April 13, 2023 Enforcement Committee Meeting

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Public Comments (PDF)
   The Committee will hear public comments on matters that are not on the agenda. 
4. Approval of Draft Minutes from the February 22, 2023 , Enforcement Committee meeting (PDF)
5. Enforcement Report
   Staff will update the committee on the current status of the enforcement program’s activities.
   (Matthew Trujillo) [415/352-3633; matthew.trujillo@bcdc.ca.gov]
6. Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency Quarterly Update
   Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) representatives will present a quarterly report to the Committee as required by the RBRA-BCDC Settlement Agreement adopted by the Commission in 2021. BCDC staff will be available to provide input and answer questions.
   (Adrienne Klein) [415/352-3609: adrienne.klein@bcdc.ca.gov]RBRA Presentation (PDF) // Staff Presentation (PDF)
7. Adjournment

Meeting Minutes (PDF)

Audio Recording

Audio Transcript

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Morning, everyone at

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Good morning. Everyone. As Margie stated, the time is 9 30, and this meeting of the Bcdc. Enforcement Committee is here by call to order. My name is Marie Gilmour, and I am the chair of this committee

Marie Gilmore, Chair: for Commissioners. Please ensure that the video camera is always on, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: So our first order of the business of business is to call role. Matthew. Please call the role

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Commissioners. Please unmute yourselves while he does this to respond, and then mute yourselves after response.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: Okay, here we go. Commissioner Eisen.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: Here.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: Commissioner Chair Gilmour.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Here

Marie Gilmore, Chair: we have a core and present, and are duly constituted to conduct business.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: and that brings us to item 3 on our agenda, which is public comment

Marie Gilmore, Chair: in accordance with our usual practice, and, as indicated on the agenda, we will now have general public comment on items not on today’s agenda.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: We have received 2 general comments, and a copy of which has been linked to this agenda item on our website

Marie Gilmore, Chair: for members of the public.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: If you would like to speak either during the general public comment period or during the public comment period for an item on the agenda. Please raise your hand in the zoom application by clicking on the participants icon at the bottom of your screen, and look in the box

Marie Gilmore, Chair: where your name is listed under attendees.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Find the small palm icon on the left.

If you click on the palm, Icon, it will raise your hand.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: or if you are joining this meeting by phone, you must dial Star 9 to raise your hand. Then dial star 6 on your keypad, Unmute your phone. When the host asks you. In order to make a comment.

the meeting host will call on individuals who have raised their hands in the order in which they were raised.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: After you are called on, you will be unmuted, so that you can share your comments. Please announce yourself by first and last name for the record before making your comment. Commenters are limited to 3 min to speak.

Please keep your comments respectful and focused.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: We are here to listen to any individual who request to speak, but each speaker has the responsibility to act in a civil and courteous manner, as determined by the chair.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: We will not tolerate hate, speech, direct threats, indirect threats, or abuse of language.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: We will mute anyone who fails to follow those guidelines. Once again. This is a call for general public comments on topics that are not on today’s agenda.

Margie, do we have any raised hands by the public

Margie Malan, BCDC HOST: chair. Deal more. I don’t see any race hence, but I want to comment

Margie Malan, BCDC HOST: attending today for sherry poster is a Geo. Patrick Chuck.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Welcome. Thank you.

Patrick Tuck, AGO: Oh, yes, thank you for having me.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay, Since there are no public comments, we are on to item number 4, which is approval of the draft minutes. For the last meeting

we have all been furnished with draft minutes from the last meeting, which was held on February 20 s, 2,023

Marie Gilmore, Chair: committee members. I’d appreciate a motion motion and a second to approve These

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: so moved

John Vasquez, Commissioner: I second

Marie Gilmore, Chair: moved by Commissioner Eisen, seconded by Commissioner Vasquez. Are there any comments, extensions, or

anything else?

Sanjay Ranchod, Commissioner: This Commissioner ranch? I just wanted to know that I’ve joined. Sorry for arriving late?

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Oh, thank you, welcome. We’re just about to approve the minutes.

So

Marie Gilmore, Chair: are there any objections

to approving the minutes from February? 20 s 2,023?

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay. Then the motion to approve. The minutes passes unanimously. Thank you all.

Okay.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Item 5 on the agenda is the Enforcement report and enforcement policy manager. Matthew Trio will now provide the Enforcement report.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Take it away, Matthew.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: Thank you. Good morning, chair. Good morning, Committee. Members Welcome, Patrick. Just 2 items on today. Very short. The first item is a case update Since our last meeting on February 20, s, 2023.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: So in the last 2 months we’ve received 15 new cases. We’ve result 19 new cases. and as of today there are 79 unresolved cases in the queue.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: and then the second is an update on our efforts to fill the Cpa to vacancy, the sorry, the coastal program panelists to vacancy. We still have received no applications for this position.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: We are working on looking at the posting and see if there’s an issue there. One thing I plan to do is this week i’m going to repost the the position under a more general name, in hopes that it will help the job to pop up and search is more more frequently right now. It’s called something to be effective

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: journey, person, enforcement analyst, which

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: doesn’t really roll off the song. It probably doesn’t show up in in too many searches when you think about it. So i’m thinking, scale that back. Call it a program analyst to

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: get some eyes on it. But of course, any

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: help that you can give in terms of spreading the word to your various contacts is welcome. and that concludes my report. I’ll be happy to entertain any. Follow up questions about the status, the Enforcement program at this time.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Thank you, Matthew, do any committee? Members have questions for Matthew.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Commissioner Eisen.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: Hi, Matthew, do you have a goal for 2023. As to how many cases you hope to be down to. I know. Where would you say 79 now? And do you have a goal? Or is it Just let’s just do the best we can between now and then.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: Well, that’s an a good question. So short answer is, No, there’s no specific goal.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: However. I’ve been spending the first quarter. We’re really working on clearing out kind of the doing a lot of housekeeping, clearing out the the

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: The cases that are still kind of lingering open that don’t really have a purpose anymore. Changing the staticism we’ve trying to client clarifying to still what we’re really looking at the 79 cases that I

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: showed you and those are actually those are cases where

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: you know, as far as we know, for you know, at this, at this stage

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: we actually have work that needs to do on those cases at various stages, whether it be, you know, starting the case from scratch or collecting fines. My strategy on trying to pair that down even further. And i’m hoping to do, I I would say, in terms of like a goal.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: maybe get that down into the fifties

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: through various methods, such as you know, trying to catch capture the low hanging fruit. If something has been kind of lingering because

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: we got to a certain stage, and then we had to turn over and in in employees going back and getting those things wrapped up at the same time for the new cases coming in. We’re trying to continue to push the process that we’ve been developing over the past, you know, since 2,019, which is putting them on a milestone process, and keeping that going very robustly.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: And so i’m hoping that in in that vein i’ll be able to get get the cases down. But I Don’t anticipate being able to clear out the case. Load at the backlog this year.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: Oh, no, I wouldn’t think all of them. But and then my second question about the about the position, the analysts position. and I don’t know if this is okay to do. But maybe if we could be sent.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: really all the Commissioners sent a job, a description of the position that we could forward on

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: satisfactorily, because i’m not sure all the Commissioners are really aware of the need. I mean, maybe they are. But

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: I let it slip off my that mindset after a while, so

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: keeping it right there where we could. Oh, gosh! Now I I’ve thought of somebody I can forward this to. Maybe that would help

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: a little bit.

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: Sure, I could definitely try and do that. I’m gonna have to consult with human resource and make sure it’s all up and up. But if that’s possible, we’ll, we’ll definitely put that in motion. Thank you for the offer, Of course.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: Thank you, Bye.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Actually, I think that was a great suggestion. I I think, even if we can’t forward it on, it would be nice to have a distinct

Marie Gilmore, Chair: copy of the job description, because I can say to somebody we have an Alice position to

Marie Gilmore, Chair: open, and then they would ask me. Well, what does that entail? And I go? Not sure.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: So I think that would be very helpful if if nothing else just a description.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: And then I had a question, Matthew, When is our next update to the State auditors? Do I keep losing track of that?

Matthew Trujillo, Enforcement Policy Manager: I believe it’s an annual process, and it’s due, probably in October.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Alright. Thank you. Any other committee questions for Matthew.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay, seeing none.

Do any members of the public have comments on the Enforcement report.

Margie Malan, BCDC HOST: I don’t see any hands raised.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay, Thank you, Margie.

So our next agenda item is item 6,

Marie Gilmore, Chair: which is a briefing on the anchor out abatement and Eel Grass Restoration Effort in Richardson Bay, by the Richardson Bay Regional Agency, also known as Rbra.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: So at this time will the representative or representatives from the rbra. Please identify themselves for the record.

Jim Malcolm: I’ll go ahead and start.

I see a hand.

Brad Gross: Good morning, chair, girl. More I’m. Brad Gross. I’m. The executive director of Richardson, a regional agency, and

Brad Gross: with us today I have a Rebecca Shorts, Lesberg, our environmental expert, and Jim Malcolm, our Harbour master.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Great Thank you and welcome. Thank you for being here today and welcome. So now i’m going to invite Adrian Klein, of B. Cdc. Staff to give her introduction. Adrian.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: good morning. Thank you. Chair Gilmore. Good morning to the committee members. our our colleagues, and the members of the public who have joined us.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: So I’m Adrian Klein. This settlement agreement that requires monthly reporting to Staff.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: It requires quarterly reports to the Enforcement Committee and an annual report to the Commission, which just occurred on February sixteenth

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: this year.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: today the Richard, since they, Richard Sunday Regional Agency, or Rvra staff will review its accomplishments during the first quarter of 2023 and I’ll provide a brief introduction which will be familiar to most of you, as it is a condensed version of the staff introduction provided to the mission on February sixteenth.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: just 1 s.

Let me see.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: Yeah. We

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: So in September 2,021 you authorize the executive director to enter into a settlement agreement with the Rna to promote the management of the waters of Richard and Dan in manner that is consistent with the public trust and with the Macro to Petr Sack, the San Francisco Bay plan and the Richard since based special area plan.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: and this is just a quick map to orient everyone.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: So the settlement agreement

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: is between B. Cdc. And the Rvra, which is a joint Powers agreement, whose members are, as you know, we’re in county, the town of Tiburon, and the cities of the Mill Valley, and

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: the settlement agreement lays out the steps that will result in the end of an era of allowing long term anchoring of unseat oops, sorry, unseaworthy vessels occupied as residences, and for storage

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: the ground tackle, from which is believed to have resulted in between 50 and 85 acres of damage to the 300 to 650 acres of subtitle, you know, breast habitat. In Richardson Bay there is believed to be 2,400 acres day wide.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: and photographs is well known to support herring, spawn, and many bird species.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: So, just to quickly summarize the terms of the agreement, it requires the arbitrary to return the marine County waters and waters of the cities of Tiber on Belvedere and Mill Valley to a public trust. Compliant condition by removing waters.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: Excuse me. Vessels occupied as residences, stored vessels and houseboats, all anchored offshore, and not in a Marina. and to cause this removal from richards a day by 2,020,

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: to prevent the reoccupation of Richards of Bay waters by future anchor out, by enforcing local ordinances that limit the duration of stay of new influx vessels

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: to prevent future adverse impacts, to subtitle habitats, including eel grass, such as by establishing and enforcing no inquiry

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: in the ill grass protection zone

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: for to restore ill-grass habitat that has been damaged by the anchor scour

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: by creating and implementing an ill grass restoration plan that is consistent with the California illness mitigation policy.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: and that includes a 10 year adoptive management plan, and you will be hearing about that progress today to cooperate in regional efforts to identify alternate housing and other supportive resources for the occupants of the vessels anchored on the public trust lands, and finally to coordinate

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: waterfront management efforts with the city of S. Toledo, in recognition of the fact that the anchor out on counting waters come ashore through city waters and on to city of S. Toledo

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: lands.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: So this slide, which I hope is legible, was presented by the our barrier to the commission on February sixteenth, and it’s a good summary of the actions taken and planned by the AR area to achieve the settlement agreement milestones. And so you can see the due dates

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: in the third column and the status in the fourth column

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: can give you a chance to digest that.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: so I can go to the next slide now.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: and this final slide before I turn the floor over, just raises a few questions that you may wish to consider, among others.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: to discuss with the Ri area following their presentations.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: And with that I will now turn the floor over to Brad Gross, our our executive director.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: to commence the Ri staff presentation. Thank you.

Adrienne Klein, BCDC Staff: and i’ll be running their slides.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Thank you, Adrian.

Brad Gross: Thank you, Andrian.

Brad Gross: Thank you. Thank you, Adrian. I appreciate it. Shared Girl. More members of the committee and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to for us to update this committee on our latest activities and our successes.

Brad Gross: as you all know, and i’m not gonna

Brad Gross: gonna give you any history. You’ve heard all the history we’re going to talk about up to date issues, but we did give our annual presentation with a. Full B Cdc. Committee just 8 weeks ago. So again we’re just gonna cover what has happened very recently and update you on some of our more important initiatives.

Brad Gross: I’ll provide a few comments, and then our contract with environmental expert, Rebecca Schwartz Lesb will give the eel grass update, followed by our harbor. Master Jim Malcolm, who will give an update on activities at the anchorage.

Brad Gross: One of the most exciting updates I get to provide is that we have finally received the funding from the state, thanks to Senator Gilmour, so that we can kick off our temporary housing voucher program for those in the anchorage seeking housing assistance.

Brad Gross: We’ve already contracted with marine housing authority to find the actual housing.

Brad Gross: and next week, on the eighteenth, the county of Marin Board of Supervisors will consider an agreement between our Bra and that red health and human services to provide wraparound services for those in the program.

Brad Gross: We’ve already had logistics meetings between our Bra Mha. Hhs and the participation of this program, Starting on May first

Brad Gross: dovetailing with the temporary housing about your program is a vessel by back program.

Brad Gross: This program expired on December 30 first 2,022, but at tonight’s Rbr. A board of directors meeting, we will be requesting reinstatement to the vessel by that program to provide additional support for those. Taking advantage of the temporary housing voucher program

Brad Gross: basically what not border turns in their vessels to our bra, we have the funding available to pay them up to $150 per foot, as you’re at the water line of their vessel.

Brad Gross: and we’re also contracting with the local nonprofit. We’re in link to provide immediate payment. So once the paperwork is completed and the vessel is signed over to Rbr. For disposal.

Brad Gross: the participant will immediately get a check. We will provide updates on the anticipated success of these programs. The very next time we meet

Brad Gross: that’s really all I have for updates. And now i’d like to turn it over to this, for it’s less for to go over the next slides. So the next slide, please. Adrian

Brad Gross: Rebecca, Thank you.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Thank you, Rad. Good morning. She’ll go More Commissioners Enforcement staff. Good to see you all.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: My name is Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg. I’m. The president of coastal policy, solutions, and I’ve been working with our bra to implement their ill grass, protection and management efforts for the past several years.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: As a note. My neighbors are having construction down to their house, and my dogs have some opinions on that. They’ve been quiet all morning, but with my luck now will be the time when they express those opinions. So I apologize.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: These are just. These are some updates on what has been going on since the February sixteenth presentation to the full commission

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: similar to that that presentation. We are continuing implementation of the ill grass, protection and management plan. So when you see epip, that’s what that stands for

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: In the past couple of months we received the results from our 2022 side scan sonar survey of richardson bay eel grass. I’ll go over some of the results from that scan in the next couple of slides.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: We’ve also concluded our 2,000 and 22,023 waterbird monitoring season so that goes from November or October, through March.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: and the report on that we should be getting by the end of June.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: We are still waiting to hear from the Coast Guard about a decision on our petition for rule, Making

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: again that petition for rule making describes Rbras authority to implement the ill grass, protection zone and other limitations on anchoring in Richardson Bay

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: As a reminder, Local Coast Guard staff felt that the existing code of Federal relate regulations provided adequate coverage for our Bra to implement those actions.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: But we did submit a petition for rule, making to clarify that even further.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: the Coast Guard confirmed that they received our petition, and we are waiting to hear what their decision will be.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: and then ongoing this whole time our community presentations and social media, and earned media about the importance of ill grass, and what our bri is doing to protect it and Richards and Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So, outside of the epmp implementation as we let the Commission know. In February to me our Bra and its partners were selected for a competitive

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: grant from the Us. EPA. From their San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement fund program. That’s a 2.8 million dollars for a 4 year, 15 acre yield grass Restoration program in Richardson Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: the first task of which is to develop the restoration and adaptive management plan that Ms. Climb.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Ms. Glenn referred to earlier in the presentation. So right now we are working with EPA staff. We’ve been selected for the grant. But there’s all of the I’ to to cross developing the work plan the budget.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: and all of the required Federal forms. So EPA Staff has everything, and we should be getting our

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: grad agreement in the next couple of weeks, depending on how the wheels of Federal Government

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: next slide.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Okay, so the the sides can Sonar survey that I mentioned

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: about every 3 years in Richston Bay. Since 2,003

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: various partners have conducted a survey to map all of the eel grass in Richards and Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Now this differs from the Flyover survey that I shared earlier, which just focuses on

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: damage to the ill graph from anchor scour.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: In contrast, this report actually documents the entire extent of your grass and its density throughout Richardson Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: This is done by having a research vessel in the water. It basically runs transact back and forth, shooting a sonar beam at the bay floor that generates these images of where eel grass is, and how dense it is

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: in the image. On the right of your screen

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: the green shows where eel grass is present in Richardson Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: This report did not really have any surprises. We have the same general pattern of ill grass cover, and interest in bay as previous years.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: where we have the densest portion of the bed just off the shore of, and then it gets

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: less dense as you reach into the shallows. Let’s see. Can you.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: You can’t see my mouse, can you? No.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So that area right along the edge of this L. You know you can see some of the crop circles, or those anchor scour evidence of anchor scour just off saus alino, so that’s able to be captured there in the sidescan sonar Survey, which is what we expected to find, because.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: while we do see some evidence of recovery in anchor scars where boats have been removed, as you know, that’s an ongoing process.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: We also have ill West present in those shallow we reaches. So up in that northern and northeastern exactly yeah, that area of Richardson Bay that’s much shallower than in where the your grass bed is denser.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: The reasons for that kind of more patchy distribution is that it’s much warmer in the much warmer by your grass standards in in that area. So there’s some thermal stress going on.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: and we’ve seen some evidence of you Grass wasting disease. Now your grass wasting disease. It’s a

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: it’s a pathogen that is present throughout California. It has been observed in San Francisco Bay for many years. usually is a very low line pathogen. We don’t see large impacts from it. In some years it does spread more than others. We don’t exactly, we being the scientific community, don’t exactly know Why, some years you’ll grass waste, and disease is worse than others.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: There are thoughts that it that it can be affected by temperature, salinity. And so you know what

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: the past summer was, the you know, before we got all of this

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: cold weather and rain. So it was saltier. It was warmer, so we could see that change after this winter with our very

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: high rainfall that we’ve seen.

Yeah.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: And then, as expected, there’s a pretty sharp line below which we really don’t see any ill grass that’s in that lower right hand corner.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: That line effectively matches the 5 feet, I mean lower low water contour, and that’s very consistent with the depth limits of your grass, and it’s mostly light limited.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: in total across all cover classes it’s about 956 acres, of ill grass identified in Richardson Bay this year.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: but only about 400 of those acres are in the 40 to 100 cover class, and i’ll talk about that a little bit more on the next slide.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: And as a note this survey was completed by Merkel and Associates

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: next slide.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So one of the things that we’re able to do with these data is to look at how eel grass distribution has changed through time. In Richardson Bay.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: We have survey data from if we look at this chart on the right from 200309131419, and 22

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: 13 and 14. We have very depressed eel grass cover. It was much lower than the other years and and overall we’ve seen it generally increasing trend in a the thing to look at, though, so it’s it’s sort of a mixed bag. It’s good news that we’re have that we have more ill grass than we did before.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: There are some concerns, though, because this 100, this so this dashed line

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: is basically tracking a 100% cover equivalency. And so when we talk about cover class

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: that 40 to 100, that darkest green

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: That’s where the ill grass is dentist, which is a good proxy for how healthy it is, and how much ecosystem function. We’re getting from it

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: in those lighter categories.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: It’s sparser, it’s not providing as good of habitat for fish and invertebrates not able to provide the other ecosystem services, such as you know, shoreline stabilization, sediment, stabilization, carbon sequestration. Really, you know where we’re getting our most bank for our buck with eel grass is in that 40 to 100%

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: cover class.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So that darkest green bar, as we can see, is still highly variable through the years that dashed line is, basically if you take

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: it’s basically a weight of a weighted average and collapsing down. You know, if you, if we have

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: about 200 acres in the less than 5% cover class. It’s basically multiplying that 200 acres by point, 0 5 to getting the 100% equivalency, I guess

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: I could go more into the the math and the science behind that. But basically to see that dashed line is basically where is our really what? What is our really healthy, dense eel grass trend, and that’s the dashed line.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: So overall this. Serve this side scans on our survey told us a lot of what we expected to see. There’s some good stuff going on out there. There’s you know it’s a in other ways. It’s a bit of a mixed bag and highlights the importance of continuing to track your grass. Transfer time.

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Do I have another slide, Adrian?

Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg – Coastal Policy Solutions: Nope. Okay. If you go back, one slide, go back to my side. So that’s all that that I have to share about you grass. And then at the end, happy to take any questions, so i’ll hand it back to Brad to introduce harbor master. Not them.

Brad Gross: Thank you, Rebecca. I appreciate your effort on this. The next we have a harbor, Master Malcolm, who’s got some some very exciting news about our vessels floating home update. Thank you, Jim.

Jim Malcolm: Thank you very much, Brad. Good morning, Chair. Gilmour. Enforcement Committee Commissioners and Enforcement staff. As mentioned, I’m. Jim Malcolm, the harbor master for the Richard Bay Regional Agency, providing this update to update your committee

Jim Malcolm: about the status of the vessels and floating homes on the anchorage. Since the full commission was updated in February, our current total

Jim Malcolm: vessel floating home count is 52.

Jim Malcolm: That’s reduction in investment counts by 5 since the February update

Jim Malcolm: of those 5, with this included one floating home, which, during the last large March storm, when adrift and subsequently sunk.

Jim Malcolm: That floating home is actually just been just been recovered from its location, and is waiting final recovery from the water and disposal

Jim Malcolm: otherwise for vessels. Other incidents. As a result of the brutal winter we’ve been having 2 vessels sunk, or we’re completely lost due to weather. One vessel, the the one floating home when it drifting grounded.

Jim Malcolm: Of the of the vessels that were soccer completely lost, or or of, as of all vessels that were removed from the anchorage, there were no personal injuries, and several vessels broke loose or drug anchor off of the anchorage.

Jim Malcolm: and we’re recovered by the anchor out and brought back to their position on the anchorage.

Jim Malcolm: As mentioned, our current metrics.

Jim Malcolm: we have a 52 total and 0 new arrivals since the update in February.

Jim Malcolm: and with that that is the short and sweet update on the anchorage.

Jim Malcolm: Now i’ll turn it back over to Director Gross.

Jim Malcolm: Oh, sorry! One more slide as far as vessels in the eel grass, protection zone.

Jim Malcolm: the bulk of the storms, the bulk of the major storms that came through the area were from the south, so vessels that we’re outside the yogurt Protection zone got pushed to the north, so hence the the dip to 46 and then back up to 48 for vessels in the you know brass protection zone.

Jim Malcolm: and active active efforts continue to get those vessels removed from the Yogurt Protection zone and back to the southern reaches of the anchorage and out of the

Brad Gross: Thank you, Jim. I appreciate the information chair, Gilbert. Where are all 3 of us are available? If there are any questions that we can answer.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Thank you very much for the briefing.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: So do any Enforcement Committee. Members have any additional questions either for staff or

the R.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: I don’t see any I actually have.

Oh, sorry! I actually have one question

Marie Gilmore, Chair: given how severe the storms were in the first quarter.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: and the difficulties in the anchor out vessels remaining in place.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Have you noticed any.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: I guess, softening of some of the positions of the anchor out

Marie Gilmore, Chair: to be more receptive to

solutions on land?

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Because I would imagine that riding out some of those storms must have been terrifying.

Brad Gross: Thank you for the question chair, Gil, more definitely, definitely a lot of what we’re saying.

Brad Gross: people it it’s it’s not an easy lifestyle to live on those vessels, those types of vessels in those conditions. And this was a severe winter, and I think it opened up a lot of eyes on some of those folks about there. There’s some that are, you know, hardy barriers that want to stick it out, and they’ll stick it out for as long as they can. But I think what’s more important right now is that we have

Brad Gross: programs that we’ve been talking about for years that are all coming

Brad Gross: to a starting point. Specifically, the temporary housing voucher program and reinstating the vessel, buy back program

Brad Gross: in combination with the severe storms that we had over the winter we’re going to see. We’ve already been told by the case workers that have been waiting, that we have people waiting in line to take advantage of some of these opportunities, and it’s really going to be

Brad Gross: more of a

Brad Gross: issue with how many that we can service at one time. I I believe I believe there’s there’s more people willing to step into these programs that we can handle at one time, so I think it’s good news. And then our next our next meeting. I think we’ll have some good information for you regarding that.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Well, I thank you for that update. I mean that seems like a big change, because I feel like for years we’ve been hearing that the anchor outs were very resistant to considering land based solutions so hopefully. This marks a real turning point.

Brad Gross: I I believe, and I think so. A lot of people will tell you. They believe not everybody. I mean i’m not going to. I’ve got that. I imagine, by any stake in the may increase. It means that we are going to get everybody as we approach deadlines. We’re going to have push back. We’ll probably have some litigation. We have some litigation now, but I think we’re going to see some good good move in that direction, and as we again, as we approach the deadlines, it’ll be easier to tell you what we envision the future efforts. You’re going to need.

Thank you. Any committee members have any questions or comments at this time.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: So we’re going to take public comments on this item, which is item number 6

Marie Gilmore, Chair: on the agenda. But first, Margie, have we received any written public comments on this item?

Margie Malan, BCDC HOST: No. Can’t deal more.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: And do we do you see any members of the public waiting to speak?

Margie Malan, BCDC HOST: None.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay. Well, then, we will not be having public comment.

All right, so thank you very much to Staff and and the Rbr. For presenting. Do any Enforcement Committee members have any final thoughts or comments on this?

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay, seeing none, we are ready for item 7,

Marie Gilmore, Chair: which is adjournment, and I would like to entertain a motion in a second to adjourn our meeting.

John Vasquez, Commissioner: I’ll comment on that. I’ll move that we adjourn.

Rebecca Eisen, Commissioner: Second.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: Okay. A motion to adjourn, made by Commissioner Vasquez.

Marie Gilmore, Chair: second by Commissioner Eisen. All in favor. Just raise your hands

Marie Gilmore, Chair: and thank you very much everyone for your time, your attention, and the excellent presentations that we received today have a great rest of your day. Goodbye, Everyone.

John Vasquez, Commissioner: bye.