MMB SHRU Meeting Agenda & Minutes: 5/14/2021

Anna Fiedler

Management Board Request for Agency Priority list for 5-year work plan:

John Burrows – support research project particularly kelts and specific to Kennebec

Matt Bernier – look at culvert replacements in the drainage., IFW may now have $ to work on hatchery water quality, etc. Sheepscot Lake should be revisited

John Burrows – until interactions committee completes research, tasks, will not happen

Matt Bernier – should be on priority list.

Paul – on 5 year work plan.

Chris – increasing talk about quality/quantity in SHRU & mapping – should this be a priority?

JB – its understood that it’s moving forward already. Need to find out what is needed from first meeting.

Land Protection

Chris – land protection coverage in the SHRU from Bob Houston

This document will be available to reference after on restoration website

Can this be broken out by protection type?

How land abuts Atlantic salmon habitat and streams?

Jeremy Gabrielson: We've just started taking a look at the number of un-conserved parcels with frontage on rivers/stream. Characterizing that based on parcel/river mile can be a good rough metric of land protection opportunities at the HUC level. I'm glad to connect with Bob on that offline.

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Matt Bernier – status of Pullen mills? Continue to have access to that property

Bill Bennett – in stream restoration potential. Keep this in mind when talking with land owners – could be an opportunity for protections and restoration – grants and protection bundled

Paul – opportunistic – Whitefield farm belt area – priority area. Should landowners on other parts of the West Branch who are interested in land protection be considered? Yes, direct them to Anna. Smaller parcels are more challenging. Financial side and size of project.

If there’s a neighbor that has protected properties, there’s now a priority parcel

[11:02 AM] Jeremy Gabrielson: I have to hop on to another meeting. Thank you for a great discussion. I look forward to talking more -- in particular about land protection, and capacity that we may be able to bring to that planning.

 Chris: How can we work toward out goal of 15%. Increasing rate of land protection on waterfront? Attempt to share with how much emphasis on fish habitat and protections

Bring in the land protection community and restoration potential. Broaden discussion in aquatic habitat restoration.

Have SHRU rep come to 12 rivers meeting for emphasis on land protection around salmon habitat and restoration potential.

Updates:

Matt Buyoff for FERC subgroup:

Purpose: how to proceed, what group should look like?

Quarterly meetings

Agency and NGO, industry rep involved

Content: participation in FERC meetings is difficult, barrier to involvement. Utilizing salmon website for information distributing, distributions of informational materials, use meetings for shared dialog, strategies for engagements, updates to various projects.

John Burrows for data mapping:

Initial meeting on Tuesday. Plan and thoughts, common vision. Data gaps, partners. Game plan for approach.

Matt Bernier for NOAA grant:

1 proposal for the MMB SHRU. Amount of funding actually have – around 1 mill? Trying to distribute between projects.

Max Tritt:

Sarah Bailey has been working on storymap out of today.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/176ee7ea860d432e98b7076f3d6120b0?utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR0OfrI8upKin3sEoaPqhI9JXdJhdcc3i49E7ybw1GzvScn7NOLEyqOlWuc

Shri:

Telling our fish stories:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScScGuhgH0Oxti0cR0NQTaSeWtQv9KBPWUptSprmCxAc2gTqA/viewform

Shri:

Exploring feasibility of habitat coordinator @ Midcoast Conservancy