative & the National Vegetation Classification System/Standards (NVCS) may be useful for the team's islands initiative.

Action item: Greg Kennedy will contact Tom Owens - USGS to inquire about the above habitat/vegetation etc. layers and relay this information to the team.

Thursday, November 16, 2000

Revisit Team video: A general focus of the video could be the USFWS's work in the Great Lakes, including a brief piece on each of our programs. The video on South Carolina's coastal program would be a good example to reference because there is a strong emphasis on the ecosystem approach.

Action item: A copy of the video from Roger Banks will be requested for use by the video working group.

SOLEC summary and indicators status report

Action item: The SOLEC plenary talk will be included on the team website.

Ecosystem Coordinator Update

• The International Association of Great Lakes research is being held the first week of June; three symposiums on migratory birds and one symposium on GIS applications for Great Lakes coastal management are planned.
• One proposal was received for the call for fisheries proposals for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Great Lakes Conservation Fund. The proposal was related to monitoring juvenile lake sturgeon in western Lake Erie. A decision on the proposal will be made in the enar future. No proposals have been received to date for the waterbird funding in western Lake Michigan..
• The GLBET website's initial phase should be completed by the end of January.
• Copies of the new journal Conservation Biology in Practice are available at the front of the room; please take one and consider subscribing. The journal specifically targets fish and wildlife biologists and managers.

WRDA Status and Action: Section 506 of WRDA focuses on the Great Lakes Fishery and Restoration Program. The Army Corps of Engineers will be coordinating with the Great Lakes Commission, U. S. Geological Service, USFWS, EPA, states, etc.

One million dollars will be available for this program, and initially $300,000 will be available to develop an implementation plan for the one million.

Action item: By December 31, Leslie will draft a letter to Jan Miller of the Army Corps in Chicago that offers the Service's assistance in developing the plan.

In general, existing plans in the Great Lakes will likely be used in developing the plan.

GIS/DSS demonstration and discussion Action item: The GIS/ DSS committee will present its draft Strategic Plan for discussion at the next meeting.

Action item: David Stilwell will call Nita Fuller to request Region 3 support for the team's GIS activities.

Great Lakes coastal program

Action item: The map of coastal program projects will be included on the website.

Action item: Bob Kavetsky will distribute coastal program information to the team.

Action item: Dave Pederson will email the team draft information of the state coastal program.

Next meeting dates and location: April 3 (1PM) - April 5 (12noon) in Milwaukee, WI. Green Bay FRO will make arrangements.

Meeting attendees: Leslie TeWinkel, David Stilwell, Bob Lumadue, Joe Dowhan, Rich Greenwood, Mike Bur, Doug Brewer, Laurel Bennett, John Rogner, Ken Lammers, Dave Pederson, Sandra Keppner, Chris Castiglione, Geraldine Larson, Greg Kennedy, Doug Spencer, Mark Mattison, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Bob Adair, Kofi Fynn-Aikens, Tom Jasikoff, Chris Lowie, Jeff Lockington, Heather Enterline, Emily Zollweg, Elizabeth McCloskey, Patti Meyers, Rollin Siegfried, Cyndi Duda, Jim Hudgins, Tony Leger, Mark Holey.

DRAFT: 13 December 2000

FINAL: 5 January 2001