Meeting Notes

USGS/USFWS Directors’ Meeting

November 18, 2005

USGS National Center, Reston, VA

Attendance: Pat Leahy, Dale Hall, Sue Haseltine, Suzette Kimball, Marvin Moriarty, Dan Ashe, Gary Frazer, Dave Bornholdt, Carl Shapiro, Judd Howell, Tony Leger, Brad Knudsen

Opening remarks: In opening the meeting, Dale Hall said that he wanted to continue the effort to build and maintain a cooperative partnership between FWS and USGS that was begun by Steve Williams and Chip Groat. Dale noted the importance of having scientific information to inform agency decisionmaking, so that the Service does not have to so frequently err on the side of caution in the absence of timely and relevant information. Dale listed several areas where he sees opportunities for expanding this cooperative partnership – Farm Bill reauthorization, particularly with regard to incorporating carbon sequestration crediting into a conservation incentive program; the National Fish Habitat Initiative; State Comprehensive Wildlife Strategies, which can help us focus collaborate efforts on high priority areas and species; and Hurricane Katrina/Rita response and recovery, where we can work together to change how society values coastal wetland protection and restoration.

Pat Leahy stated that Chip Groat and Steve Williams broke the ice in terms of creating a partnership between USGS and FWS, but he wants to see that relationship rise to an even higher level. With regard to hurricane response and recovery, he sees an expectation for DOI to elevate its presence and profile and noted that we will need to work together within DOI to invest our time, energy, and resources wisely. Pat suggested that we have our work together, and with NRCS, FSA, and the states, on the Farm Bill be the subject of a future USGS/USFWS Directors’ meeting.

Patuxent Facilities: Dave Bornholdt and Tony Leger briefed the Directors on options for addressing facilities needs at the Patuxent Research Refuge and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The discussion focused in on two options. Option 1 would involve on-site renovation of 3 existing structures, and construction of one new building, on the Refuge Central Tract. Option 2 would involve moving the Research Center off-site to the Oak Hill site and renovating existing buildings on the Central Tract to accommodate the facilities needs of the Refuge, the Chesapeake Bay Ecological Services Field Office, and portions of the Region 9 Office of Migratory Bird Management. Action Item: The Directors instructed the Regions to explore the unknown issues associated with the Oak Hill option and develop that as an option of equal substance and standing with the on-site renovation. Those fully developed options are to be provided to the Directors by December 9. Subsequent briefings will need to be scheduled with the Assistant Secretaries for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Water and Science, and Policy, Management and Budget.

Surveillance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: The Directors were briefed on the status of the President’s request for FY06 supplemental appropriations to support an interagency program of surveillance of wild birds for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The avian/pandemic flu funding had been stripped from the Labor-HHS appropriations bill in conference, and it was uncertain whether the funding request was going to be taken back up through some other vehicle. The Directors agreed that the Flyway Council meetings this winter should be used to communicate funding status and expectations to the states. Action Items: Gary Frazer will coordinate with Paul Schmidt, USGS, and APHIS to schedule discussions at appropriate Flyway Council meetings to discuss wild bird surveillance funding and operational plans for FY06 with the state fish and wildlife agencies. Frazer will also draft an interagency memo prior to the start of the 2006 field season to remind FWS and USGS employees of the importance of common sense sanitation practices when handling wild birds and providing the USGS Wildlife Health Bulletin #05-03 as guidance on appropriate procedures.

Future Challenges Project: The Directors were briefed on the status of the Future Challenges Project and the plans for the National Synthesis Team to review the regional workshop reports and recommend priority actions for the agencies to pursue. Dale Hall noted the importance of completing the established review and coordination efforts so that there is integrity to the process. Pat Leahy stated that the agencies need to follow up on the recommendations with concrete expressions of commitment, e.g., demonstration projects or other actions. Action Item: Gary Frazer will work to schedule comments from one or both of the Directors to kick off the upcoming meeting of the National Synthesis Team.

USGS Restructuring: Pat Leahy provided a status report on USGS restructuring. He stated that, in the interest of flattening and streamlining the organization, USGS has developed a revised regional restructuring plan that reflects the consensus of the Regional Executives. They are briefing the Department on that plan. He also expects to undertake restructuring at the headquarters level as the next phase, although there are no specific plans as of yet. He wants to do more robust interdisciplinary planning, bringing together the diverse capabilities of the Survey to address problems. To that end, he is looking to set Bureau-wide programmatic goals within the next 6 months that all programs can rally around and that program strategic plans can all address.

Other Business:

Action Item: Sue Haseltine will provide FWS with the dates of USGS Executive Leadership Team meeting scheduled for 2006, to facilitate scheduling a joint USGS ELT/FWS Directorate meeting in the future.

Action Item: Gary Frazer will distribute the flier on the upcoming FWS/USGS workshop on structured decisionmaking to Carl Shapiro and Sue Haseltine and others in USGS who may have an interest.