Minutes

Minutes

Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC)

Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters

 Wellfleet, MA

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

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

Others Present:  Margo Fenn, Martha Craig, Christine Odiaga, Don Palladino, Carole Ridley, Katey LeValley

Administration/Coordination:

Approval of Minutes:  The Committee voted to approve the minutes of the June 8, 2017 meeting.

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

            Monday, July 24, 2017                       Herring River Executive Council Meeting

            Thursday, August 24, 2107                 HRRC regular meeting

            Wednesday, September 20, 2017        HRRC regular meeting

Discussion and Updates:

Hydrologic Modeling: The Committee reviewed the latest hydrologic modeling analysis prepared by the Woods Hole Group (WHG). The group discussed the extent of restoration that will be proposed in the Phase 1 permits- and how to present that information in the permitting documents. The modeling subcommittee agreed to meet to further evaluate the modeling results and refine the proposed maximum water levels for Phase 1.

FY 18 Budget Review:  Don Palladino reviewed the proposed work program for FY18 with the Committee.  FHR anticipates $700,000 in funding from the MA Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) in FY18.  The second year of the three-year National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant is projected to provide $285,000 in funding, and there is carry-over from year-1 funding as well.  These funds cover the time period between July 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.

The Committee reviewed the proposed work program tasks including:

            -Further engineering design and permitting support for the Chequessett Neck         Road and Mill Creek dikes.

            -Securing easements for High Toss Road work

            -Further engineering design work for affected segments of low-lying public roads

            -Ongoing design work for flood-prevention measures for low-lying private            properties, including the Chequessett Yacht and Country Club golf course.

            -Environmental permitting support

            -Cultural resource investigations, if needed

            -Rare species monitoring

            -Continued development of the adaptive management decision tool

            -Additional hydrologic and ecosystem modeling

            -Preconstruction monitoring for tidal flow, water quality, groundwater and related issues

            -Project coordination and management

Don Palladino agreed to revise and recirculate a proposed budget to the HRRC, based on the Committee’s suggestions and comments.

USGS Water Quality Monitoring:  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been monitoring water quality over the last 18 months at several locations in the lower Herring River, including the existing Chequessett Neck Road (CNR) dike.  On July 11, 2017, USGS officials met with some representatives of the HRRC and National Park Service staff to review the results of their work to date and to discuss the need for future work. Funding for the existing program will run out in September 2017.

The Committee discussed how to integrate USGS’s work with other monitoring efforts.  Some parameters (such as dissolved oxygen, pH and salinity) will be addressed through automated monitoring stations that will be installed in the river.  Other chemical sampling is now being performed by USGS at the CNR dike. The Committee agreed to put a placeholder in the budget for this work, but noted that there might not be sufficient funds to continue this work in FY18.

Review of Grant Deliverables for FY17:  Many grant deliverables were completed and submitted at the end of June, and still require review by the Committee. Friends of Herring River (FHR) staff agreed to follow up with the HRRC task leads to make sure that all grant deliverables have been reviewed and approved.

Strategic Planning:  Carole Ridley provided the Committee with an outline of FHR efforts to enhance project coordination and effectiveness. She reviewed both short and long-term objectives for project management and described some actions to enhance productivity.  FHR has established an internal coordinating committee to better define staff roles and responsibilities.

HRRC discussed possible ways to add capacity for both FHR and the Committee. The group reviewed the subcommittee assignments and discussed how to improve communications and coordination to ensure timely review of consultant proposals, contracts and deliverables. One suggestion was to assign a staff coordinator to work with each subcommittee.

Fundraising:  Carole Ridley noted that an updated baseline construction budget is needed to begin the fundraising process.  There are a number of earlier budget projections that need to be updated, based on the most recent cost estimates from the Project’s engineering consultants.  She presented a list of potential funding programs and asked the HRRC members to review the list and provide comments and questions.  HRRC members noted that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) could possibly serve an aggregator for Project funds- this option needs to be explored.

Documents Referred to in the Meeting:

-Minutes of the June 8, 2017 HRRC meeting