Federal Agencies Work Group Meeting Minutes, January 9, 2007

LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN PROGRAM
FEDERAL AGENCIES WORK GROUP

JANUARY 9, 2007, MEETING MINUTES

LOCATION:
Natural Resources Conservation Service, 356 Mountain View Drive, Colchester, Vermont

ATTENDEES :

Erik Beck, Chair , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Jim Brangan, Lake Champlain Basin Program
Judith Doerner, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, VT
Jurij Homziak, Lake Champlain Sea Grant
Bill Howland, Lake Champlain Basin Program
Molly Michaud, Lake Champlain Basin Program
Bob Paquin, Office of Senator Patrick Leahy
Jason Shea, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (by phone)
Chris Smith , U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Marilyn Stephenson, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, NY
Michaela Stickney, Lake Champlain Basin Program
Dave Tilton , U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Keith Robinson, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division

SUMMARY:

Participants approved the draft meeting minutes from September 9, 2006 , and elected Kip Potter, USDA Natural Resources conservation Service in Vermont , as the new chairman for a 1-year term. Everyone congratulated and thanked Erik Beck for his service and leadership as outgoing chairman.

Federal Actions and Opportunities

Participants discussed the final draft of Federal Actions and Opportunities and agreed to provide one final review to Erik by January 17 th . EPA will work with the Government Printing Office to provide copies of the completed document to participants for distribution. The document will be extremely valuable to demonstrate Federal cooperation and should be broadly distributed to watershed councils, Chambers of Commerce, and similar organizations.

Cooperative Fish Passage Project

Chris Smith described the project to conduct an assessment and prioritization of fish passage opportunities, which is spearheaded by the Lake Champlain Research Institute at Plattsburgh State College, with oversight by the Greater Adirondack Resources Conservation and Development Council. The project will select a sample watershed in New York and base the fish passage assessment on Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's passage assessment protocol. Lake Champlain Federal Partners will have opportunities to participate in field data gathering.

Jurij Homziak indicated a partnership with the University of Vermont is possible on this project, and he may be able to identify 1 – 2 UVM students to support the project.

Champlain Quadricentennial

Jim Brangan described preparations for the 400 th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival at Lake Champlain . The Vermont Champlain Quadricentennial Commission and the Hudson-Fulton Commission in New York are actively planning events. Federal agencies will have opportunities to be involved in 2009. Participants agreed to consider how the work we do can be spotlighted as part of the Quadricentennial celebrations.

Current issues

• Bill Howland noted that funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Joint Commission, in addition to funding from the EPA, has provided exciting new opportunities for the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
• Bill and Dave Tilton attended the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force meeting in November 2006, and noted that the efforts to address invasives in Lake Champlain are consistent and timely with trends in the Task Force's work. As an example, the ongoing Lake Champlain Basin Program effort to develop an interjurisdictional rapid response plan is a nationally noteworthy effort.
• Molly Michaud described the ongoing efforts by the LCBP Ecosystem Indicators Task Force to develop a comprehensive set of indicators of human pressures, the state, and management efforts (response).
• Bill noted that common language about the work of LCBP, such as that the job is to “clean up the lake,” can be misleading and misses the point of some important government programs. Perhaps we should focus, instead, on “preventing pollution.”
• With regard to the Federal budget, Bob Paquin reported that the earmarks in the 2006 budget, and the definition of “earmarks,” will have important implications in 2007. These issues are central to ongoing budget deliberations in Washington . New earmarks will almost certainly be deferred to 2008.
• Dave Tilton described the National Fisheries Habitat Initiative, which can provide U.S. fish and Wildlife Service funding to State-agency-driven joint ventures to restore habitats.
• Jason Shea reported that the Lake George Village Stormwater Project was completed in November. Several other LCBP projects are underway. The Corps General Management Plan process, required for Corps project implementation, is under revision to increase efficiency.
• Marilyn Stephenson reported that a number of their programs are going forward, some, such as EQIP, with revised administrative procedures. Also, a pilot shrubland protection program is getting underway, with an RFP posted on http://www.grants.gov .
• Keith Robinson reported that the results of the Englesby Brook monitoring project will be published soon. He also noted that preliminary results of the USGS Emerging Contaminants Monitoring study found very few detectable pharmaceutical or personal care products in samples. USGS will be developing a present change regarding climate change in the Lake Champlain Basin in the next few months.
• Judy Doerner reported an increase in EQIP funding but noted that many other programs are funded at slightly lower levels than in previous years. NRCS in Vermont will be focusing on implementing existing contracts in 2007, rather than on initiating new contracts.
• Erik Beck reported that EPA's Northeast Region recently completed a division director's rotation, so a number of directors are now sorting out new responsibilities.

Next Meeting:

Tuesday, March 27, 1:00-4:00 PM
Location: USDA NRCS, 356 Mountain View Drive, Colchester, VT
An opportunity to teleconference will be arranged for those who need it.