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You are here: Home / Cooperative / Our Organization / Steering Committee / Past SC Meetings and Materials / SC Meeting & Workshop, April 22-24, 2013 / Major Decisions and Notes from SC Meeting & Workshop

Major Decisions and Notes from SC Meeting & Workshop

Major decisions made by Steering Committee work groups (Surrogate and Indicators, Data, Programmatic Alignment, Communications) during the two day Meeting and Workshop held in Blacksburg, VA.

A.  WORKSHOP DECISIONS [outcome by Work Group – April 23rd-24th]

1. Steering Committee Members worked together as Work Groups to provide guidance and expertise on ways to move forward to achieve the 4 major goals of the Appalachian LCC 5-Year Work Plan: http://applcc.org/our-work/5-year-work-plan.  Work Groups consisted of Natural Resource Indicators/Surrogate Species; Data Issues; Programmatic Alignment/Strategic Engagement; and Communications.  Key points coming out of those Groups include:

a)  Natural Resource Indicators/Surrogate Species (NRI/SS) Discussions

  • Recommendation: The group developed a process to build on existing or earlier efforts.  The process outlined includes: developing selection criteria, an initial list of indicators and measurable targets for Appalachian LCC Natural Resource Goals, and a critical examination and decision-making regarding habitat mapping and classification systems to employ, and integration of AppLCC-funded study on climate and land-use change vulnerability.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Rachel Muir/USGS
  • Actions: Work Group to pursue process steps below (suggested timeline provided by Work Group)

Proposed Timeline: April

1. Coordination Team: Establish a small (oversight team) Work Group.
Proposed Timeline: May


2. Drafting Process: Finalize the process for building off existing efforts to set indicators and measurable targets for AppLCC Natural Resource Goals [NOTE: reference to the (draft) National LCC White Paper on Conservation Targets for guidance.]

    • Develop definition for indicators that incorporates RIs and SSs and gives several diverse examples
    • Develop specific criteria for selection NR Indicators/Surrogate sp. [Begin with existing criteria lists from SALCC/NALCC & refine.]
    • Review:  Get input from AppLCC experts, stakeholders and Web community


3. Habitat Mapping/Classification Decisions: Mapping: Converge

    • Data Needs Assessment as it relates to habitat mapping with NE/SE  [NE-TNC map v. SEGAP-NS; and efforts within FWS NE Region & ACJV and FWS SALCC] discussion group and
    • Stream Classification project outcomes for decisions on habitat classification to support the indicator process; transmit decision/products to expert fauna/systems workgroups.
    • Reference Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment project interim deliverables to inform selection of AppLCC indicators.

Proposed Timeline: June


4. Develop lists of potential indicators - Indicator expert groups

(Communities of Practice , COPs) (require documentation on decision-making by each group)

[In Plenary April 24th discussions – Chair Note: We have commitment from SC to help provide staff resources to make this happen.   (…and) Re: Human Dimensions/Cultural and ecosystems services SMEs are needed, Thoughts from the SC. How can we find resources and plug them into this effort.  – Evan Crews/TVA and Mark Ford/VA Coop Unit, USGS will assist with this effort to identify membership.   (…and) Re: aquatic resources – Jess Jones/FWS-R5 and Bob Butler/FWS-R4 offered to remain engaged.]

    • Solicit additional stakeholder input and review (webinar/workshop) to develop Indicator List Version 1
    • Explore targeted research (if funds are available to conduct a detailed scientific assessment of Indicator List Version 1.


5. Review & Revision:

    • Develop list of Indicators (Version 2); Score Indicators
    • Selection of Revision team meet to refine V2

Proposed Timeline: July

6. Final recommendations to the AppLCC staff and Steering Committee.


b)  Data Issues Discussions – group decisions and next steps

1.  Task 1.2.  ID and craft a way forward to overcome concerns about data sharing.

    • Recommendation: immediately develop a workgroup, led by a steering committee member to address and coordinate model data agreements.
    • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Mike Harris/ GA and Kendrick Weeks/NC volunteered to reach out and bring a few more partnering organization in to address.  Evan Crews/TVA has agreed to provide support.

[Notes from Plenary Discussion:  when you get the email requesting who on your staff needs to be involved please help them make that connection. We need full support of requests from Kendrick and Mike….and let that person know they’re being invited. Consider including representative from Academia – suggest asking Rob Baldwin (who may already have contacted many of these people already).

  • Actions: Work Group to identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.

 

2.  Task 1.1.9.  Formalize a strategy and timeline to address gaps based on data needs assessment. Actions to address needs will be added to relevant Goal/Objective.

  • Recommendation: Immediately develop a workgroup, led by a steering committee member to address and coordinate model data agreements. Begin planning in Fall 2013.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: SC member(s) needed to lead this effort and identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.
  • Actions:

 

c.)  Programmatic Discussions - group decisions and next steps: (highlights presented here; see detailed notes for complete list)

1.  (New Task)

  • Recommendation: Develop short-term “no regrets” principles and patterns of conservation that we can use immediately, from existing assessments that help frame the discussion.  Make links available on the site to existing tools.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Rodney Bartgis/TNC and Todd Fearer/AMJV to lead.  Others include Ginny Krietler/Audubon, Tai Change/EPA, Ken Elowe/FWS-R5 and Doug Besler/EBTJV.
  • Actions: Work Group to identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.

 

2.  Tasks 1.4.1 & 1.4.2.  Inform SWAP coordinators of AppLCC efforts. Deliver products by January 2014 -- Work group to look for integrating SWAPs. Staff will provide updates of work in progress and communicate to Steering Committee. Steering Committee will disseminate information and ensure proper staff planning staff or involved.

  • Recommendation: Form a work group to look for integrating SWAPs.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: SC member needed to lead this effort and identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.
  • Actions:

 

3.  Task 2.2.1. regarding “social resources”

  • Recommendation: Integrate the National Park Service cultural and human dimensions data into ongoing work.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Perry Wheelock/NCR-NPS will take the lead working with staff.  Steering Committee members will recommend appropriate team members from their respective organizations and contact them regarding involvement.
  • Actions:

 

4. Task 2.6.1.  Conservation targets. Coordinate with output of indicator process. 

  • Recommendation: Launch a work group NOW.  Conservation Target development is essential for long-term funding efforts.  SC members recruit appropriate representatives from their respective groups.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: SC member needed to lead this effort and identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.

o   Actions as identified by Facilitators: (1) Form a Work Group lead by SC representatives from throughout the App region. North and South App Regional SC members needed to lead the team to ensure targets anticipate key areas of concern throughout the AppLCC. (2) Work Group to determine Conservation Targets, working in parallel and coordinated with the indicators/species Work Group, to ensure that Conservation Targets are developed. (3) Utilize existing data-sets [and existing monitoring efforts] as a starting point for target development.

  • Actions:

 

5.  Task 4.1.2.  (new wording) Assess the needs and opportunities that meet and align existing SC Member goals and actions and offers the greatest potential Return on Investment

  • Recommendation: Steering Committee members will recommend appropriate team members from their respective organizations and contact them regarding involvement.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: SC member needed to lead this effort and identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.

o   Actions as identified by Facilitators: (1) Develop a solicitation process that formally asks members about alignment and results; (2) Process is 2-fold. Collectively define the potential tools we aspire to, and then individually assess whether our respective goals as objectives will be taken care of by these products and services.

  • Actions:


6.  Task 4.4.1.  Appoint a work group drawn from the SC Members, to identify relevant information and opportunities to integrate information from SWAPs and other planning documents into landscape-level.

  • Recommendation: Continue with the task, but we are not able to work in the short-term timeframe. AppLCC Staff could meet with the States, NE counterparts and contractor to flesh out if this is doable, cost and benefits v. cost.  Find datasets in NE that might be helpful/meaningful. Which datasets were easily assembled? Find the easy steps that we can afford and are beneficial.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Ken Elowe/FWS-R5 to lead effort and will conduct discussions and report back on viable next steps -- identify actions and resources required to fully implement this task.
  • Actions: Suggested timeframe: 40 days to hold the conversation and provide feedback to SC Members.  Staff notes with impending reductions in staffing levels and support it may not be feasible to achieve in the suggested timeframe.


d.)  Communications Discussions - group identified target audiences and developed draft messages for those audiences that encompass the value of the Appalachian LCC and opportunities it can provide. The group will finalize these messages for Steering Committee members and Partner use.

  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: Clyde Thompson/USFS

Actions and Next Steps:

1.  (Approach) Keep our head up and see where we are going, rather than producing a lot of products up-front.

  • Recommendation: SC members are encouraged to provide additional WG members to Matt and Clyde.  SC members strategically target a few audiences out of each category and visit with them to test messages

2.  Staff to provide major Meeting summary of accomplishments to provide to the SC members.

  • Recommendation: Members to edit with specific content and forward to individual organization.

3.  Staff requests SC members agreed to help to engage the plant community and land trust.

  • Recommendation: SC members are asked to help in our communications, outreach and hopefully engage these important conservation organizations.  Contact LCC Coordinator.

4.  Develop specific issue messages (e.g., energy, urbanization) to develop first efforts on communications. Southern part of app region needs and issue.

  • Recommendation: SC members may have good University contacts for an intern assignment – to be charged with preliminary messaging development.
  • Steering Committee Members or Staff serving as Work Group Coordinator: AppLCC staff to follow-up with SC member recommendations toward pursuing availability and feasibility of intern support.

 

B.  COMMITTEE DECISIONS [Full Plenary Sessions – April 24th]

1.  The Full Steering Committee Membership approved changes to the Appalachian LCC Governance Charter, transitioning the charter from an interim to a fully functioning charter: http://applcc.org/the-cooperative/sc/governance-structure.  Key elements of the revision include:

  • Current Leadership positions (Chair, Vice-Chair and Executive Sub-Committee members) were asked and approved by full Steering Committee to serve a two-year term with the transition of the permanent charter;
  • The Executive Sub-Committee will serve as both the Finance Committee (providing high-level budget-related programmatic direction) and as the Nominating Committee for the elected Leadership positions;
  • This final Charter dropped the reference to a commitment to provide an Annual Stakeholders Meeting that appeared in the Interim Charter;
  • Outlined the process for new organizations to make application for future membership on the Steering Committee; and
  • Retained the 1-organization-1-Vote rule which was contentious in the initial draft of the Interim Charter but has not proven to be an impediment to the body’s decision-making in the 2-years of the AppLCC operations.

2.  The Steering Committee agreed to provide full support to the recommendations (above) by providing Work Group leadership, appropriate representation on the Work Groups, and communicate more fully with their respective organizations.

3.  Additional updates on progress made regarding specific tasks and objectives in the Work Plan were provided to members.  Members provided assistance to help complete many of the objectives moving forward.

4.  The Steering Committee Chair will formally communicate with GCPO LCC and the Central Hardwoods Joint Venture regarding the boundary change request to reflect the Committee’s decision and commitment of the Appalachian LCC to work toward coordination on conservation measures among both LCCs and the JV without changing the boundary.

 

C.  EXECUTIVE SUB-COMMITTEE DECISIONS [1/2 day Session – April 22nd]

The Appalachian LCC released two RFPs earlier in the year and received applications for proposals on a Cave and Karst Classification and Mapping Project and an Ecosystem Services and Threats Assessment project.  The applications were presented to Executive Sub-Committee members for consideration. Proposals are still being reviewed and announcement will be made shortly:

http://applcc.org/research/2013-appalachian-lcc-request-for-proposals

 

Attendance:

[Group A – Programmatic Alignment WG & Communications WG]

David Whitehurst/VA; Mark Thurman/TN; Mike Harris/GA; Paul Johansen/WV; Tom Shope/OSMRE; Mike Piccirilli/FWS-4; Ken Elowe/FWS-5; Even Crews/TVA; Perry Wheelock (for Lisa M-I); Tai Ming Change (for Randy P)/EPA-3; Rodney Bartgis/TNC; Doug Besler/EBTJV; Todd Fearer/AMJV; Doug Austen/Nat’l-LCC; Clyde Thompson/USFS

[Group B – Indicators/Surrogates WG & Data Issues WG]

Gwen Brewer/MD; Kendrick Weeks/NC; Danny Lee/FS-SRS; Rick Bennett/FWS-5 & NALCC; Peggy Shute/FWS-4 – TN;Rua Mordecai/SALCC; Jess Jones/FWS-5 – SW VA; Mark Ford/VT Coop Unit (USGS); Ginny Kreitler/Audubon; Mike LaVoie/Tribal; Bill Reeves/SARP/FHP; Becky Keller/AMJV; Pat Rubles (for Scot W)/WMI; Bob Butler/FWS-4 – NC; Cathy Haffner/PA GC; Roberta Hylton/FWS-SW VA

[+ on the Phone] Rachel Muir/USGS (for Dave R); Ellen Mecray/NOAA; Rick Durbrow/EPA-4; Paul Pajak/Nat’l-LCC; Gwen White/ETBR; ?Karen Waldrop/KY