**Recovery Implementation Science Team Meeting**

**March 13^th^, 2008**

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

**10 am -- 3pm**

**10/14/2008 -- draft meeting notes are in *italics***

Introductions **(10:00, 15 minutes)**

*Attendance*

*RIST members:*

*Mike Ford, Tom Cooney, Gene Helfman, Paul McElhany, Mary Ruckelshaus,
Jeff Hard, Shallin Bush, Michelle McClure, Jay Hesse, Bruce Rieman, Rich
Carmichael, Gordy Reeves, Pete Lawson, Craig Busack, Ken Currens, Brad
Thompson. Garner Brown unable to attend.*

*Other participants: Scott Ramsey, Elizabeth Babcock, Mark Plummer,
Norma Sands, Rob Walton, Patty Dornbusch, Justin Mann*

Purpose of RIST (Mike Ford, Rob Walton) **(10:15, 30 minutes)**

> \- RIST tasks and how they will be determined (Mike, 10 min)
>
> \- Relationship to other teams (Mike, 5 min)

\- NMFS Regional Office expectations of the RIST (Rob, 10 min)

*1999 early 2000's -- Technical Recovery Teams for salmon recovery were
created*

> *Purpose*
>
> *Identify population structure within ESUs*
>
> *Develop Biological viability criteria*
>
> *Review recovery plans*
>
> *The TRT have completed their primary tasks and have gradually phased
> out*
>
> *RIST*
>
> *Science team for recovery implementation*
>
> *Should act like a broader TRT for the Pacific NW*
>
> *Has a review function*
>
> *Also has an analytical / creative function*
>
> *Possibility of forming subcommittees*
>
> *RITT --shares some members with RIST; RIST plays oversight role*
>
> *Puget Sound steelhead TRT; Jeff Hard is the chair; RIST will play an
> oversight role*
>
> *Reports will be consensus reports*
>
> *In addition to review function, group will produce substantial
> products*
>
> *There may be specific ESU questions; may need to form standing
> sub-groups from within the RIST team to deal with specific areas*
>
> *Who can ask the RIST questions?*
>
> *The goals is to have no barriers for questions -- anyone can ask*
>
> *Any group can bring a question to RIST*

*RIST must prioritize the questions -- to do this the RIST will:*

> *Consult with itself*
>
> *Consult with NOAA NW Regional office*
>
> *Consult with the NWFSC*

*Who are the people who will ask questions?*

> *NWMFS Regional office*
>
> *RIST itself*
>
> *Recovery planning boards*

*Every person on RIST is acting as an independent scientist as opposed
to acting as an advocate for a specific agency*

*Regional Office Expectations -- Rob Walton*

> *There is a separation between regional offices and science center and
> science teams*
>
> *The regional office will use RIST's work to inform its decisions, but
> is not obligated to follow its recommendations*
>
> *Recovery plans are a non-enforceable blueprint for recovery*
>
> *ESA regulations \-- Minimizing harm \-- is not enough to bring about
> recovery*
>
> *Two roles for the Science Center*
>
> *Supporting the regional office with technical products/advice*
>
> *Research*
>
> *The products that RIST creates may be adopted far & wide*
>
> *Show the bureaucracy how to use the tools and products the RIST
> creates*
>
> *e.g., Proportion of Natural Influence*
>
> *Prioritize the most important issues*
>
> *There are likely to be large socio-economic effects*
>
> *Timeliness -- focus on timeliness is important; information is less
> useful with it comes too late to make a difference*
>
> *Many opportunities for cross collaboration*
>
> *e.g., other NOAA line offices such as OAR*
>
> *National Weather Service*

Background and status of salmon recovery planning (Rob Walton and
Elizabeth Gaar) **(10:45, 30 minutes)**

> \- NMFS approach to developing plans
>
> \- Status of various plans
>
> \- What plans contain
>
> \- Overview of what is involved in implementation
>
> \- Delisting framework
>
> \- Regional Office RM&E Position (Scott Rumsey)
>
> \- Monitoring progress toward recovery

*See presentation*

Summary of Viability Criteria concepts (Tom Cooney) **(11:15, 20
minutes)**

-   ESUs, DPSs, Populations and MPGs

-   Abundance, productivity, spatial structure and diversity

-   Integrating to population and ESU levels

*See presentation*

Brief updates on ongoing projects **(11:35, 40 minutes)**

> \- Viability comparison (McElhany)
>
> \- SPS/data stream issues (McElhany, Jordan)
>
> \- Threats assessment for status reviews (McElhany)
>
> \- PSSTRT (Hard)
>
> \- RITT (Sands/Ruckelshaus)

*See presentation*

Lunch **(12:15 -- 1:15)**

Discuss potential assignment topics/create subgroups **(1:15, 80
minutes)**

Note: these are examples; others may be brought up at the meeting.

*Note: list below is a mixture of what was on the original agenda and
thing added during the discussion.*

> **Big picture issues**\
> - Incorporating climate change in recovery planning\
> - Metrics and methods to evaluate trends in habitat condition
>
> ***-** Metrics for threats more generally*\
> - Incorporating socio-economic analysis into recovery implementation
> (including human population growth)
>
> \- Guidelines for source populations for reintroductions; introducing
> populations to an ESU.\
> - Common, abbreviated set of viability metrics for annual/semi-annual
> status review updates
>
> *- Guiding principles for recovery actions (e.g., prioritization,
> sequencing actions)*
>
> *- Methods of cumulative effects analysis (all H)*
>
> *- Guidelines for adaptive management*
>
> *- Role of hatcheries in recovery*
>
> *- Harvest and recovery*
>
> *- Resident anadromy (life history in general)*
>
> *- Anthropogenic evolutionary change -- good or bad?*
>
> *- Interactions with other protected species (e.g,. marine mammals)*
>
> *- How to prioritize actions when you have multiple listed species*
>
> *- Multiple mandates for landscape management*
>
> *- How to assess recovery actions on a population scale*
>
> \- Abbreviated metrics for annual or bi-annual status review updates
> (how to keep status evaluations current)
>
> *- How to scientifically evaluate effectiveness of regulatory actions*
>
> *- Which populations to prioritize for monitoring*
>
> *- Cost/benefit analysis of recovery actions (return on investment)*
>
> *- Guidance for effectiveness monitoring*
>
> *- Guidance for communicating risk and uncertainty*
>
> *- Marine food web dynamics -- role in population recovery (e.g.,
> effects of acidification)\
> *\
> **Reviews of technical products**\
> - Review approach for NWC harvest analysis (e.g., the recent tule
> report)\
> - Review of the supplementation/ad hoc workgroup report
>
> \- Review of Hood River Steelhead Pedigree Analysis\
> - Review of M&E plans
>
> *- Review of viability criteria*
>
> *- Review PPA (and more general)\
> *\
> **Reviews of recovery actions**\
> - Review proposals for Lower Columbia River hatchery reform
>
> \- Review of recovery plans
>
> ***NMFS regional office priorities***
>
> *- Lower Columbia River all H analysis*
>
> *- Steelhead hatchery supplementation -- risks and benefits*
>
> *- Chinook RME plan (Puget Sound) and RME in general*
>
> *Discussion*
>
> *Timing is everything*
>
> *RIST should try to avoid repetition/overlap with other scientific
> groups and within the work that individual RIST members are doing*
>
> *RIST should avoid "fire drill" crises*
>
> *RIST should help the bureaucracy to ask the right questions*
>
> *RIST should always try to keep both policy and the non-scientific
> audience in mind, especially when reviewing controversial or sensitive
> issues*
>
> *Initial Priorities*
>
> *RME (M&E)*
>
> *Metrics (threats and abr. VSP)*
>
> *Prioritization degree of monitoring across populations*
>
> *Develop implementation strategies for M&E guidance*
>
> *Review of RME plans and metrics*
>
> *Metrics consolidated viability criteria / annual*
>
> *M&E review / guidance -- ecological interactions*
>
> *All-H integration -- explore this*
>
> *Climate change -- review and advise ongoing Moore Foundation funded
> climate research related to salmon recovery*
>
> *There's a need for short term guidance for recovery planners that is
> more geographically specific than the recent ISAB climate report*
>
> *How can human actions impact watersheds?*
>
> *How does this affect non-adult life-stages?*

Overview of how the OCS system works **(2:35, 10 minutes)**

*Brief overview -- Mike will re-email out instructions*

Schedule meetings for rest of year **(2:45, 15 minutes)**

*Did not happen -- will be done via doodle.*

Adjourn **(3:00)**

***Action items***

*We will discuss three potential topics in greater depth at the next
meeting. Leads assigned to each topic will compile the most relevant
documents and put on OCS site, and prepare presentations for next
meeting.*

*1) How to incorporate information about climate change into salmon
recovery*

> *Review and advise Moore Foundation climate projects (leads: Mary
> Ruckelshaus, Jeff Hard)*
>
> *Short term, geographically specific guidance for recovery planners
> (leads: Pete Lawson, Rich Carmichael)*

*2) Topics related to monitoring and evaluation and how this will inform
future status reviews and delisting decisions. Potential tasks include
review of M&E plans associated with recovery plans, development of VSP
and threats metrics to track ESU status on a regular basis, development
of implementation strategies for M&E guidance (e.g., how to prioritize
monitoring across populations). (Leads: Chris Jordan, Ken Currens)*

*3) "All H" integration issues. Potentials tasks include review of
examples of all H analysis, such as the HSRG recommendations for Lower
Columbia River Chinook salmon. (Leads: Mike Ford, Ken Currens, Craig
Busack)*