**Recovery Implementation Science Team Meeting**

**April 28^th^, 2008**

**Regional Administrator's conference room, Building 1, NOAA Sand Point
campus, Seattle, WA (directions and map below)**

**10 am -- 3:30pm**

*RIST members present:*

*Mike Ford, Tom Cooney, Gene Helfman, Paul McElhany, Mary Ruckelshaus,
Jeff Hard, Michelle McClure, Jay Hesse, Bruce Rieman, Gordon Reeves,
Craig Busack, Ken Currens, Brad Thompson, Gardner Brown. Rich Carmichael
participated via conference line.*

*Other participants: Scott Rumsey, Patty Dornbusch, Chris Jordan, Mark
Plummer, Justin Mann.*

**10 --** Review agenda, revise if necessary; possible summary from NMFS
RO staff of any specific new requests or other updates

**10:15 \--** Review and confirm meeting schedule; identify
opportunities for some 2 day meetings

**10:30 --** Topic 1: Monitoring and evaluation (Chris Jordan, Ken
Currens, Paul McElhany)

Chris, Ken and Paul will present information on NMFS's adaptive
management/delisting framework and the broad scale monitoring needs it
entails, along with some specific examples of monitoring plans from the
Upper Columbia and Puget Sound. Discussion of specific RIST tasks(s) to
follow.

Background reading is available on the OCS site: documents/monitoring
and evaluation

*Discussion:*

*-Importance of monitoring overall watershed condition as well as its
components*

*-Assessment of status depends on scale -- different indicators for
watershed than for reach scale, for example. Analogy to human or animal
health -- different indicators for health of an individual versus health
of a population.*

*- Potential for use of economic tools to develop monitoring
priorities.*

-   *What is a small number (3) of areas that could use expert (you)
    input to develop tools/guidelines now (6 -- 12 mo.)?*

    -   *Potential review of Recovery Monitoring and Evaluation Plans*

        -   *Upper Columbia*

        -   *Puget Sound*

*- Mike will confer with NMFS NWR to determine if such a review is worth
the effort. Particular concerns are whether these plans are too far
developed to accept much input, or if there is an appropriate audience
for such a review. If a review is to occur, information is also needed
on the purpose and depth of the review as well as its intended
audience.*

-   *Prioritization Process*

    -   *W/in ESU by population, by factor...*

        -   *Value of Information approach*

*Observation was made that NMFS guidelines sometimes produce plans that
are comprehensive but impractical due to high costs and lack of
prioritization.*

*Plans also need to recognize that monitoring is more than just ESA*

-   *Listing Factors and Threats Metrics*

    -   *Start w/ general principles*

    -   *Develop workable metrics*

    -   *Test over limited scale*

        -   *Example: Status Review Pilot Project (LCW Recovery Domain
            -- Paul)*

    -   

    -   *Iterate*

*Observation was made that M&E should also evaluate effectiveness of
regulatory mechanisms and that no one is currently doing this*

*Task goup to further scope issues and potential tasks {Jay, Ken, Chris,
Tom, Reeves, Mike, Paul M, Rich} -- report June 26^th^ meeting*

**12:30 --** Lunch

**1:15 --** Topic 2: "H" integration issues (Rich Carmichael, Ken
Currens, Craig Busack)

Rich and Ken will present information, and lead a discussion on what is
meant by "H integration" and what does it mean for salmon recovery
implementation. Discussion of specific RIST task(s) to follow.

Background reading is available on the OCS site: documents/all-H topic

*Potential for RIST input:*

*common definition*

*better explanation of the problem*

*guidelines and tools*

*- Potential task: write a review article for Fisheries on what
H-integration is/how it is used {[Ken]{.underline}, Michelle, Mary,
Gene, Brad, Rich}*

*- Some discussion of planning versus implementation issues*

*- Close connection between H-integration and M&E: In some ways the
assumption that go into H-integration is the hypothesis that an M&E
program is testing*

**2:45 --** Topic 3: Climate change and salmon recovery (Jeff Hard, Mary
Ruckelshaus)

Jeff and Mary will provide a brief overview of the Moore Foundation
salmon climate project. More extensive discussion of potential RIST
tasks related to climate change will be deferred to the next meeting.

Background reading is available on the OCS site: documents/climate

*Ran out of time -- topic is deferred to next meeting.*

**3:15 --** Opportunity for public comment

*No public comments.*

**3:30** -- Adjourn