Herring River Technical Committee
Corrected Meeting Minutes
November 6, 2007 @1:00 pm
NPS Headquarters at Marconi Beach
Members Present: Stephen Spear, Joel Fox, Carl Breivogel, Diane Murphy, Tim Smith, John Portnoy, Gordon Peabody, Hillary Greenberg, John Riehl, Bob Hubby, Jack Whalen, Eric Derleth
Members Absent: Andy Koch, Steve Block, Gary Palmer
Chair called meeting to order at 1:05 pm
Chair thanked NPS for allowing the committee to hold its meeting at the headquarters.
Motion to approve corrected meeting minutes at 1:07 pm by Joel Fox; seconded by John Riehl. Motion passed unanimously at 1:08 pm.
No public comments at this time.
John Riehl announced that on Nov. 10th is the State of the Harbor Conference at 9 am at Wellfleet Elementary School. The Committee Chair will be presenting at the conference.
The Chair thanked Tim Smith for all his contributions to the CRP with ENSR. The Chair then updated the committee about how the meeting with ENSR went. He stated that only minor changes to the CRP were done with prior authorization from the HRTC to do so as necessary.
Tim Smith & Stephen Spear both stated how pleased they were with everyone’s contributions to the CRP; every person on the committee contributed something important to this document. Also Tim Smith stated that while there were corrections that needed to be made to the initial CRP presented to the committee by ENSR, ENSR did help a lot in the organization of the document.
Bob Hubby stated that he was overwhelmed at the capacity of knowledge and sensitivity to each subject covered.
Diane Murphy stated that the CRP exceeded her expectations & is proud to be apart of such a project. She also thanked the Chair, Gordon Peabody, for his time & contributions to the HRTC.
Carl Breivogel echoed Diane Murphy’s thoughts. Stephen Spear also stated that each of the town’s residents played an integral part in this process as well.
The Chair also stated that the concern from the Town of Wellfleet about financial burden was addressed in the new MOU with approval & guidance from Ira Wood, representing the Town of Wellfleet’s Board of Selectmen.
Peter Watts, representing the Stakeholder’s Group, was present at this meeting. The last meeting was about 2 years ago for the Stakeholder’s committee. He suggested a joint meeting to address concerns that any member of the Stakeholder’s committee might have. He also stated that he assured his committee members that they would receive a copy of CRP.
Bob Hubby suggested that once the document was approved by each entity that it be made available to the public either online or a copy at the town libraries, etc. The Chair stated that the CRP can be posted on the HRTC website because it is a HRTC document.
Joel Fox suggested that it would be the best idea to post it online to avoid additional costs for printing new copies for the Stakeholder’s Group.
Tim Smith suggested that there is apparently money available from the NPS for additional copies.
Hillary Greenberg stated that she has fielded several calls from individuals interested in learning more about the Herring River restoration project therefore printing additional copies to have available to those interested would be in the best interests of the committee.
Tim Smith also stated that there would need to be copies available to those with disabilities (hearing impaired, blind, etc.) so various methods of availability need to be offered.
John Riehl asked if there was a timeline that needs to be met with approval of the CRP for funding purposes. Eric Derleth & John Portnoy both stated that the public approval process needs to be started before the funding process can move forward.
Eric Derleth stated that maybe a cover letter should accompany the CRP referencing the MOU & the CRP (as a reintroduction) stating that the committee isn’t looking for the Selectmen to make a decision on the restoration options.
Stephen Spear asked the committee if the cover letter should accompany any copy of the CRP to inform the reader as to what this document is moving towards. Joel Fox & Tim Smith both stated that the letter should accompany each copy & that it should be attached to each copy at the front of each CRP.
Stephen Spear also asked if those individuals that are interested in the CRP, etc. should receive a letter stating how to access a copy of the CRP.
Jack Whalen stated that it might not be a good idea to give a plan to everyone before the towns are allowed to sign/approve it.
Brief recess called at 2:07 pm; Meeting reconvened at 2:19 pm.
John Portnoy stated that it would be possible to post the CRP on the Seashore’s website, breaking it up into chapters/appendices for easy access. The towns could also create a link to access the document from the NPS website.
Hillary Greenberg stated that the town of Wellfleet’s website could handle the same document.
Eric Derleth will draft a cover letter to accompany the CRP to be proof-read by Joel Fox & the Chair, Gordon Peabody.
Tim Smith to produce a hyperlinked version on disc. Discs can be available upon request from each of the entities (Truro, Wellfleet, & NPS).
Joel Fox & Stephen Spear suggested that about 50 hard copies should be printed and another 50 copies should be copied onto discs making all available to the public.
Motion to approve printing 50 hard copies & creating hyperlinked 50 discs to be made available to the Board of Selectmen from each town and the public entertained by Bob Hubby at 2:43 pm; seconded by Joel Fox.
Discussion followed concerning the numbers of each copy (both hard copy & hyperlinked); the initial number stated will be created with additional discs being copied as needed. Amended motioned passed unanimously at 2:45pm.
The NPS will host the webpage containing the digital copy of the CRP. Each town, county, etc. will receive an email from John Portnoy containing the link to allow each of them to be able to link the CRP.
Tim Smith will be printing additional hard copies, but the available hard copies will be given to the Chair for immediate distribution.
John Riehl stated that there should be a press announcement announcing the CRP.
The Chair asked John Riehl to create a press release draft to print up & send out including the links for the CRP.
Stephen Spear addressed Jack Whalen’s previous concern about releasing the document prior to approval by Selectmen. Stephen Spear entertained a motion to asking the Selectmen if they would allow public release of the CRP prior to approval by them at 3:00 pm; Bob Hubby seconded. Discussion followed concerning the public review of the CRP.
John Portnoy stated that releasing the CRP to the public prior to consideration by the Selectmen might not be necessary since this is not the actual restoration plan – it is the conceptual restoration plan.
The Chair stated that the Selectmen may want public opinion on the CRP but they (Selectmen) are voting to approve the MOU II.
Stephen Spear stated that the CRP is a public document because it was produce by a committee serving the public but it could be up to the Selectmen to allow this information out before the meeting.
John Riehl suggested allowing the Chair to discuss this option with Selectmen.
Amended motion to allow the Chair to talk to the Selectmen to decide a process to approve MOU II & accept the CRP entertained by Stephen Spear at 3:05 pm; seconded by Bob Hubby. Amended motion passed unanimously at 3:05 pm.
Jeff Hughes, Herring Warden for Wellfleet, brought up concerns for herring migration to the committee. The main issue being from Gull Pond to Black Pond, sedimentation & debris has blocked the migration of fish specifically herring; water is allowed through but no fish are able to pass. He is concerned that when the debris is removed, where should it be put? He is looking for input from the committee proper protocol on disposal of debris & prevention of further blockage. Hillary Greenberg stated that the Con. Com. would look at a plan created by someone else, but doesn’t have the knowledge of fish runs to be able to create a protocol to prevent/fix such a problem.
Carl Breivogel stated that it isn’t unusual for low flow streams such as this to have a problem with debris. Local herring wardens insure fish passage through regular stream maintenance by removing existing and potential obstacles to fish passage. Carl is unaware of a protocol in place but believes one initiated by the herring warden would be useful.
John Riehl asked if the hydrodynamic modeling would be able to predict the water levels in that area of concern.
John Portnoy stated that it would and with tidal restoration there would be an increase in water levels. John Portnoy stated that if we could figure out how the system functioned back when there were plentiful amounts of fish that may unlock the answer to this problem.
The Chair then opened discussion about the HRTC newsletter. The Chair had a meeting with Beth Chapman to discuss the newsletter. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend today’s meeting due to scheduling conflicts. There is a newsletter in the works though according to the Chair.
The Chair then opened discussion about the future roles of the HRTC.
The Chair then opened discussion concerning presentation to the Selectmen.
The HRTC members felt that the Chair would be great representation for the project & the committee.
Hillary Greenberg & John Riehl stated that they could/would be present. Hillary Greenberg also stated that it would be important to inform the Selectmen about the MEPA/NEPHA public review process.
John Portnoy stated that George Price (NPS) is ready to sign the MOU. To schedule a presentation for George Price, Carrie Phillips should be contacted.
Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for December.
Motion to adjourn meeting entertained by Bob Hubby; seconded by Joel Fox. Motion passed unanimously at 4:09 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Megan Eckhardt
HRTC Secretary
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