Meeting Notes

USGS/USFWS Directors’ Meeting

December 2, 2004

 

 

Attendance: Steve Williams, Chip Groat, Sue Haseltine, Bob Szaro, Gary Frazer, Dan Ashe, Bill Knapp, Steve Lydick (on shadow assignment for Stepping Up to Leadership)

 

Cooperative Research Units All-Hands Meeting – Both Directors are scheduled to give plenary presentations at this meeting, scheduled for March 1-3, 2005.   The Directors commented on the importance of the Coop Units in providing science to inform Service management decisions, while also educating and informing the next generation of scientists on the work and priorities of the two agencies.  Action Items: The Directors tasked Gary Frazer and Ken Williams to work together to develop appropriate messages for the Directors’ respective remarks and to suggest other ways in which the Service could contribute productively to the CRU All-Hands meeting.  (Completed)

 

Bird Banding Laboratory FACA Committee – The Directors were briefed on the status of the FACA charter and establishment of the Committee.  The Charter, initially submitted in May 2004 for Departmental review and  approval, has been returned to USGS again, this time with direction to follow a new format for FACA Charters and to provide resumes of the individuals recommended for the Committee.  Sue Haseltine reported that the prospective Committee members all indicated enthusiasm for the effort, but she also noted the risk that these external partners may become disgruntled if Charter approval continues to be delayed.   Action Items: USGS will revise the Charter, obtain the requisite resumes, and resubmit the package to the Department for approval.  (Timeframe: by January 31, 2005)

 

Adaptive Management Workshop – Bob Szaro briefed the Directors on preliminary plans to hold an Adaptive Management Workshop in calendar year 2005, as follow-up to the DOI-wide workshop held last spring.   Initial plans are for the workshop to involve up to 500 participants, both internal and external to DOI.  Action Item:  As more details are developed, USGS will update the Directors at their regularly scheduled meetings.

 

State Comprehensive Conservation Strategies – The Directors were briefed on the status of discussions between USGS and IAFWA and several State fish and wildlife agencies regarding assistance in developing the monitoring sections of their Comprehensive Conservation Strategies.  In response to a question from Director Williams about how this effort relates to the discussions on a coordinated bird monitoring framework, Sue Haseltine noted that there was convergence but that the two monitoring discussions had not been purposefully connected to date.  The Directors agreed that it would be worthwhile to work through the IAFWA with some states to identify some common species or habitats for which a pilot monitoring framework could be established.  Action Item:  Gary Frazer will discuss further within USGS and FWS and explore with Russ Mason, IAFWA’s Research and Science Liaison, the opportunities for Russ to help move this along, funded at least in part by the $25K in project funding committed to his position in FY05 by the Service. 

 

Effectiveness monitoring of Farm Bill conservation title practices – Sue Haseltine briefed the Directors on the status of discussions among USGS, FWS, NRCS, and FSA about developing a model to assess and quantify the ecosystem services provided by Farm Bill conservation programs.   Such a model might also be applicable to FWS habitat restoration and management programs.   USGS, FWS, NRCS, and FSA are developing an interagency MOU for signature by respective Directors and are scoping a pilot project to be conducted in the Prairie Pothole Region. 

 

Great Lakes deepwater fisheries research program --  The Directors received a copy of the briefing presented to OMB that morning by representatives of USGS, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the Council of Lake Committees.  The Commission and Council emphasized the importance of the deepwater fisheries research program to the States and the Tribes and requested a funding level of $6.7M for FY2006 to ensure that program needs are fully funded.   During a separate but related discussion about the success of USGS science centers in competing for grant funds from the Great Lakes Trust, Sue Haseltine noted that the requirement that Great Lakes Trust grants fund only direct project costs was problematic to USGS, as it forced the science centers to absorb the projects’ indirect costs, at the expense of other science efforts.

 

FWS detailee to The Wildlife Society – Dan Ashe reported that a solicitation for nominees for this detail has been sent to the Directorate and that he has received a couple of expressions of interest thus far.  The deadline for response is January 1, 2005.  Once all nominations have been received, the Service will meet with Tom Franklin, acting Executive Director of TWS, to agree upon the selection process.  Action Item:  Dan Ashe will draft a note from the Director, reminding the Service Directorate of the outstanding request for nominees and the upcoming deadline.  (Completed)

 

Future Challenges Project – Director Williams’ schedule prevented him from staying for a full briefing on the Future Challenges project.  He and Director Groat agreed to meet again on December 22 to be briefed and discuss the status and next steps for the Future Challenges project.

 

Other business –

1) Sue Haseltine noted that the American Fisheries Society intended to invite both Directors Groat and Williams to address their Governing Board in early March to discuss opportunities for AFS to work with and assist FWS and USGS.

 

            2) The Directors discussed the possibility of holding concurrent Directorate meetings during the first week of February 2005 and arranging a joint session of the FWS and USGS leadership to follow on to the joint meeting held in Fall 2003.  Both Directors were supportive of arranging a joint meeting.  Action Item:  Gary Frazer will work with NCTC to determine whether a joint meeting at that time would be logistically feasible at NCTC, and report back to the Directors.  (Completed.  Joint session scheduled for afternoon of February 1st, followed by social hour and dinner together.)