Approved Meeting Minutes
Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC)
Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters
Wellfleet, MA
November 8, 2012
9:30 am-5:00 pm
Members Present: Tim Smith, Eric Derleth, Hunt Durey, Steve Spear, Steve Block, Charleen Greenhalgh
Others Present: Margo Fenn, Don Palladino, John Portnoy, Mark Husbands
Administration/Coordination:
Communications/Coordination with Friends of Herring River (FHR): Don Palladino reported that there was a very successful Wellfleet Harbor Conference. John Portnoy, Don and Tim Smith were on Ira Wood’s radio show on WOMR on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to discuss the Restoration Project.
Grant Opportunities: Don Palladino reported that he had not yet heard anything about the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) and Massachusetts Bay Program (MBP) grants that the FHR submitted in October. Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) has approved funding to the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) to provide Project Coordination services to the HRRC. CLF needs to develop a contract with the Friends of Herring River to provide these services. Funds should be available starting sometime in November.
Margo Fenn, Don Palladino, Hunt Durey and Steve Block agreed to work with Peter Shelley of CLF to set up an administrative process for the Project Coordination grant.
Don Palladino noted that there are several other grant opportunities coming up, including the NOAA FFO program, the American Rivers program, and the Gulf of Maine habitat restoration grant program. The Committee discussed upcoming project needs and how these grants might be able to aid the Restoration Project. John Portnoy noted that there are some upstream culverts (east of Route 6) that need to be replaced and the stream channel restored in order to aid fish passage. Erosion around these culverts has caused sedimentation in the streambed. Most of this land is owned by the National Park Service but the roads provide access to private property.
Hunt Durey said that the Committee should take a comprehensive look at future funding needs and strategize about how to use available resources. He noted that funds would be needed for more detailed survey research for LLPs and to prepare regulatory compliance documents. The group agreed and suggested that in the meantime, the town could take some short-term measures to prevent further erosion around the upstream culverts. It is possible that these areas could be added to the Restoration Project in the Final DEIS/EIR.
The Committee agreed that it would make sense for the Friends of Herring River to prepare a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the Gulf of Maine Council’s Habitat Restoration Program and also pursue additional funding through the NOAA FFO Program. The Gulf of Maine LOI is due November 23, 2012.
Margo Fenn and Tim Smith agreed to update the funding needs list for the Committee’s review at its November 29, 2012 meeting.
Don Palladino agreed to prepare a Letter of Intent for the Gulf of Maine Council. Eric Derleth will assist in this effort.
Don Palladino also reported that he would seek a small grant from the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Foundation to cover the costs of maintaining the Zoho database and other internet resources for the Restoration Project and outreach to LLP owners.
Public Hearing Presentation Planning: The Committee spent the remainder of the meeting reviewing and revising its draft presentation for the DEIS/EIR public hearing. The group agreed that Tim Smith, Hunt Durey and Charleen Greenhalgh would each present part of PowerPoint presentation describing the Project and the DEIS/EIR.
Other Business: The Committee briefly discussed a few other issues including:
1. Who will serve as the Wellfleet liaison to the HRRC during Hillary Greenberg’s maternity leave.
2. How to refine the Zoho database in order to effectively track communications with LLP owners over time.
3. How to resolve the question of FEMA compliance in the design of the CNR dike.
Documents Referred to in the Meeting:
-None
Respectfully submitted,
Hillary Greenberg-Lemos
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