Wetlands Review Board (Sunset Date 5/31/2023)

MINUTES WETLANDS REVIEW BOARD REGULAR MEETING November 19, 2015, 5:15 p.m. City Hall Room 224 Meeting Summary Roll Call Board Members Present: Amy Sumner, Brenda Wright, Lisa Hoferkamp; Hal Geiger; Ben Haight; Jerry Medina; Dan Miller Board Members Absent: Andrew Campbell, Nina Horne A quorum was present. Staff Members Present: Teri Camery, Senior Planner Public Present: Gretchen Pikul, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Meeting called to order at 5:18 p.m. II. September 24, 2015 Regular Meeting minutes approved with edits October 8, 2015 Special Meeting minutes approved with edits October 29, 2015 Special Meeting minutes approved III. Agenda approved IV. Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items. None V. Board Comments. None VI. Agenda Items 1) Update on staff review of Preliminary Draft Juneau Wetlands Management Plan and review of comments received from the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ms. Camery provided an overview of her comments to Bosworth Botanical Consulting, which incorporated comments from the Board, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and from the National Marine Service. She noted that the most substantive revisions include a new goals and objectives section, information regarding the scientific longevity of the document, and a new WRB Minutes – Regular Meeting November 19, 2015 Page 1 of 3 section regarding fish habitat scores. Board members noted that the Southeast Alaska Land Trust is using a modified version of the wetland methodology, and discussed how this issue could be addressed. Ms. Camery said that she would return to the Board with more information. The Board and staff discussed wetland categorization options and the next steps for the development of the plan. Ms. Camery noted that the next draft of the plan was due in mid-February, and the consultant would again return to the Board, Habitat Mapping Working Group, Planning Commission, and Assembly Lands Committee with presentations. She said that the grant expires in June and requires a draft plan. 2) Update on additional wetland methodology meetings and contract with Dr. Paul Adamus Ms. Camery said that CBJ Law and the CBJ Purchasing Division required specific questions for the contract for Dr. Adamus to come back to the Board for further education on the wetland methodology. Board members provided questions and areas that needed more explanation, and Ms. Camery said she would develop the contract from there. Ms. Camery said that she anticipated one full day Saturday workshop and three additional two-hour Board meetings. She said that the granting agency still needed to approve this addition, and she did not have an exact timeline for when the first meeting would happen. She said that the meeting would be open to the public like all board meetings, however the format under the contract would be for the education of the Board. VII. Pending Permits and Updates 1) Lemon Creek Gravel Extraction Ms. Camery said that she expects the new gravel extraction application for upper Lemon Creek, also known as Hidden Valley, in early December and that the Board will most likely review this project at the December 17, 2015 meeting. She noted that this is a different area from the current operation, which the Board has reviewed in the past. 2) Board Appointments Ms. Camery said that Mr. Medina, Ms. Sumner, and Dr. Geiger’s Board terms expire this year and they would need to re-apply through the CBJ website by December 30. 3) Streamside Setback implementation Ms. Camery provided an update on the Juneau International Airport Jordan Creek enforcement case. She said that CDD had requested that JIA apply for an after-the-fact variance to the trimming, as a route to develop appropriate mitigation. However the CBJ Law Department has recently determined that the streamside setback section of code is not eligible for variances. She said that CDD would need to revise this section of code to allow for variances. Board members expressed disappointment in the determination, noting that the variance process has allowed for effective mitigation efforts in the past. WRB Minutes – Regular Meeting November 19, 2015 Page 2 of 3 VIII. Planning Commission Liaison Update. Mr. Miller said that his Planning Commission term ended this year after eight years and he would no longer be on the Board. Staff and board members thanked him for his service. Mr. Miller expressed frustration with the CBJ Law Department regarding their recent determinations of CBJ Code. IX. Next meeting: Thursday December 17, 5:15 p.m., in City Hall room 224. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:00 p.m. WRB Minutes – Regular Meeting November 19, 2015 Page 3 of 3