MINAS BASIN WORKING GROUP MINUTES 2001

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Minas Basin Working Group Meeting Notes
Held on Tuesday, February 20^th , 2001 (10:00 am - 3:30 pm)
Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

5 b) Action item: JP will send WG e-mail addresses to Anne and MB provide Anne with a copy of the earlier proposal to circulate to the committee for review prior to the next meeting. CEC proposal review will be placed on the next meeting agenda or discussion. PH and MB will finalize the revisions suggested during the next meeting and submit an electronic copy of the application to the CEC by March 31, 2001 and mail a hard copy on or before April 6, 2001.

Minas Basin Working Group
Minutes.  March 22, 2001 Meeting 1:30-4:30 pm
Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research, Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Participants: Pat Hinch (Chair), Mike Brylisky, Leif Helmer, Jon Percy, Maxine Westhead, Robin Musselman, Peter Wells, Crawford MacPherson, Tom
Young, Glanville Travis, Mark Wood

Regrets: Larry Hildebrand, Alison Evans, Barry Jones, Graham Daborn, Anne Mercer, Mary DeRoche, Jocelyne Hellou

1. Welcome and Additions to agenda:
Add Cobequid Group activities to agenda

2. Minutes Of Feb. 20th Meeting.
Move to approve Minutes: Wells/Westhead. Carried

3. Progress on Action Items:
All action items have been incorporated into present agenda.

4. Update on Committee Activities:

a) Minas Basin Contract Update: Robin indicated that she had been having some difficulty in acquiring a good watershed map of the Minas Basin region. Phil Hore of COGS prepared a hand-interpolated map of the area. It may be possible to have a digitized version done later at COGS as a student
project. It might also be worth eventually having separate watershed maps for each of the major rivers systems in the region as well.

4a) Action item: As suggested by PW, Robin agreed to prepare a to-do list of things that need doing but that can't be completed as part of the present
contract.

Discussion about format for this and other BoFEP bibliographies: need to decide whether BoFEP is going to continue to use Papyrus (upgraded) or
switch to End-Notes which may be a more versatile product. If staying with Papyrus will need to get latest upgrade. Suggestion that we check with the
Dalhousie Library staff re: whole bibliographies question, and get their views. Need more discussion within BoFEP of whole question of bibliographies
and need for standardization of format.

4a) Action item: PW and PH will decide on a purchase of either Papyrus or EndNotes and an appropriate source of funding for the software.

Robin gave update on status of database of groups and organizations in MB region. She has an extensive list of groups. There are now about 50 contact
forms, in various states of completion.; about a dozen are complete. A lot of the groups haven't yet been contacted to get their input. Discussion
around which database format to use for archiving this information. General feeling was that we should use ACCESS as it is probably the most versatile
program. There was discussion about the structure of the database. Suggestions were made for additional fields and categories to include.

4a) Action item: Mike offered to help Robin in setting up suitable database structure.

As part of her final report Robin will also be providing transcripts of her conversations with various Minas Basin groups. The final report should be
ready by Easter. She would also like to prepare a hard copy file of the information on the blue contact forms for ease of reference. This could
easily be generated once the information is in an ACCESS database. Suggestion that her efforts from now to end of contract should be focused on
completing this database.

b) Minas Basin Fact Sheet: Jon reported that the Minas Basin fact sheet is about three-quarters complete and should be finished within the week. Draft
of text will be circulated to various committee members for review before final formatting. In next fiscal year Jon will be preparing a one page handout (folded brochure) pertaining to each of the active working groups; there will be one for the Minas Basin Group.

c) Committee Purpose Document: Pat explained that this document is an attempt to capture the history of the Minas Basin Working Group as it
evolved from a GOMC related group to a more BoFEP related group. She gave an overview of the document, which also outlines the terms of reference for the group. Question: do we need to include a paragraph that outlines where we are going as a group? Discussion about use of term "watershed" in the
document. Need to make it clear that we are concerned primarily about things going on in the watershed that are likely to impact the marine environment, not necessarily everything going on in the watershed. General consensus was that the document provides a good overview of the group. Jon will include a section of document that outlines objectives of group in the BoFEP website as the group's terms of reference and then include the whole document on the Working Groups page on the site.

d) Cobequid related activities: Crawford McPherson, the planning Director for the County of Colchester gave a brief overview of the activities of his
department that are related to Minas Basin. Noted that sewage treatment plants have been completed for some time now. But there are questions about
whether the results of the construction project have improved the environmental situation in the region; was the project a good thing with positive effects on the environment? Indications are that it has cleaned up the Salmon River, even if effects further afield are more difficult to demonstrate. A group has been formed in the region called the "Central Colchester Watershed Initiative". They held a workshop in December regarding their interest in developing a watershed management plan for the area. They are considering preparing an environmental inventory of all the waterways in the region (140 + kilometres of waterways) and monitoring water quality - both surface water and ground water. They also want to review land use activities. There is a growing awareness of water quality issues by municipal councils in the region and an interest in possible environmental impacts. Mike noted that there will be a meeting at ACER on April 18th to discuss developing an Annapolis Valley water management plan, arising out of the growing concerns about water supply and water quality in the Valley.

5. Application for Funding to CEC: Question as to whether we want to submit revised version of earlier proposal that didn't get funded. If so, we need
someone to organize it and get it ready to submit by next Friday (March 31st). Mike gave a brief overview of how the former proposal met the new CEC
criteria for funding. He noted that it is now only possible to apply for funds for one year at a time to a maximum of $40K a year. Robin has already
been collecting a lot of the relevant organizational or stakeholder information that would be required for the project. The project also needs
to include a phase that involves collection of information about key species and issues and production of a document that could be used to stimulate
discussion and interaction during community workshops. Due to the timing of the BOFEP workshop and 1 year CEC project completion requirement, the
timetable for the Minas Basin CEC project should extend from September 2001 to the end of May 2002.

It was suggested that project work be linked to the BOFEP Science Workshop on the Health of the Bay of Fundy, scheduled in May 2002.

Mike Brylinsky reviewed information needed to complete the CEC proposal. It was agreed that the defined community of stakeholders would be BoFEP and the contact person, Graham Daborn, Chair of BoFEP. Acadia University would be the fiscal agent and the applying organization, ACER. Key personnel for the project are: Mike Brylinsky (ACER), Graham Daborn (BoFEP), Barry Jones (DFO), Randy Milton (NS Department of Natural Resources)NR), Pat Hinch NS Department of Environment and Labour), Crawford MacPherson (Municipality of Colchester, Central Colchester Watershed Initiative) and Peter Wells (Environment Canada). Estimated project costs were as follows:

-BOFEP science workshop (shared with BoFEP) is estimated at $12- 15 K including the cost of proceedings. The Minas Basin component of this larger
science workshop would be approximately $10K.  -Salaries for a coordinator position $18 K -Travel $ 6K

It was suggested that the proposal emphasize in-kind contributions in terms of both dollar value of time (salaries) and information. Randy Milton's
database on wetlands has an associated dollar value. ie. The in-kind value from DNR would be associated with digital data. Bob Rutherford also has
valuable habitat mapping information.

It was agreed that letters of support for the CEC proposal would be addressed to Graham Daborn (Chair, BoFEP) and forwarded to Mike Brylinsky
on or before March 29th from DFO (Faith Scatolon or Bob Rutherford), Environment Canada (Garth Bangay or Richard Elliott), DNR (Barry Sabean),
DEL (Murrin Leim or Lorrie Roberts), Central Colchester Watershed Initiative (Crawford MacPherson), and Glanville Travis (Upper Bay of Fundy Fisherman's Association).

It was thought that the project focus on the development of a community based multistakeholder sustainable management plan, best fits under CEC
Project Category 1 (conservation and sustainable use of "Biodiversity involvement marine protected areas". Category 2 called for projects that
"Enhance community access to information and participation in addressing issues related to children's health and the environment".

Discussion focused on the definition of Marine Protected Area (MPA) which was not provided in the CEC application. It was agreed that the RAMSAR site, Wildlife Preserves and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve could be considered as types of MPA's. The DNR and New Brunswick Shorebird Project funded over three years, works with local communities to encourage community management of sites. This builds into a larger transboundary initiative.

6. Update on related activities:

a) Sustainable Communities Initiative. Discussion on this issue was deferred to a later meeting.

b) Biosphere Reserve Initiative: Tom Young (by speakerphone) provided an update on recent developments. He noted that the project had been underway for about 2 years now. They have taken steps recently to make sure that the public is made aware of what is going on. (e.g. the meeting in Sackville and also an informative brochure has been produced.). There was a strategic question of how best to introduce the concept to the public. Felt that it was best to do it in a very public, open way to avoid any perception that work is within any one segment or other and ensure that nobody would feel left out and. The next step for the Biosphere reserve proposal is to reveal where there is locally based support for the concept and identify possible
municipal, institutional and other partners. The primary focus now is to establish a dialogue with local groups to determine if there is interest in the project.

One problem the group has faced is that they haven't had any working budget for the last few months, so they are moving a head on a voluntary basis at
present. Since December 2000, he has met with several groups to distribute brochures and to discuss the definition of biosphere reserve, options of
applying the concept to the Bay of Fundy, and the process to achieve designation. He has been in contact with various groups in the Sackville-
Dorchester area. Has also met with some groups in the Minas Basin area such as the Central Nova Tourism Association and the Tourism- Kings Committee. The consultation process is far from over. If done in a coordinated way, consultations will continue over the next 4-6 months. Peter W. asked if CWS people had been briefed about the proposal. Tom noted that a number of CWS people had been invited to participate in December from the beginning and did participate in meetings. The CWS advisory group was at the meeting in Sackville. Colin McKinnon and Richard Elliot were there; they are not against it, and may be supportive, but they are waiting to see if any of the CWS properties are going to be considered functional units in the proposed biosphere reserve. There was some concern expressed by CWS representatives. An important next step is to determine what the official stance of CWS is going to be regarding this proposal. Tom (in conjunction with Tourism groups) has written a letter to George Finney expressing an interest in working together to resolve any potential problems. The letter has been sent, but no response has been received as yet. The plans are for the
co-chairs of the tourism groups to meet with George Finney and other CWS representatives to discuss the proposal and its ramifications. Mike B.
wondered if there had been any concerns expressed by the public. These were mostly related to uncertainty about what the implications of the proposal
are and what exactly in involved. There has been no outright opposition to the idea. Woodlot owners have concerns that it might affect their property
rights. They are particularly sensitive about this because of the earlier designation of a protected area adjacent to Fundy National Park. They are
not sure whether they are prepared to support the proposal. The fishermen in the Alma region seemed a bit more supportive of the idea. But basically it
seems that at this point people simply want to find out more about the concept and discuss it further.

c) Other Initiatives/activities/events.

Maxine Westhead announced that a Fundy Forum times discussion will be held on Biosphere Reserves from April 2 - 12, 2001.

7. Other Business. There was no further business.

8. Next Meeting. Unless otherwise notified, the next meeting is scheduled at ACER, Acadia University, Wolfville, April 20th, 2001.

9. Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:15 pm.
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Action Items

4a) Action item: PW and PH will decide on a purchase of either Papyrus or EndNotes and an appropriate source of funding for the software.

4a) Action item: Mike offered to help Robin in setting up suitable database structure.

5. PH agreed to do work on a first draft of the proposal over the weekend and would forward the draft to MB.
MB, MW and PW agreed to meet on March 26, 2001 to prepare the draft final.
If the draft was completed by March 28th, MB would circulate the
draft to committee members for review and comment back to MB on March 29th.
All who agreed to prepare letters of support, were encouraged to submit them to MB on or before March 29th.
The final proposal would be e-mailed to the CEC on March 30th.
A hardcopy with letters of support attached would follow by mail on April 5th for receipt by the CEC on April 7th.

Participants: Crawford McPherson, Mike Brylinsky, Anne Mercer, Maxine Westhead, Robin Musselman, Peter Wells, Barry Jones, Shayne McQuaid, Glanville Travis, Allison Evans, Lorrie Roberts, Tony Bowron, Jon Percy

1. Welcome and Introductions.
2. Minutes of March 22^nd 2001 meeting. Motion: Westhead/Wells. Carried.
3. Additions to agenda. No additions forthcoming.
4. Progress on Action Items from last meeting.

1. re: Minas Basin Bibliography; have decided to use EndNotes for our bibliographies; Robin will purchase a copy as there is money available in budget.
2. Mike and Robin have set up Acces Database for information about Minas Basin Groups.
3. CEC proposal: Proposal completed and submitted on time. It looks fairly good. Final request was for $36 K (including $10K for workshop). Letters of support were received from George Finney, Barry Sabean, and Lorrie Roberts. Mike noted that the NAFEC definition of Marine Protected Areas is very Broad.

5. Update on Committee Activities:

a) Minas Basin contract. Robin gave an overview of her work and circulated a copy of the Table of Contents of her final report. Some discussion about boundary of watershed area - do we include Minas Channel or not? It was suggested that we include the Minas Channel in our area of interest. This will be an agenda item for discussion at next meeting. Tentative boundary map of the watershed has been prepared; this will have to be digitized later. At some point we will have to have a clearly defined boundary for our area of interest. Robin has done a good job of organizing all the material that she has collected in a format that can be readily retrieved. Anne has the "Minas Basin collection" collection of references in her office, including all the maps that were obtained. The database of contact information has data on 110 different groups; a hard copy is also available. Question raised as to method of indicating level of activity of various groups in the region. May be necessary to send out a survey form to ascertain this. Mike noted that one useful feature of the Access database is that it can be used to access Word files containing detailed information on particular topics. This may be a useful in future for certain types of information. It was suggested that Anne burn CD copies of the database file, both as back up and to allow broader distribution. A copy of the database should also be available on Anne's computer. Anne and Robin will prepare a summary budget of how the money was disbursed during the project, not as part of her report but as a separate item.

The Minas Basin Reference Collection has been set up. However, the original Bay of Fundy reference collection was not found. Peter has a duplicate set of these that he has added to over the years. The original Fundy bibliography should be burned on a CD. Robin has a list of maps that were acquired during the project. Robin noted that David Hopper of DNR Minerals and Energy Division had been very helpful in providing maps of various types in ARCVIEW. He also has maps of all the sub-watersheds in the region. We should have some of the larger watershed maps laminated so that they could be displayed. Action: Pat Hinch to send David Hopper a letter of thanks on behalf of the WG for all his help. She should also check with him as to whether he would be comfortable about us sending a letter of acknowledgement of his efforts to his immediate supervisor. Maps of the basin were also obtained from Jennifer Hackett of DFO. Various data layers are available that can be added to the maps as needed. The group was very impressed with the range and quality of the maps that Robin had acquired.

It was pointed out that DFO has two distinct mapping projects: The Coastal Mapping Project is an effort to tie ocean (hydrographic) and land (topographic) maps together in a seamless manner. This data is readily available. The Coastal habit Mapping Project: involves detailed mapping of habitats. Permission is required to access and use this data, done under license. Groups are not allowed to add new data to the base maps and resell them without permission.. The group needs to be aware of the licensing requirements for using some of this habitat mapping data. There may not be a problem as long as DFO is a partner in our projects. Action: Maxine will check with Jennifer Hackett regarding the requirements for using this map data in various BoFEP projects.

Robin quickly reviewed some of the issues that had been identified or raised by groups in the Minas Basin region. She also listed the activities that might have an impact on the Basin. Robin's contract ends today. She provided a list of projects of interest that are taking place in the watershed, largely by governments and academic institutions. She also included a list of personal observations resulting from her work (e.g. widespread interest in ecotourism, interest in water quality issues, lack of connection between terrestrial and marine environments in minds of most people, etc.). She concluded her report with a list of recommendations of additional things that need to be done (e.g. database expansion, creation of more comprehensive bibliography etc.). We also need to develop a clear statement of out goals and objectives as she senses that many people are a bit uneasy about what we are doing, largely because they are not sure about our objectives. We need to explain more clearly to people what we are about. The report and other material won't be generally distributed until the group has had a chance to look at the material and suggest any revisions that may be needed.

We need more intensive outreach effort to make BoFEP better known around the basin. We need to send out an information package about BoFEP to various groups around watershed. Peter indicated a willingness to fund such a mailing. BoFEP should help to link other groups in the region and be a source of information about the Basin region. We have to be careful that we don't duplicate the activities of the various groups already in existence.. One of our roles is to make sure that areas of overlap are minimized. It was emphasized that the Minas Basin WG is not really a project, but a process. There was some discussion about what we should do next with Robin's report. We need to review and revise it before circulating more widely among participants in the project. We need to prepare a comprehensive abstract of the report that could be circulated to contributers - rather than the full report. We also need to send letter to groups offering them full access to all the information that has been gathered during the project. Initially we could send out thank you letter, a copy of the Minas basin fact sheet and an executive summary of the report. Robin, Anne and Jon to prepare a cover letter and an executive summary of report - these will be circulated to WG members for comment. A copy of the BoFEP and Minas Basin WG Mission Statements could also be included in the package. It was decided to defer discussion about what to include in the mail out until the next meeting (e.g. do we include full report or not?). In the meantime, the final report will be burned on a CD so that all members of the WG can have a copy for review.

2. Minas Basin Fact Sheets: Jon reported that all the Fact sheets have been written. The salmon one is already at the printers. He is just waiting for reviewer comments on some of the others before proceeding with final formatting. They should all be at the printer's early next month. The four new fact sheets are:

Issue #17. Fundy's Wild Atlantic Salmon: Doomed or Simply Down?
Issue #18. Whither the Weather: Climate Change and the Bay of Fundy
Issue #19. Fundy's Minas Basin: Multiplying the Pluses of Minas.
Issue #20. Fundy's Fisheries: Who Should Write the Rules?

6. BoFEP Steering Committee Meeting update. Meeting postponed because of Weather; has been rescheduled for May 16^th.
   
7. Minas basin WG Draft Workplan 2001-2002. Need to define CEC project plans plus additional activities we want to undertake. We are at the point where we need to get the community groups involved in the discussions. The CEC response to our proposal is expected in early July. Action: agenda item for next meeting - start developing an action plan. This will require an extended full day meeting. Anne also noted that participants in WG meetings who are not otherwise funded can complete a travel expense claim to recoup expenses (mileage and lunch). Forms should be submitted to Secretariat.
   
8. Funding

1. Future funding applications. Lorrie Roberts attended meeting to learn what group is all about. She had suggested to Pat that we might consider funding through the Community Rural Partnerships (CRP) program. Amounts up to $50K are available for projects. This national program is designed to foster cooperative ventures among government and community groups (e.g. they provided funds to Bluenose ACAP). However, this is the last year for the program and the deadline for applications is the end of this month….. so applying now is a non issue. Lorrie is also a member of a committee that is looking into funding opportunities for community groups., so she will keep her eyes open on our behalf. She noted that there is considerable money available for student interns. We should look into this - both HRDC and SHRE have intern funding programs. It was noted that there is a potential for the involvement of three grad students in the Minas basin Project; however intern funding not available for grad students.
2. Funding announcements: Environment Canada budgets have come down; some money has been allocated for BoFEP, but it is not yet clear how much. It is hoped that between $2-5K might be available for each of the more active working groups. Larry H. has also committed to providing some funds to BoFEP, but amount available is not yet known. Barry J. noted that the DFO budget hasn't yet been approved. He has requested $25K for BoFEP and $10 K for the Minas Basin project. He should know how much is available by our next meeting. The Money is being provided for "a pilot integrated management project."
3. Other ideas - no further discussion.

9. Future activities events etc.

1. Federal partners/GOM council meeting at BIO. 2 day workshop April24-25^th, Meeting of EC and DFO with GOM working group to look at future involvement of Canadian Government in GOMC, other opportunities for cooperation and the structure of GOMC. Peter will make a presentation on the Bay of Fundy and BoFEP at workshop.
2. GOM Environmental Quality Monitoring workshop. Portsmouth NH, April 30^th-May 1^st. Expert workshop, with 20-30 people to draft out framework for EQ monitoring in the GOM; solely contaminant oriented.
3. COMCME Meeting May 21-25^th, Bar Harbor Maine. Chair of BoFEP has observer status at the Working Group meetings. Working group meeting on May 22-23^rd and Council meeting on May 24-25^th. It would be useful if Graham could attend both the Working Group and the Council meetings.
4. BoFEP Science Workshop, May 13-16^th at Acadia U. Peter circulated copies of the invitation to participate in the workshop. This has been included in the Proceedings of the 2000 Workshop and is also posted on the BoFEP Website. We need to try to expand our participant list for the Workshops to include more community groups. The focus of the Workshop is how we have done in the Bay of Fundy over the past several years. There will be a Minas Basin Panel Discussion as part of the workshop, to consider what we want to do in the region. It was pointed out that we should also emphasize fact that the lack of research funds in recent years has encouraged a lot of useful data mining; but that there is now an urgent need for new funds to do new research work.
5. Other announcements: Tony Bowron of Ecology Action Centre and Dalhousie U. gave an overview of a proposal for a graduate thesis project that he would like to undertake. He would like to take a look at the situation regarding the Windsor Causeway in the light of what has been learned from the Petitcodiac Causeway and develop the ecological arguments for selective removal of such tidal barriers around the Bay of Fundy. It was suggested that the emphasis should mostly be on the Windsor causeway. Should also de-emphasize ecological arguments component because decision likely to be ultimately made largely on basis of economic and political considerations. Should consider the possible remediation opportunities for the Windsor Causeway, particularly in light of the anticipated eventual twinning of the Main highway through the region.

10. Other business: no additional items raised.
11. Next Meeting: Tuesday 5^th June at 9:00 a.m. at ACER. ( It was also noted that there is a BoFEP Steering Committee meeting on May 16^th and Barriers Working Group meeting on June 7^th; both at Sackville NB)

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 ACTION ITEMS

1. Purchase copy of EndNotes software (Robin M.)
2. Burn CD copies of the Minas Basin Contacts database file (Anne M-H)
3. Place copy of Minas Basin Contacts database file on Anne's computer (Anne M-H)
4. Summary budget for Robin's contract (Robin M. and Anne M-H)
5. Burn copy of original BoF bibliography on CD (Anne M-H)
6. Letter of thanks to David Hopper of DNR (Pat H.)
7. Check with David Hopper re: letter to supervisor (Pat H.)
8. Check with Jennifer Hackett of DFO re restrictions on map data use (Maxine W.)
9. Agenda item next meeting: Minas Channel as part of area of interest? (Anne M-H)
10. Prepare draft cover letter and executive summary of Robin's Report and circulate to WG members(Robin M., Anne M-H and Jon P.)
11. Burn copy of Robin's final report on CD and make copies of CD available to WG members. (Anne M-H)
12. Agenda item for next meeting: decide what to include in mail out to Minas Basin groups (Anne M-H).
13. Agenda item for next meeting: begin development of Minas Basin Project action Plan. (Anne M-H)
14. See if Graham D. able to attend GOMCME Council and Working group meetings in Bar Harbor. (Anne M-H)

Participants: Pat Hinch, Anne Mercer, Jocellyne Hellou, Maxine Westhead, Peter Wells, Barry Jones, Allison Evans, Jon Percy, Randy Milton, Tana Worcester, Lesley Carter

1. Welcome and Introductions. Quick round of introductions.

11. Adjournment

Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership
Minas Basin Working Group Meeting Notes
September 18, 2001 held at the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

Participants: M. Brylinsky, A. Cameron, P. Hinch, B. Jones, R. Musselman, N. Roscoe-Huntley, M. Westhead, P. Wells
Regrets: Dr. Kearney, J. Percy

The minutes of meeting were approved by B. Jones and seconded by M. Brylinsky

4.1 Mail out to the groups
A package to introduce the Minas Basin working group will be mailed next week. The package would include a covering letter, fact sheet, revised project summary, map, BoFEP membership form, and Fundy Issues # 1 and #19. It was felt that there is a time line needed to be followed and the mail out should be done so no later than the end of September.

The issue of postage will be worked out between Nancy and Peter.
4.2 It was agreed to add Jon's name to the sub-committee, which will review items to be placed on the web.
4.3. Peter will attempt to contact Hugh Akagi concerning the best way to proceed in gaining first nations representation on the Steering Committee.

4.5 Review of the draft brochure on the Minas Basin was deferred due to Jon not being in attendance.
4.6 Barry is attempting to obtain a copy of Glanville Travis' proposal. Both Maxine and Pat will attempt to find a copy.

4.11 The draft workshop invitation was discussed. Changes were made and then approved for distribution.

5.1 The Titanium Corporation exploration license and its status under the EIA process was presented by Pat.
5.2 Other emerging issues included the Biosphere Reserve, which was placed under item 9.3.
Larry Hildebrand, EC, has proposed that the Gulf of Maine Council establish a process to identify emerging issues or trends in the Gulf of Maine area for discussion during Council meetings. Similarly, Pat would like the Minas Basin Working Group members to bring forward to the Minas Basin Working Group, any emerging issues/items relevant /of interest within the Minas Basin/Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine area, as information or discussion items.

6. Workshop Progress Planning
An overview was presented of the inventory of what has been done with other community workshops. The format suggested was to have an open house structure with an introduction by Pat and all Minas Basin working group members should be prepared to help out. A local person will be asked to facilitate the dialogue.

Pat will continue to seek contact with John Kearney and Mary DesRoches to obtain an inventory of what has been done, what has worked so there is no overlap.

Robin provided a hand out for goals and objectives to develop and Action Plan which should include definite actions, goals and objectives. During the workshop part of an action plan should include involvement of participants, identifying potential projects and obtain some form of commitment from participants.

The time line for final comments on the mail out was at the end of today, September 18th. All changes, comments, etc for the mail out had to finalize before the end of this meeting.

It was decided that the structure of the workshop would be from 1:30 - 5:30 (?) on a Saturday. The workshop would include booths, displays reflecting the work of the Minas Basin working group and their link to BoFEP but not with the intention of promoting BoFEP.

There was discussion on who might be the be possible facilitator for the workshop - quasi government agency or local person or an RDA or a possibility of co-hosting. Once a facillator is identified, then the chair should work out details of the workshop.

Robin distributed a list of groups who might be able to host the workshop including RDA, Kings CED, Blomidon Naturalists. It was suggested that a number of these groups could be contacted to determine if there is an interest. The three geographic areas for workshops were Windsor, Truro and Parrsboro. Discussion focused on the various groups in the area as well as possible locations to hold workshops.

Roles and Responsibilities time lines were discussed.

8. It was agreed that the events of the first workshop would be revisited prior to the 2nd one.
The group will get together to find out format and what should be presented and who will present it. It was suggested that after each workshop a follow up should be done including a wish list and any updates provided to the host group.

9.3 The Biosphere Reserve will be hosting a workshop on Saturday, Oct. 13th at Mt. Allison University.

10. Other business
The group was asked to consider what was important from the workshops and plans for next year. It was noted that there should be a strong presence from the members at the workshops.

Peter Wells discussed the upcoming 5th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop to be held May 13-16th at the Environmental Sciences Research Centre, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS.

11. The next meeting of the Minas Basin Working Group will be held on Tuesday, October 16th at ACER.

12. Adjournment - 2:55 pm.

Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership
Minas Basin Working Group Meeting Notes
October 16, 2001 held at the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

Participants: P. Hinch (chair), M. Brylinsky, G. Daborn, M. DesRoches, B.Jones, R. Musselman, J. Percy, N. Roscoe-Huntley, G. Travis, M. Westhead
Regrets: T. Young, Dr. John Kearney

1. Chair, Pat Hinch welcomed members to the meeting, including presenters Glanville Travis, speaking on "Integrated Fisheries Management Proposal for the Upper Bay" and Mary DesRoches (Community Group Representative).  Pat also indicated that during item 4 all that was required was a yes/no response and discussions would be held following Glanville's presentation.

2. The following were changes/corrections noted in the September 18th minutes: item #6 - spelling error of Fundy (6th line down); second
paragraph under #6 should read an (not and) and the last line on the page the word facilitator was not typed correctly. Lastly the wording about
co-hosting (last paragraph) should indicate * and RDA or a combination of these groups co-hosting.  Barry Jones moved to approve the minutes from the meeting of September 18th, seconded by Maxine Westhead. All in approval, minutes carried.

3. Pat circulated a revised agenda to members. Item #10 was updated to include a discussion on Titanium mining in the Minas Basin (B. Jones). Also circulated at this time was the simplified version of Minas Basin WG goals and objectives for discussion at a later time in the meeting.
4. As indicated above only a yes/no response was required for the following items (reference to the October 16th agenda):
4.1 Progress on mail out to groups (Nancy/Jon) Yes, done.
4.2 Report of the sub-committee established to review what items should be made available on the web and in what format - Jon's name was
added to this sub-committee ( Mike, Maxine, Alison, Peter, Pat. Jon) Yes
4.3 Talk to Hugh Akagi concerning the best way to proceed in gaining First Nations representation on our Steering Committee. (Peter)
Deferred to next meeting.
4.4 Robin will complete the necessary revisions to the cover letter for insertion in the Minas Basin Working Group mailout packages. Yes
complete.
4.5 Final revised goals and objectives deferred to October meeting agenda for discussion. (Jon) Yes, on today's agenda.
4.6 Review draft brochure on the Minas Basin deferred to the October meeting agenda for discussion. (Jon) On today's agenda.
4.7 Discuss concerns with Glanville Travis (Barry). Obtain copy of Glanville's proposal for review by the Minas Basin Working Group (Barry,
Pat). Presentation today
4.8 Robin and Pat will work together on deciding what information should be placed on the map taken to workshops. Ongoing.
4.9 Extend invitations to Mary DesRoches and Dr. John Kearney to come to the October meeting to talk about the activities of their
organizations and to present their perspective on how best to approach workshops (Pat) Yes, Mary DesRoches and Dr. John Kearney invited. Mary will participate in discussions.
4.10 Further discussion will take place at a future meeting on potential groups to facilitate workshops (Pat to schedule this on October
agenda) Yes
4.11 Robin agreed to prepare a list and summary of workshops held in the Minas Basin area for the October meeting. In progress, list not
complete but evolving.
4.12 Pat, Robin and Max will make a decision on the design of the invitation to the workshop. Yes complete.
4.13 Robin will e-mail Peter on with general demographics on the labor force for the watershed area. Yes, complete.


5. A presentation by Glanville Travis entitled "Integrated Fisheries Management Proposal for the Upper Bay" included providing
historical background information to members of the group and noting probable causes for the reduction in fish stocks. It was noted that Arthur
Bull and John Kearney were involved in the first proposal. Glanville noted that the first concern should be for the fish and economics should come
second. He spoke of the need for co-operation from all participants (DFO, fishers, community groups) as well as noting that the fishermen were working with tools to cooperate with the ecology of the area. Some of those fishing for lobster are becoming very rich while those in the ground fishery are getting poorer. He spoke of the concerns about depleting the bloodworm population in the area as well as those with recreational fishing. All aspects of location management along with the recreational, commercial fishermen and the general population need to become involved. He
circulated a background document and a draft of the Bay of Fundy Fisheries Council "Principles of Good Management" paper. It was noted there is
concern for all species in the Upper Bay and that this is a slow process and a build up of massive support will be required. Management is seen as a key problem in the fisheries. Graham indicated that he wanted to see this group participate in any proposal. To move forward the following questions need to be asked - 1) species at risk - answer is all; 2) conflicts - already identified - people/groups need to be in agreement, ie. baitworm issue, also 'the fear' is part of the conflict - if there could be approval to move forward with a pilot project conflicts could be appeased - unknown is part of the conflict (fear). Once put in the proper perspective, the conflict would be improved. Conflict is between management of this region and the
management policies. There needs to be the ability to write a policy to what the Upper Bay and the Minas Basis Group supports. 3) Need to identify a structure to go to, as a group, with such a proposal. There is a need to have various community interest groups develop a plan to take to management - to get the power to do something for this area. Another problem noted is that the Fisheries Manager for this area is based in Sydney, Cape Breton. Barry Jones noted his work on the Integrated Management Fisheries Plan. The intent of this group will be to develop and support an integrated management plan for this area. It is hoped that a plan can be developed to be presented to fisheries management
(Neil Belefontaine) in the near future, and then to the bureaucrats in January. Following a lengthy discussion it was moved by Glanville Travis
that a steering committee would be established consisting of Mary DesRoches, Barry Jones, Graham Daborn, Glanville Travis (who would take the lead role and call the first meeting) and that this committee would take on a joint endeavor to make a formal integrated management proposal to DFO. Seconded by Barry Jones. Glanville will not be chair of the committee and it was felt that whoever chairs this group should be as neutral as possible. Barry asked for a copy of the original proposal. Pat advised that future agendas will include an area for reporting from this group.

6.0 Discussion items carried from previous meeting
6.1 Progress on mail out to groups (Nancy/Jon) Thanks to Nancy and Maxine for sending out the mail-outs.
6.2 Report of the sub-committee established to review what items should be made available on the web and in what format - ( Mike, Maxine,
Alison, Peter, Pat, Jon) Jon reported that there was an interest at the Management Committee meeting to obtain the services of a bibliographer  to
put together a comprehensive package of all those on hand. Nancy is to    determine if Anne purchased an End Notes program. Maxine stated that she didn't foresee any issue that couldn't be dealt with on a 'sensitive needs' basis only. Groups could evaluate what materials they wanted on the web. Any questions arising about materials to be placed on the web site would be addressed by the sub-committee (Mike, Maxine, Alison, Peter, Pat and Jon)
6.3 Talk to Hugh Akagi concerning the best way to proceed in gaining First Nations representation on our Steering Committee. (Peter)
Representation from First Nations on this committee was deferred until a later meeting.
6.4 Final revised goals and objectives (Jon) Jon noted that the final revised goals and objectives was distributed in the recent mail-out.
The simplified version of the Minas Basin WG goals and objectives will be circulated to the group and placed on a future agenda. Jon will forward an
electronic copy to Nancy for distribution. Comments from P. Wells were noted at this meeting.
6.5 Review draft brochure on the Minas Basin during the October meeting (Jon). Jon circulated changes he made on the Minas Basin brochure.
It was agreed the name should be changed to the Minas Basin Working Group. A picture of a land-based activity will be also be placed in brochure.
Other changes should be forwarded to Nancy, who in turn, will forward to members of the working group.
6.6 Discuss concerns with Glanville Travis and obtain copy of Glanville's proposal for review by the Minas Basin Working Group (Barry)
This item had been covered during Glanville Travis' presentation.
6.7 Extend invitations to Mary DesRoches and Dr. John Kearney to come to the October meeting to talk about the activities of their
organizations and to present their perspective on how best to approach workshops (Pat) This item also was covered during Glanville Travis'
presentation.
6.8 Further discussion will take place during the October meeting on potential groups to facilitate workshops (Robin) Robin noted the
progress and contact she has made finding potential groups to facilitate workshops. In the Truro areas she has been in contact with the Colchester
Regional Development Agency and in the Valley area, Robin Marshall, Kings CED. It appears that the tentative date of November 17th will not be viable for the first workshop to be held. It was suggested that community groups be contacted to ask them for tentative dates.
6.9 Robin agreed to prepare a list and summary of workshops held in the Minas Basin area for presentation during the October meeting (Robin).
It was suggested that Robin request community groups to send in a list of workshops held in their area. This will determine what issues have been
discussed and to see if there are any recurring issues. Mary will see if she can locate her summary. The idea of hosting workshops was originally
thought to create awareness within community groups, however it now appears that 95% of the ground work has been done and it is now time to proceed to the next step which is to take the issues and do something with them.
The Open House format discussed is as follows.
Introductory remarks
- Presentation of issues
- Selection of Priority Actions
Focus groups -identify actions
(interested in specific issues)- creation of action groups
(sign up/to lead)
- outlines of objectives, steps and
timetables

Plenary Reports
The format for an open house would involve Robin working with a co-host group to make the logistical arrangements for community
forums to be held on a Saturdays. The forums would begin at approximately 1:30 with an open house of community organization booths set up to display materials/information on their organization. This would be held until approximately 3:00 pm when the interaction focus group discussions would begin. The forum would finish the day with a plenary report. It was agreed that much of the organization would have to be among the host groups. Roles of the co-host(s) would be to facilitate, (need a neutral party), advertising, set up, In addition to a co-host(s)/mc there will need to be a time keepers, notekeepers and facilitators for each breakout group. An overall facilitator would lead discussion during the opening and closing plenary sessions. Pat and Robin will need to meet face/face in person with community groups to continue moving the process forward

8. Workshops held previously in the Minas Basin area (Robin, All) - Discussion on how they relate to the Minas Basin Community Forums.
Robin will contact groups and ask for a description of past workshops and summaries and she will put together issue priorities from each of these
workshops.

9. Workshop planning progress

-Workshop design (Pat). The structure in 6.9 was reviewed again, keeping in mind the flexibility for change with each workshop
depending on issues identified. Members of the Minas Basin Working Group will be expected to assist discussion and not lead it. Issues can be
clustered if a number are similar in nature. Following group discussion, there will be time for a wrap up which will include a summary plan of
action(s). The time for the various activities to occur within the workshop was discussed and it was agreed that each workshop may have the times varied as to the needs of the organizing committee.

- Review of workshop invitation and mail out to groups(Robin) Material packages and their contents were discussed and packages were
distributed to Working Group members. Community groups will be encouraged to prepare materials to be given out.

- Progress on workshop locations, dates, times, schedule, timeline (Robin) Suggested dates are the 12th, 19th and 26th of January.
Each region will get their own flyer outlining details.

- Proposed host organizations and their role (Robin) and list of potential roles for Minas Basin Working Group members before/during the
workshop and request for signup (Robin)  Robin has created a forum task list for signup by members from the Minas Basin Working Group and also a proposed task list for each co-host. Some of the task items included advertising, request forms, guest book, sign up sheet (to provide contact info.).

- Other? The creation of a display from the Minas Basin Working Group, (using some of BoFEP materials) will be done by Jon, Peter
and Graham. Moved and seconded unamiously by the group. Other information materials include brochures, flyers, maps (each group may have their own map). Robin and Max will develop a map profile. The Marine Resource Centre will be contacted to ask for a display.
Pat will speak on the Minas Basin Group during the forums or will ask others in the Working Group to do so.
Set up - clean up - snacks (most of this will be done by the co-hosts.)
The end result was that each group may wish to plan their own workshop in their own way and this committee should be open to these
ideas.

10. Update on Related Activities/conferences/workshops/events (All). Barry provided two newspaper clippings on the Titanium Mining
proposed for the Shubenacadie River and oil drilling expected in the Stewiacke area. Following discussion, Pat agreed to find out further
information from internal government departments on these proposals and it will be placed on the next agenda. As well, Maxine will also look for
further information.

11. Other Business? None

12. Next meeting. The next meeting of the Minas Basin Working Group will be held on Thursday, November 15th at ACER. Nancy was asked to send an email immediately advising members of the next date and time.

12. Adjournment - 2:51 pm.

Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership
Minas Basin Working Group Meeting Notes
November 13, 2001 held at the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

Participants: P. Hinch (chair), M. Brylinsky, A. Cameron, B. Jones, J. Percy, N. Roscoe-Huntley, G. Travis, M. Westhead, T. Young

Regrets: M. Burt, G. Daborn, J. Hellou, C. MacPherson, R. Milton, R. Musselman

1. P. Hinch welcomed members to the meeting.

2. The following were changes/corrections noted in the October 16^th minutes: item #5 - 3) 2^nd paragraph should read " It is hoped that a plan can be developed to be presented to fisheries management in January and would include members from DFO, and senior management including Neil Belefontaine. Also, Barry noted that he did not provide the newspaper clippings to the group.

B. Jones moved to approve the minutes from the meeting of October 16^th, seconded by J. Percy. Motion carried.

3. Additions/Revisions to the Agenda Pat noted a revision to agenda item #10 - Tom Young and Andy Cameron would be providing information on the UNESCO Biosphere reserve Project

4. Progress on Action items from the previous meeting.

4.1 Glanville provided Barry with a copy of the original proposal on Integrated Fisheries Management.- done

4.2 The Integrated Fisheries Management Sub-Committee will provide an update on activities under item # 5.-done

4.3 Further discussion regarding potential groups to facilitate workshops will be discussed under item #8.-done

4.4 Robin agreed to continue to prepare a list and summary of workshops held in the Minas Basin area and will contact groups to ask for a description of past workshops and summaries. She will put together issue priorities from each of these workshops. Mary will see if she can locate her summary. To be discussed further under item #8.- done

4.5 Nancy advised that the End Notes program was not purchased and indicated that she wanted to discuss the need with P. Wells.-to be added to December meeting agenda

4.6 Jon forwarded an electronic copy of the simplified goals and objectives to Nancy, it was sent to committee members, and only one comment was returned. - done

4.7 Suggested changes have been sent to Jon who incorporated them into the brochure.- done

4.8 Contact with community groups requesting tentative dates will be discussed under item #8.- ongoing, to be added to December meeting agenda

4.9 Pat and Robin are coordinating meetings (to meet face/face in person with community groups) to continue moving the workshop planning process forward.

4.10 Minas Basin Working Group Display -The creation of a display from the Minas Basin Working Group, (using some of BoFEP materials) will be done by Jon, Peter and Graham.(Jon, Peter, Graham) - ongoing, to be added to December meeting agenda

Map - Robin and Max will develop a map profile.(Robin, Max) - ongoing, to be added to December meeting agenda

Displays -The Marine Resource Centre will be contacted to ask for a display (Robin) -to be added to December meeting agenda

Presentations - Pat will speak on the Minas Basin Group during the forums or will ask others in the Working Group to do so (Pat)- done

4.11 Pat agreed to find out further information from internal government departments on the Titanium mining proposal and place this issue on the November agenda. As well, Maxine will also look for further information. (Pat, Maxine) The Titanium mining proposal will be discussed under item #9.- done

4.12 Nancy was asked to send an e-mail immediately advising members of the next date and time.(Nancy) It was noted that Nancy had sent a notice advising members of the next meeting, (November 13) at the end of the last meeting.- done

5. Update on Integrated Fisheries Management Sub-Committee Activities (Glanville Travis, Mary DesRoches, Barry Jones) Barry provided an update on the recent Integrated Fisheries Management sub-committee meeting held at ACER. Mary DesRoshes has the minutes of the meeting. The group is moving ahead on the project to prepare the presentation to senior DFO Managers. They hope to have it put together by mid December and have it in the hands of the managers by early January in time for the Federal Workshop where it will be presented.

6. Lunch

6. Simplified goals and objectives for Minas Basin WG (Jon) - comments from members, revisions, final draft for review and discussion during Nov. meeting. Jon noted that the simplified goals and objectives statement had been circulated to members for their comment and input and revised accordingly. This simplified version will also be placed on the web. It was agreed that this item could now be removed from future agendas. Jon will provide an updated copy to Robin to do with as she sees fit. Jon also circulated a revised copy of the MB WG brochure. Several additional minor changes were suggested.

8. Workshop planning progress -Progress on land use profile and demographics study (Robin)

-Progress on preparing a list and summary of workshops held in the Minas Basin area for the November meeting and their primary issues/area of focus (Robin)

-Update on Minas Basin Working Group Forum description (Robin)

-Potential groups to facilitate workshops (Robin)

-Progress on workshop locations, tentative dates, times, schedule, timelines (Robin)

-Questions to the Working Group (Robin)

-Other?

Nancy read Robin’s emails that she forwarded in lieu of her presence at the meeting. It was felt that questions still needed to be answered and it was agreed to set up a conference call with her. Prior to the conference call it was agreed that the best time for the first Workshop would be an evening meeting; to begin the open house at 4:00 and then start the business meeting at 7 to 9:30 or 10:00 pm. A number of possible venues were suggested, including: Horton igh School, Kentville Agricultural Cente, Kentville Fire Hall, Cornwallis Inn. It was agreed that the first meeting would be held on Thursday, January 24^th at the Kentville Agricultural Research Station. The food service caterers will be contacted for coffee. (Although later in the meeting there was a concern over the lack of break out rooms, so the Horton High School facilities will be investigated further.)

The question of mini-presentations for local politicians was discussed. It was agreed that this would be very important. Politicians to meet with include the local mayors, wardens, county/municipal counselors, the Federal Member of Parliament, Scott Brison, as well as the local MLA’s, Mark Parent and David Morris. It was suggested that perhaps a joint meeting could be scheduled, inviting all politicians in the area, to a central meeting time and place. Robin and Pat will make a list of meeting possibilities and then make a schedule to see which presentations are feasible. It was noted that it is important to speak first to the politicians advising them of what the group is doing so they don’t feel they are being passed by. The number of meetings will determine Pat’s availability. Also Kings CED has agreed to assist.

Andy Cameron brought up the UNESCO project and how Tom Young’s presentations, which have already been made to politicians, will impact on the Minas Basin group. Politicians may see that two similar things are being done and what they are most familiar with is what they tend support. There needs to be communication on how these two groups will work together effectively.

A conference call was established between the committee and Robin Mussleman

Robin reported that she is continuing her work on the census data and will have more accurate data information on the Minas Basin once the project is complete. The committee will be kept up to date on her progress. Robin noted that some sections are further along than others!

Details of some workshops are still unknown but are continually evolving. She noted that the Minas Basin Working Group forums might need to change depending on the group(s) that we are working with.

Robin noted that in the Valley area the co-hosts will be Kings CED and the Valley Watershed Stewardship Association (both Mike Brylinsky and Reg Newell, from the Watershed group have indicated they would be willing to help out). Robin noted that she has not been able to contact the Blomidon Naturalists Society. The committee agreed that they would go with two groups only. It was agreed that the Blomidon Naturalists will have a place at the workshops and wanted them to be kept informed since they have a great number of members to assist in spreading the word about these workshops. Who could be the facilitator was discussed and it was agreed that the appropriate person(s) would be either Graham Daborn or Arthur Bull.

Robin noted that she has been trying to meet with Crawford MacPherson and others from the Cobequid area. She also discussed the work and meetings Tom Young has held regarding the Biosphere Reserve. The committee agreed to discuss concerns with Tom when he arrives later in the meeting. The Minas Basin Working Group wants to work together cooperatively with all community organizations interested in integrated management within the Minas Basin area. The Group reviewed the format of the workshop emphasizing that community groups and individuals will have an opportunity to participate in the workshop during the open house display and workshop breakout discussion groups. The agenda as developed by the members of the group is structured to present the overall goals of Minas Basin Working Group in the context of integrated management and the purpose of the workshop. The role of co-hosts would be to help supply materials, mailing lists, and other logistical details. It was agreed that other groups might need to be contacted to co-host in this area.

In the North Shore area, potential contacts include the West Colchester Development Agency and the Cumberland Geological Society.

The budget agreed upon was $500 per workshop. The co-hosts would be responsible for the arranging food, advertising and other logistical concerns. A short article will need to be placed in the local paper. Jon agreed to assist Robin preparing this article and Wendy Elliott from the Advertiser will be contacted as well as other community papers.

Andy Cameron further discussed the UNESCO Biosphere project. It was agreed that this item will be included in the next agenda and discussed in more detail at the next meeting. He advised that he would be leaving his present position in the next few weeks. The main point he wanted to bring to this group is that the Minas Basin Working Group and the Biosphere Group should be working together.

Tom Young joined the meeting at lunch time. Following are minutes from the afternoon’s meeting.

9. Minas Basin Working Group presentation during BOFEP Workshop.

It was agreed that the Minas Basin Working Group would make a presentation at the BoFEP 5^th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop. It was felt that it is very important for this group to participate in this workshop. Results of the three planned Minas Basin workshops can be used in the presentation. Materials that could be included are Robin’s information, something from Maxine on MEQ, the Integrated Management Plan, something from Tom on the Biosphere presentation combined into a package of the Upper Bay of Fundy. Max and Jon agreed to oversee the development of this project. Also, Pat noted that all members should try to make a contribution to this workshop. This is an item that will continue to be placed on future agendas.

10. Update on Related Activities/conferences/workshops/events (All):

Nancy reported on the BoFEP AGM on behalf of Graham. One of the items reported on was that the Integrated Management Plan had been referred to the Steering Committee for further input and consideration. Pat also read her report from the AGM and advised that after hearing all the reports she was quite pleased with the amount of work being done by this group! All group reports will be attached with the minutes from the AGM.

Pat read a briefing report received by her office regarding Titanium mining and further discussed the process from an EIA perspective as well as the licensing procedure. Maxine also reported that she is following leads from the newspaper clippings and has a meeting scheduled with Ross (?). It was also noted that Acadia Geology Professor, Cliff Stanley has visited the proposed site and has information on the mining process. Also Andy updated the group on a meeting that was recently held on mining matters and advised that the company or project hasn’t been registered yet and will have to do an environmental impact assessment and provided details of the guideline review. Pat indicated that it is important that this group be aware of the environmental impact assessment process and understand when and how they can provide input She suggested that it may be appropriate to invite NSDEL and/or Environment Canada personnel involved in the EIA process to come to a future meeting of the Minas Basin Working Group to explain the process. Pat agreed to look into this possibility.

The Gulf of Maine Sewage workshop on April 11-12, 2002 was briefly discussed. The purpose of the workshop is to develop recommendations on the potential role of the Gulf of Maine Council in sewage issues for inclusion in the Council’s Action Plan, which is currently being developed. Each jurisdiction is to develop an action plan. Pat is co-organizing the workshop Barry Jones, Steven Hawboldt, Eric Hundert, Kim Hughes, Solveig Madsen, Robert Anderson are representing their respective department/jurisdictions on the Steering Committee from NS and NB. Representatives Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be asked to join.

Tom Young spoke on the UNESCO project. He is in agreement to have discussion and then to think about a follow up meeting. The Biosphere Reserve has acquired some resources and is doing work at the grass roots level he reported. He noted that the Biosphere Reserve is an integrated project that balances community and economic interest and he believes that there could be a duplication of activities. Tom noted that he has had several meetings with government offices and various other groups in New Brunswick. He noted that the Biosphere Reserve can help this group and can offer resources to projects the group is working on. It is important that both groups ensure there isn’t duplication and that there should be discussion on the co-operation of both groups that have similar interests, objectives and goals. Maxine asked what goals the Biosphere group had for the public meetings. Tom noted that they have been primarily information sessions - what UNESCO means, what they can accomplish, ways to communicate. It was agreed that this item would be placed on the next agenda.

11. Other Business? There was no other business.

12. Next meeting. The next meeting of the Minas Basin Working Group will be held on Monday, December 10^th, beginning at 9:00 am at ACER. Nancy was asked to send an email immediately advising members of the next date and time.

13. Adjournment - 2:51 pm.

Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership
Minas Basin Working Group Meeting Notes
December 10^th, 2001 held at the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

Participants: P. Hinch (chair), M. Brylinsky, G. Daborn, J. Hellou, B. Jones, R. Musselman, R. Newell, J. Percy, N. Roscoe-Huntley, G. Travis, M. Westhead, P. Wells, T. Young

Guests: Brian Craig, Joanne Fewer, Anita Murphy and Munju Ravindra

1. P. Hinch opened the meeting by welcoming all those in attendance, followed by introductions.

2. The following change was noted in the November 13 minutes: Peter Wells advised that his regrets were not recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Moved by Graham Daborn
Seconded by Robin Musselman
All in favor, motion carried

3. Additions/Revisions to the Agenda. Pat noted a revision to agenda - item #’s 8 and 6 required switching. Item 4.5 was added - Minas Basin Brochure.

4. Progress on Action items from the previous meeting.

4.1 Peter provided Nancy with the information to download EndNotes at a cost of $239.95US or $300US shipped. The issue was deferred to the upcoming BoFEP meeting for a purchasing decision.

4.5. The Minas Basin Brochure has gone to the printer and should be ready by next Wednesday or Thursday. 1000 copies have been ordered at a cost of $150-$160 and will be available at the next meeting.

5. Update on Integrated Fisheries Management Sub-Committee Activities (Glanville Travis, Mary DesRoches, Barry Jones)

The group is still working on the document and once it has been finalized it will be presented to this group. It is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

6. Biosphere Reserve (BR) Discussion

Tom Young discussed how the Minas Basin Working Group and the UNESCO project relate to each other. He discussed the possibilities and needs of co-organizing events within the community along with the Minas Basin Working Group. To that end, he arranged to have Joanne Fewer and Anita Murphy attend today’s meeting to get a clearer indication of how we might work together as well as to outline their groups goals and objectives. There is a concern that the two groups may confuse the public, so it is hoped that they can show how they complement each other. There will not be as much confusion in the Valley area as in the other two areas- Truro and Parrsboro. Tom also introduced Munju Ravindra who has been seconded from Parks Canada to assist with the Southwestern Nova Biosphere Reserve application. Both Anita and Joanne have met with Robin and would like to get a clear indication from this group as to what it wants to accomplish. They outlined the work they have been doing in their area with the Biosphere Reserve and asked questions of what would be the MB groups’ expectation when they schedule meetings in the Truro area. The structure of the event was outlined; an open house with displays – a community show case for community awareness, followed by break out group discussion and finishing with a synopsis of the evening with the general goal to heighten community awareness and discuss concerns in the Minas Basin region. Discussion also focused on how to the Biosphere Reserve could be presented at the same time. There would be an opportunity for the Biosphere Reserve to have a display table and possibly also have a breakout group to discuss their proposal. There will be little opportunity to have a lengthy discussion of the BR during the plenary session because of the time constraints- discussion would mainly occur in the small groups, with a reporting to the main group at the end of the meeting back. A number of action groups may be formed following the workshop to move some of the priority issues forward. Each of the three community meetings will follow this general format. Those who attend will determine the issues to be considered. It was noted that this process is a god example how a Biosphere Reserve could function. Tom discussed the options if the Biosphere Reserve proposal isn’t accepted. He suggested that it will likely be accepted once UNESCO is shown that the essential components for nomination are in place. One has never yet been turned down. Tom also outlined the meetings and workshops that have been conducted pertaining to the biosphere project.

Mike provided a summary of how BoFEP started and the evolution of the workshop project.

Brian sees the activities of the two groups as complementary. The biosphere reserve needs a group such as the MB Working Group involved in the process. The confusion about the two groups needs be addressed at the beginning of each forum session in order to lay them to rest. People need to understand what will be discussed. The forums are not the time to debate the biosphere reserve issues but to discuss the Upper Bay of Fundy initiatives. Interested people could discuss the priority issues in small group discussions. The biosphere group will have two opportunities: at the open house table area and in the small group discussions. The opening remarks can set the concept as to what the Minas Basin group is and what the biosphere group is. The co-hosts will be primarily responsible for the logistical arrangements. One of the potential co-host being the CORDA. What comes out of meetings - there will be people who will want to work on the biosphere reserve issue and others who will want to work on other projects. There was a consensus that the two approaches should be complementary and members do not want it to be seen as two opposing groups. The process is meant to be an integrated management plan. It was agreed that the co-hosts and the chair of the Minas Basin Working Group plus Robin would work out how the workshop will function.

Peter mentioned that the results of the community forums could be presented at the 5^th Bay of Fundy Workshop scheduled for May 13-16^th at Acadia. He also provided details of the proposed Workshop program. The abstract deadline date has been moved to 30^th January. Also the sessions may not all necessarily be on a science theme but also include ones on Integrated Management in the Bay of Fundy.

10. Update on Related Activities/conferences/workshops/events (note change in agenda order).

9. Minas Basin Working Group participation in the BoFEP Science Workshop was discussed. Details for abstracts will be put on the web in the near future. The following is an outline of draft items and potential presenters. Abstracts due January 30, 2002.

P = paper; p = poster

Peter will also talk to Gordon Fader to see if he might be interested in bringing a poster. Also Tim Milligan may be interested in presenting on Sediments.

It was also suggested that a Migratory Fish Working Group be reactivated. Jamie Gibson is interested in chairing this group.

Pat would be responsible for designating people to contact people/groups to enquire if they would like to submit a paper or poster to the workshop. Max agreed to contact Tony, Jennifer and Sherman. Jocelyn agreed to contact Gordon Fader to determine if he would be interested in submitted a contributed paper to the session.

11. Other Business? There was no other business.

12. Next meeting. The next meeting of the Minas Basin Working Group will be held on Tuesday, January 15^th beginning at 10:00 am in ACER. Nancy was asked to send an email immediately advising members of the next date and time.

13. Adjournment - 2:51 pm.