GREATER YELLOWSTONE COORDINATING COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative Steering Committee Meeting September 25, 2012 GREATER YELLOWSTONE COORDINATING COMMITTEE Virginia Kelly GYCC Coordinator Greater Yellowstone Area

2 TOPICS GYCC Overview Mission, History, Structure, Function GNLCC and GYCC Interaction Rocky Mountain Partner Forum GYCC Climate Change Subcommittee Discussion/Q&A

3 Great Northern LCC Greater Yellowstone Area

4 Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee Mission: Facilitate cooperative management of the ecosystem Park Superintendents Grand Teton National Park & John D Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway Mary Scott Yellowstone National Park Dan Wenk, Chair Refuge Managers National Elk Refuge Steve Kallin Red Rock Lakes Refuge Bill West Greater Yellowstone Area Forest Supervisors Beaverhead-Deerlodge N. F. Dave Myers Bridger-Teton N.F. Jacque Buchanan Caribou- Targhee N. F. Brent Larson Custer and Gallatin N.F.s Mary Erickson Shoshone National Forest- Joe Alexander Bureau of Land Management Idaho and Wyoming - Cody Field Office Manager Mike Stewart Montana Western Montana District Manager Rich Hotaling

5 GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA: FOREFRONT OF CONSERVATION The birthplace for both the national parks and the national forests Largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states Ø First National Park Yellowstone NP Ø First National Forest Yellowstone Park Timber Land Reserve (now Shoshone National Forest) Ø National Elk Refuge One of the first Refuges Ø BLM formed from U.S. Grazing Service and General Land Office; GLO established in First BLM Wilderness in GYA.

6 HISTORY OF GYCC: 4 DISTINCT ERAS The Early Years; NPS & USFS The Vision Era 1988 Fires to present The Low Profile Decade Era of Active Coordination; USFWS (2000)and BLM (2012) Join

7 April 17, 2012 Signing GYCC MOU Welcoming BLM to the GYCC Tom Olliff (NPS), Jamie Connell (MT State BLM Director), Don Simpson (WY State BLM Director), Steve Ellis (ID State BLM Director), Victoria Christiansen (USFS Northern Regional Forester, acting)

8 GYA LAND OWNERSHIP Acreage by Ownership Manager Acres Percent Bureau of Land Management 1,591, % Forest Service 10,827, % National Park Service 2,499, % US Fish and Wildlife Service 105, % Subtotal 15,025, % Other Public: BOR, NRCS, State, City 1,061, % Wind River Indian Reservation 414, % Private/NGO/Unknown 6,159, % Total 22,660, %

9 GYCC STRUCTURE GYCC Managers Set the Big Picture - Set Priorities for GYA level coordination - Retain individual authority for their units GYCC Manager Commitments - Two meetings per year - Monthly conference calls - GYCC Chair for 2 years on a rotating basis - Allocate resources: Staff and funds The work gets done by: - GYCC Subcommittees - GYCC Agency Staff - GYCC Projects - GYCC Coordinator

10 GYCC DECISIONS Decide GYA level priorities for coordination Assign Resources (e.g. staff/funds) Select GYCC Projects Approve Press Releases Approve Staff Developed Strategies (implemented though each agency s authorities) WHAT THE GYCC IS NOT Not a regional management board (eg METRO) Does not comment on NEPA proposals Climate Action Plan Signature Page

11 PRIORITIES Ecosystem Health in the Context of Climate Change - Air Quality - Invasive Species/Disease - Species on the Brink: Wildlife, Fish, Whitebark Pine - Healthy Water Quality and Flow - Climate Change Adaptation Sustainable Operations Connect People to the Land Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, MT Protect Greater Yellowstone Landscape Integrity

12 GYCC BUDGET USDI $150,000 NPS/YNP GYCC Coordinator, Support, Projects $15,000 Grand Teton NP $5,000 National Elk Refuge $2,000 Red Rock Lakes NWR $15,000 BLM 2013: $412,000 about $265,000 for GYCC Projects USDA $50,000 Bridger-Teton NF $50,000 Caribou-Targhee NF $50,000 Shoshone NF $50,000 Custer and Gallatin NFs $25,000 Beaverhead-Deerlodge Note: Funds come primarily from annual operating budgets Gallatin NF

13 GYCC SUBCOMMITTEES GYCC STAFF, OTHER AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS Climate Change Adaptation 2010 Fisheries 2009 Connect People to the Land 2010 Suspended Fire Management 1989 Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee Park Superintendents Forest Supervisors Refuge Managers BLM Managers Hydrology 1990 Terrestrial Invasive Species 1993 Air Quality 1997 Aquatic Invasive Species 2006 Sustainable Operations 2005 Recreation Visitor Use Ad hoc Whitebark Pine 2000

14 GYCC SUBCOMMITTEES GYCC STAFF, OTHER AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS GYCC Staff, Regional Staff LCC Staff (Tom Olliff) Climate Change Adaptation 2010 Fisheries 2009 Aquatic Invasive Species 2006 Connect People to the Land 2010 Suspended Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee Park Superintendents Forest Supervisors Refuge Managers BLM Managers Sustainable Operations 2005 Fire Management 1989 Recreation Visitor Use Ad hoc Hydrology 1990 Terrestrial Invasive Species 1993 Whitebark Pine 2000 Air Quality 1997 GYCC Staff, County Weed and Pest Depts., etc. GYCC Staff, Regional Staff State DEQ USGS

15 OTHER GYA REGIONAL COORDINATING GROUPS (NON-GYCC): Yellowstone Grizzly Bear (YES) Trumpeter Swan Northern Range Wildlife Other wildlife groups Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Other native fish working groups

16 GNLCC AND GYCC INTERACTION Rocky Mountain Partner Forum GYCC Coordinator will participate Provides larger regional context for GYA Networking with other partnerships Climate Change Adaptation GNLCC Staff Tom Olliff participates on GYCC subcommittee Partnered on two Literature Synthesis

17 GYCC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 1. Manager intent; allocate resources 1. Agency Staff 2. Partners 3. Project Funds

18 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS Accomplished by SOS Subcommittee; Partners; GYCC $$ Support Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory (2009) Emission Reduction Plan 3 agencies, first in nation (2010) Water Use Reduction Partnership with Koehler Co. Plastic Baler 2½ million gallons saved per year 3.5 tons recycled since 2009 Bear Spray Canister Recycling Pioneered in the GYA Propane Canister Recycling 70,000 canisters recycled through 2010

19 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INVASIVE SPECIES Accomplished by AIS and Weed Subcommittees; GYCC $$ Support GYA Aquatic Invasives Strategy, Prevention, Stream Surveys GYA Terrestrial Weed Database/Map Hold the Line Flea Beetle drops for Leafy Spurge control Sand and Gravel Pit Inspections for Weeds

20 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SPECIES ON THE BRINK WHITEBARK PINE Accomplished by WB Pine Subcommittee; Partners; GYCC $$ Support Whitebark Pine Restoration/ Protection Strategy (2011) Whitebark Pine Conservation Actions - Cone Collection - GYA Seed Orchard - Insecticides / Pheromones - Planting

21 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS SPECIES ON THE BRINK FISH AND WILDLIFE Accomplished by Agency Wildlife Staff, Fish Subcommittee; Partners; GYCC $$ Support Wildlife Surveys Fish Surveys Distribution of Native Fish

22 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AIR QUALITY, CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS Air Quality Analysis 30 years of Bridger-Teton NF data (Air Quality Subcommittee; GYCC $$ Support) GYA Climate Explorer Partners: GYCC USFS, CIG (GYCC $$ Support) Climate Change Literature Synthesis in conjunction with NPS and Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GYCC $$ Support)

23 RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS CONNECT PEOPLE TO LAND, LANDSCAPE INTEGRITY Fire Ecology Education: (Agency Staff; Partners; GYCC $$ Support) GYA Landscape Integrity (Agency Staff, Partners; GYCC $$ Support, Coordinator) Reeb Estate Acquisition Gallatin and Custer NFs

24 ISSUE: CAPACITY Issues $$ Capacity: GYCC Project Funding People Capacity: GYCC unit staff time, on subcommittees and projects

25 TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES IN ONE OF AMERICA S MOST TREASURED ECOSYSTEMS Questions? Discussion?

26

27 GYCC PROJECTS $250,000 TO ADVANCE PRIORITIES Criteria Fits GYCC Priori,es Measured by subcommi>ees Geographic Scale Measured by number of units up to whole GYA Leveraging/Partnerships Measured by financial value of partner contribugon Proposal Review Only GYCC agencies may apply Partners may work with staff Subcommi>ee Review & Ranking Exec Coordinator Review and RecommendaGon GYCC Managers Decision Mesa Falls, Caribou-Targhee NF

28 CONTINUED GOOD WORK Fire Team Continued Coordination of fire resources and management of large fires. Coordinated GYA Projects GYA Volunteer Day 2011 FS GYA Special Orders update

29 GYCC MANAGERS GUIDING PRINCIPALS As members of the GYCC: We believe the Greater Yellowstone Area is a special and complex place deserving our best leadership effort. We recognize GYCC agencies have a variety of missions, all valid and equally important. As a Committee, we strive to find intersection. We believe that positive, well-maintained working relationships are critical to the overall success of GYCC. We demonstrate, through our actions, the value and importance of working collaboratively across agency lines. We coordinate strategically to address emerging issues and to share and leverage scarce resources.

30 GYCC MANAGERS: WORKING AGREEMENTS We attend regularly scheduled meetings. We attend personally. We come prepared for meetings; are active and present in discussions. We contribute to an honest and open discussion environment. We strive to reach consensus. Where full agreement is not possible, we all live with the decision or group agreement. We actively communicate and network with each other to build and tend our professional relationships. We recognize that others expect guidance, direction, and strategic thinking from us leadership and we actively respond to those expectations.

31 GYCC PROJECT FUNDING SUMMARY: Air Quality. $25,000. 1% Vegetation Management. $26,500. 1% : GYCC Funds by Category Total Funds $1,934,500 Climate Change. $35,100. 2% Connect People to Land. $24,000. 1% GYCC Support. $17,100. 1% Watershed Management. $31,500. 2% Landscape Integrity. $48,000. 3% Data Management. $41,000. 2% Sustainable Operations $132,500 7% Whitebark Pine $235,300 12% Invasives $497,000 26% Terrestrial: $268,500 or 14% Aquatic: $228,500 or 12% Recreation Management $168,000 9% Wildlife $337,500 17% Native Fish $315,500 16%

32