October 10, 2000

Memorandum

To: California Desert Managers Group

California Desert Managers Group Interagency Working Group Team Leaders

From: Executive Coordinator, California Desert Managers Group

DOD Coordinator, California Desert Managers Group

Subject: September 27 - 28, 2000 California Desert Managers Group
Meeting Summary

Attached are the draft action items and assignments for the California
Desert Managers Group meeting conducted September 27-28, 2000. Please
review these items and contact either John Hamill (760-255-8888) or
Clarence Everly (760-255-8896) by October 27, 2000, if you have any
changes.

In the meantime, please follow through on any assignments or action
items for which you are responsible.

Attachment

# 

# Desert Mangers Group Meeting

**September 27 - 28, 2000**

**San Diego, California**

# Action Items and Assignments

1.  The Memorandum of Understanding to formally establish the DMG and
    adopt the DMG Charter was signed by David Hayes (Deputy Secretary of
    the Interior), Mary Nichols (Secretary, California Resources
    Agency), and Sheri Goodman (Deputy Under Secretary of Defense,
    Environmental Security).

2.  DOD requested to add Naval Air Field, El Centro as a member of the
    DMG. The initial reaction was generally positive. However, the
    Managers requested that the NAF, El Centro come to the next DMG
    meeting, discuss their desire to attend, and then formalize their
    request to participate in the DMG.

3.  During review of the current status of DMG Work Group Chairs, Vice
    Chairs, and Manager representatives the following actions were
    taken:

    a.  BLM Ridgecrest will find someone to serve as Chair of the
        Restoration Work Group

    b.  Anza Barrego State Park will provide the Vice Chair for the
        Restoration Work Group

    c.  Managers agreed to task the DIRT Work Group with developing a
        list of candidates for the Vice Chair of their group.

    d.  Confirmed Tim Read as a Manager Representative to the DIRT Work
        Group

    e.  Confirmed Mary Risser as Chair of the Overflight Working Group
        (the military installations are looking for someone to fill the
        Vice Chair position).

    f.  Confirmed Dave Van Cleve as a Manager Representative to the
        Science Work Group.

4.  Following a presentation on the Science Work Group's Desert Water
    Project, the Managers requested that invertebrates be added to those
    items that would be surveyed for in the project's work plan. With
    this change, the Managers approved the work plan and established an
    ad hoc group to examine funding/implementation options for the
    project. The Group consists of Mary Martin, Molly Brady, Greg Lines,
    Becky Jones, Dave Van Cleve, John Hamill, and Clarence Everly.

5.  The Managers agreed to establish several teams to develop a Desert
    Tortoise line-distance monitoring implementation plan for each
    recovery unit in California. The plans and funding options will be
    presented to the Managers for approval at the December DMG meeting.
    Major milestones for the DT monitoring effort include:

-   Choose team members for Recovery Units (early October 2000).

-   Teams complete draft Recovery Unit implementation plans (November
    22, 2000).

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-   Choose strata to be sampled and prepare plan outlines.

-   Prepare a list of equipment on hand and equipment required.

-   Determine the number of transects needed per recovery unit.

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-   Prepare a draft budget and identify the source of funding or
    potential funding (11/22/00).

-   MOG/TAC meeting (November 2000).

-   DMG approval of the draft Recovery Unit implementation plans and
    funding commitment (12/05/00).

-   Line distance sampling workshop (January 9-11, 2001).

-   Determine the number of personnel required. (mid-January 2001 after
    workshop).

-   MOG meeting to solidify plans for sampling in spring 2001 (3/01).

-   Initiate training and field sampling in at least 2 or more Recovery
    Units (3-5/01).

Identified team members are attached. The managers agreed to contact
Phil Medica to identify/confirm team representatives by early October.
DOD installations agreed to provide a central point of contact to Phil
Medica. (Mickey Quillman was selected as the POC for the West Mojave
Planning area. A POC is still required for the Chocolate Mountains
Gunnery Range area).

6.  The Managers supported using the BLM West Mojave Coordinated
    Management Plan (WMCMP) as a pilot for determining the utility of
    the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)
    Alternative Futures Project. Ed LaRue from the WMCMP, Jeff Foisy
    from MDEP, and a representative from Edwards AFB will go to Utah
    State University to input WMCMP data and evaluate products produced
    by the Alternative Futures model. A report/recommendations on the
    pilot will be provided at the next DMG meeting.

7.  The Managers agreed to implement the illegal dump database,
    establish a point of contact for each office and issue a memo
    instructing their staff to enter data on illegal dumps in their area
    by May 2001. The Hazmat Work Group was requested to draft a memo to
    all DMG Managers asking them to assign a POC to collect dump site
    data within their agency/office and enter their collected data into
    the Hazmat dump site database.

8.  The next DMG meeting will be held on December 5-6, 2000 either at
    Twenty Nine Palms or Palm Springs. The Managers accepted the Science
    Work Group's proposal for hosting one day of the meeting. The focus
    of this portion of the DMG meeting will be on the DMG's proposed
    integrated ecological monitoring program and will include a field
    trip/discussion of existing BLM/NPS monitoring programs. The Science
    Team will determine the meeting location that best accommodates a
    field trip.

9.  All Work Groups were tasked to develop a list of FY 2000
    accomplishments for their group and update/recommend changes to the
    5-year plan. Each Work Group will include a discussion of these two
    items in their presentation to the Managers at the December DMG
    meeting. Other topics that will be discussed at the next meeting
    include:

    a.  Results/recommendations of alternative future pilot study

    b.  Approve Desert Tortoise Monitoring Implementation Plans

    c.  Identify funding to implement the DMG water Study

    d.  Approve FY 01 Burro Management Plan

10. The Managers agreed to focus the June 2001 DMG meeting on the
    results of the Millenium Conference in order to capitalize on
    interest and momentum generated from the conference for cultural
    resource issues.

11. Joe Zarki agreed to draft a letter to the Managers and Work Groups
    for DOI/DOD Coordinator signature that requests each DMG Work Group
    and DMG participating agency to submit articles for the Cal Desert
    Website Emagazine.

12. The DIRT work Group was tasked to develop recommendations for use of
    the DMG logo by the next meeting.

13. The Managers agreed to review (and have their staffs review) the
    data standards developed by the Data Management Team and come to the
    December DMG meeting prepared to accept these standards or discuss
    any issues they have with the articulated standards. The DOD/DOI
    coordinator will draft an agreement that will be signed by the
    managers to formally adopt these data standards.

14. John Hamill agreed to formally send the FY 01 Burro Management Plan
    to the Mangers for review and comment. BLM will review the proposed
    FY 01 plan at the December DMG meeting for concurrence.

Attachment 1. Members of the Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling
Implementation Teams

**[Western Mojave Recovery Unit]{.underline}**

-   Mickey Quillman, Department of Defense

-   Ed LaRue, Bureau of Land Management

-   Hassan Basagic, Joshua Tree National Park

-   TBN, California State Parks

**[Eastern Mojave Recovery Unit]{.underline}**

-   Kitty Jensen, Mojave National Preserve

-   Tom Egan, Willow Yomeko, Sid Slone Bureau of Land Management (CA and
    NV)

-   National Park Service (Death Valley and Lake Mead)

-   Phil Medica, Fish & Wildlife Service

-   Ron Marlow, University of Nevada, Reno

**[Eastern Colorado Recovery Unit]{.underline}**

-   TBN, BLM

-   TBN, DOD

-   Hassan Basagic, Joshua Tree National Park

**[Northern Colorado Recovery Unit]{.underline}**

-   TBN, BLM

-   TBN, DOD

TBN=To Be Named