Approved Herring River Restoration Committee Mtg Mins

Meeting date: 
Thursday, October 13, 2016

Minutes

Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC)

Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters

Wellfleet, MA

October 13, 2016

9:30 am-5:00 pm

 

Members Present: Tim Smith, Steve Spear, Eric Derleth, Steve Block, Hunt Durey, Gary Joseph

 

Others Present:  Margo Fenn, Don Palladino, Martha Craig, Helen Miranda Wilson, John Portnoy, Dave Smith.

 

Approval of Minutes: The Committee voted to approve the minutes of the 9/14/16 and 9/15/16 HRRC meetings.

 

Schedule of Meetings:  The Committee approved the following schedule for upcoming meetings:

            October 19, 2016                    Blue Carbon Workshop

            November 17, 2016                HRRC regular meeting

            December 21, 2016                 HRRC regular meeting

 

Discussion and Updates:

 

Hydrodynamic Modeling:  The Woods Hole Group (WHG) has submitted several proposals to Friends of Herring River (FHR) for review.  The modeling subcommittee of HRRC will review these proposals and refine the scopes of work so that FHR can approve the contracts for this work.

 

Low-lying Road Design:  Louis Berger Group (LBG) is seeking clarification from WHG regarding projected water velocities as this could affect road design.  FHR staff has met with town officials regarding needed easements for roadwork.  Additional survey work is still needed for some road segments.

 

Vegetation Management:  The Committee discussed a petition to stop the use of herbicides in Wellfleet.  The group sponsoring the petition will make a presentation to the Wellfleet Selectmen at its October 25, 2016 meeting. The Committee noted that no decision has been made about the use of herbicides in the Restoration Project. The methods ultimately proposed to manage vegetation will be spelled out in a Vegetation Management Plan, which will prioritize methods that avoid use of herbicides. Public input will be sought as this plan is developed. Friends of Herring River will prepare a letter to the Board of Selectmen to address some of the issues that have been raised by this group about the Restoration Project.

 

Resource Development and Capacity Building:  Laura Rose Day and George Aponte Clark joined the meeting.  They will be assisting FHR to develop a resource development plan for the Project, based in part on their experience with the Penobscot River Trust in Maine.  They were on the Cape this week to meet with local officials, NPS and other Project partners. The Committee discussed potential sources of grant funding and how to coordinate with federal, state, local and non-profit agencies to seek construction and implementation funding.

 

Communications:  Carole Ridley joined the meeting to discuss outreach and public engagement. She will be working with FHR to help develop a communications and outreach plan. The Committee discussed how to engage different groups who have an interest in the Project and what kinds of tools could help with public education.

 

Documents Referred to in the Meeting:

            -Minutes of the 9/14/16 HRRC Meeting

            -Minutes of the 9/15/16 HRRC Meeting