04/09/2008: "Council Not Pleased With MRC Actions"

The MRC (Marine Resources Committee) has come under fire for their actions in representing and presenting the Aquatic Reserve proposal at recent public meetings.

At a Council work session on Monday, Councilman Rich Peterson raised the issue and asked the question of “how we got from this council giving them (the MRC) the authority to send a letter expressing an interest in becoming an applicant to an Aquatic Reserve to becoming the lead agency, and the sole decision making entity, that will get this county into a ninety year commitment”.

Peterson said he did not know how that happened, and wanted them to explain “how they arrived at that conclusion.”

Council Chair Howard Rosenfeld said he had attended the meeting in Friday Harbor , and “it was a very ugly meeting”. Rosenfeld said he had talked to MRC Chairman Kit Rawson, and to a DNR representative, and then followed up with an email to MRC Coordinator Mary Knackstedt.

In his email Rosenfeld informed Knackstedt that the “Council has to have the final say on the proposal (due 4-30-08), and the final Management Plan. Then they need to explain this give us more say over DNR areas, BUT DOES NOT GIVE DNR MORE SAY OVER COUNTY AREAS!!!!!! This must be clear“. Rosenfeld told the Council that “If it isn’t like this, it isn’t happening; as far as I’m concerned.”

Rosenfeld said he had not received a response, and urged the others to also send in their comments, and “let’s see what their response is.” Councilman Alan Lichter expressed his concern that it has been said “this Council has already approved the program; which is not true; all we did was okay a letter going forward”

Councilman Kevin Ranker had not attended any of the meetings, but said he had been told by the MRC that there were comments about fishing, but Ranker said “there is ZERO ability for DNR Aquatic Reserves to have any oversight over fishing, so all the hype about fishing is off base”.

What Ranker did not say was that the public was told at the meetings that other agencies, such as Fish & Wildlife would be part of the Reserve management, as would the MRC, which is heavily involved with fish and fishing, and the Chair of the MRC, Kit Rawson, works for the Indian tribes as a fishery expert. The MRC has stated they “will work with DNR to create a management plan for the Aquatic Reserve.”

Ranker attempted to end the discussion until the MRC could come to the Council, but Councilman Gene Knapp forcefully told Ranker “Well you just had a discussion, Kevin; and I think the rest of can have an opportunity to make our comments also.”

Council Bob Myhr said over 100 people attended the meeting on Lopez, but “there was a lack of understanding about what this is all about, and what the implications are; and the meeting was not well organized.”

Myhr said he had also sent an email to Knackstedt pointing out that the MRC was not a lead agency.” But at the meetings the MRC said they were the lead agency. Peterson said they are only an advisory committee to the Council.

According to a number of sources, at least some members of the Council were contacted by MRC Chair Rawson who offered his resignation as Chair of the MRC, but according to the sources, it was decided to not accept his offer.

CD&P (Community Development & Planning) Director Ron Henrickson is also a member of the MRC, and he told the Council that he had put in a call to Rawson, but was unsuccessful in reaching him, but the MRC would be taking up the subject at their next meeting,

The Council was not pleased with this news. Knapp said I’m “amazed we haven’t been informed by now of what’s going on, and we need to know what the plans are for the future so we can correct them if we don’t agree with them”.

The Council will discuss the matter again on April 15th at their regularly scheduled meeting. The deadline for public comment on the Reserve proposal is April 20th, and the deadline for the submission to DNR is April 30th.body