Ocean Protection Council Meeting – February 29, 2024 – Teleconference and Public Forum
OPC Meeting Agenda
Thursday, February 29, 2024
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hybrid Meeting
California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters Auditorium
715 P Street, Sacramento, California 95814
Please register to join the meeting via Zoom or by phone
OPC is committed to ensuring our public meetings are accessible and members of the public can participate by providing written and oral comment on Council matters. For public participation in OPC virtual meetings, view the instructions and see below.
This is a hybrid meeting. Councilmembers Megan Rocha, Senator Ben Allen, and Assemblymember Dawn Addis are scheduled to participate remotely.
Revised February 28, 2024
Agenda
Print Agenda (PDF)
Webcast Recording (YouTube)
Summary
1. Welcome, Introductions, and Council Member Updates
Katy Landau, Acting Chair (California Environmental Protection Agency)
2. Update from the Executive Director
Jenn Eckerle, Executive Director
3. Update from the Science Advisor
Liz Whiteman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Ocean Science Trust
4. Informational Item: 2023 Annual State Coast and Ocean Report
Justine Kimball, Ph.D., Senior Climate Change Program Manager
- Exhibit A: 2023 Annual State of the Coast and Ocean Report
- Exhibit B: Establishing Science-Based Indicators for California’s Oceans and Coasts
Advancing Strategic Plan Goal 1: Safeguard Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Communities in the Face of Climate Change
5. Informational and Action Item: Consideration and Approval to Augment Funds to Advance Modeling of Ocean Acidification Drivers and Impacts on the Central Coast
(Strategic Plan Objective 1.2: Minimize Causes and Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia)
Martha Sutula, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Christine Sur, Water Quality Program Manager
Advancing Strategic Plan Goal 3: Enhance Coastal and Marine Biodiversity
6. Action Item: Consideration and Approval to Disburse Funds for an Intertidal Biodiversity DNA Barcode Library
(Strategic Plan Objective 3.1: Protect and Restore Coastal and Marine Ecosystems)
Pike Spector, Biodiversity Program Manager
7. Action Item: Consideration and Approval to Disburse Funds to Reduce the Risk of Whale and Sea Turtle Entanglement in Fishing Gear (Revised Feb. 28, 2024)
(Strategic Plan Objective 3.3: Support Sustainable Marine Fisheries and Thriving Fish and Wildlife Populations)
Katie Cieri, Biodiversity Sea Grant Fellow
8. Consent Item: Consideration and Approval to Disburse Funds for the 2024-2026 California Sea Grant Fellowship Program (Added Feb. 23, 2024)
Kaitlyn Kalua, Deputy Director
9. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
10. Arrangements for Next Meeting and Adjournment
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
CNRA Auditorium and Zoom participation available.
Notes:
Agenda items may be re-ordered at the discretion of the Council Chair.
Providing Public Comment:
Written Comments: Written comments should be sent to COPCpublic@resources.ca.gov by 12:00 p.m. on February 28, 2024. If you are writing about an item on the Council’s agenda, please include the item number in the email subject line. If you are writing with a general comment, please include a brief title for your comment.
Oral Comments: For each item on the agenda and at the end of the public meeting on non-agenda items, the OPC Chair will ask whether there are any requests for public comment. If you are participating via Zoom and want to provide oral comments on a specific agenda item, you will need to “Raise your hand” during the Zoom meeting. *If calling into the meeting from a telephone, you can use “Pound (#) 2” to raise/ lower your hand.
Once your hand is raised and it is your turn to speak, the meeting facilitator will unmute you, announce your name, and you will be able to make your public comment to the Council. *Depending on how you have called in, you may also need to unmute yourself.
A speaker’s time allotment for a specific agenda item is at the discretion of the Chair but generally limited to two minutes. It is strongly recommended, though not required, that public comments be submitted in writing beforehand so they can be distributed to all Council members for review prior to the meeting. After your public comment, your hand will be lowered and you will be placed back on mute.
Questions about the meeting or agenda can be directed to Kaitlyn Kalua at Kaitlyn.Kalua@resources.ca.gov.
Any person who has a disability and requires accommodation to participate in this council meeting should contact Ms. Kalua no later than five days prior to the meeting.