NEWS

Member Spotlight: Dale Beasley

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Dale Beasley
WCMAC Commercial Fishing Seat
Dale is the President of the Coalition of Coastal Fisheries and of the Columbia River Crab Fishermen’s Association. He is an active member of the Pacific County Marine Resources Committee, sits on the Advisory Committee for the Pacific County Shoreline Management Program, and is an advisory member to the WDFW Crab Advisory Group. Fishing was Dale’s livelihood for over forty-five years until he retired in 2010. He also was the Ilwaco Fire Department captain for thirty-six years. Now his passion is traveling with his family and representing his community’s local values. He does this by accepting positions like a Tristate Washington Representative, a member of the Water Protection Network and a member of the Lower Columbia Solutions Group Technical Committee. Dale is an experienced commercial fisherman and one of the two fishing representatives on the WCMAC.

Dale

What does Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) mean to you?
MSP is a fight for freedom. What I mean by that is, Southwest Washington is the fourth most fish dependent community in the nation. My hope is that the Washington MSP allows the sustainable fishing communities and future generations of Washington fishermen to thrive. Commercial fishing should be independent businesses with good family wage jobs (rather than a corporate workforce). True freedom is working and recreating on the ocean, as I have been able to do, and I fight for future generations to have that freedom.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
Washington Marine Spatial Planning is a direct response to keep from permitting new uses along the Washington coast which may interfere with fishing activities. My involvement began in 2008 when a private applicant attempted to use taxpayer money to install an ocean energy facility off of Grays Harbor. If permitted, the proposal would have displaced all commercial fishing between Grays Harbor and the Columbia River.

In 2010, the Coalition of Coastal Fisheries approached the Washington State Legislature in order to protect and preserve the coastal fisheries from proposals like that one. We were concerned about ocean energy applications which could restrict public access and fishing activities in marine waters. The legislature responded by passing Senate Bill 5603 to create an advisory board which recommends guidelines to protect and preserve fishing and all sustainable coastal uses. I am President of the Coalition and strongly believe in protecting existing marine uses. I am now a member of the WCMAC so I can be part of something that protects and preserves public trust freedoms of fishing, navigation, recreation, commerce, aesthetics, conservation, and public access.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I believe the WCMAC can make sure the Washington Marine Spatial Plan includes vital information for protecting and preserving Washington coastal and marine waters. This includes understanding the footprint and impacts of new use before a permit is issued.
I define success as restricting new uses that conflict with existing uses in our marine waters, keeping coastal fishing jobs economically healthy or even thriving, and sustaining the well-being of fishing communities. I fear the pain of losing our precious coastal freedoms, and will remain passionately involved until our freedoms are secure.

Member Spotlight: Charles Costanzo

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Charles Costanzo
WCMAC Shipping Seat
Charlie is the Vice President of the American Waterways Operators Pacific Region. He advocates on behalf of the U.S. tugboat, towboat, and barge industry throughout the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, and Hawaii. His primary areas of focus include Jones Act trade, oil spill prevention and response, air and water quality regulation, and waterways infrastructure. Before relocating to Washington in 2010, Charlie worked as an attorney in New York City, practicing land use, oil spill, and navigation law. He loves spending time with his family and, with his two children, has participated in the construction of numerous driftwood and seaweed forts throughout Puget Sound.

What does marine spatial planning mean to you?
Marine spatial planning is another means of carefully protecting a valuable resource. In this case, the resource is access to shoreline and waterways. Almost all forms of property law involve balancing the needs of stakeholders with interests in using the land or water. Sometimes these needs or interests are in competition or conflict, and ideally, marine spatial planning provides a means of anticipating those competing needs and resolving those conflicts. It’s a problem solving tool or a framework to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
I became involved in the planning process because I represent vessel operators that engage in coastwide trade throughout the US west coast. My role is to preserve and protect the marine highways that provide the safest, most efficient, and most environmentally-sustainable means of transporting freight – waterways.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I think the best thing that we can do is provide a voice to coastal communities and, by bringing stakeholders together, lower the negotiating costs of marine resource stewardship. I think the oceans face many challenges from all of the people on the planet. We need to be supremely careful about how we manage our marine resources because they are both vulnerable and non-renewable. The challenges are profound. The WCMAC provides just one avenue to bring people together to understand those challenges and manage competing interests as effectively as possible for this little strip of land that borders an impossibly huge ocean.

Anything else interesting about you?
It may be surprising, but when I was a little kid, I didn’t want to be a tugboat lobbyist when I grew up. In fact, it was only long after I had grown up, that I learned that a tugboat lobbyist was a thing. It’s actually a really fun thing to be.

Member Spotlight: Mark Plackett

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Mark Plackett
WCMAC Citizen Seat
Mark and his wife, Holly, have been married over forty years and run a business together in Ocean Shores called Plackett Enterprises. He works as a consultant in business-to-business services for a wide variety of clients, including government agencies, military, manufacturing companies, and unions. Mark sits on the Grays Harbor County Marine Resources Committee and volunteers for the Shared Marketing Group in Ocean Shores. Mark uses his facilitation skills and extensive network to represent various interests as the citizen seat on the WCMAC.

Mark

What does Marine Spatial Planning mean to you?
People that make policy decisions need to have current science and economic information to make good decisions. This includes city planners, state agency representatives, and even the Washington State Legislature. Important scientific and economic information has been gathered for the MSP and I’m hoping the process uses that information to provide a clear picture of what impacts could occur in specific locations due to management decisions.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
I’ve been involved in MSP since attending a workshop on the topic at the Grays Harbor College in late 2009. Shortly after, I was invited to join the Grays Harbor Marine Resources Committee and have been learning about MSP and coastal community priorities ever since. I firmly believe that stakeholders (and good science) need to be involved in these types of decisions and discussions.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
The WCMAC provides an opportunity to pull a lot of information together such as the best available science and economic information. The MSP website provides a forum for decision makers and policy makers to find relevant information that can be used when a permit or proposal is considered.

Anything else interesting about you?
As a working member of a local Chamber of Commerce, I am very interested in the economic strengths of the Washington coastal communities and the tourism that fuels much of our economic well-being.

Member Spotlight: Casey Dennehy

Posted by & filed under MRC, WCMAC.

Casey Dennehy
WCMAC Recreation Seat
Casey is the Washington Coast Program Manager for the Surfrider Foundation. He is actively engaged in the Shoreline Master Plan updates for Grays Harbor County, is the chair of the Grays Harbor County Marine Resources Committee, sits on the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and directs Surfrider’s Coastal Leadership Academy. Casey is an avid surfer, clammer, fisherman, mountaineer, and agate hunter. He is passionate about protecting and enjoying Washington’s coastal and marine waters.
 

 
What does Marine Spatial Planning mean to you?
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) can be challenging to describe to those outside of the process but I feel that it is a pretty simple concept. The ocean is a busy and crowded place; the only way we can manage all the various uses effectively, or determine if a new use could co-exist with what’s already happening, is to characterize all the current uses and have that information in one place. MSP is the process of gathering all the data we have on ocean uses, putting it all together, and making informed decisions with that information.
 
How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
I became involved through the Surfrider Foundation, which advocates for MSP throughout the country. As a representative of non-consumptive recreation, I feel it is my duty to ensure that coastal recreation is valued and protected so the public can continue to enjoy the superb natural resources our state has to offer. Surfrider knew we needed information about recreational uses which did not exist, so we helped develop and launch a coastal recreational use study. We now have maps and information on where people recreate and how much money they spend. This information demonstrates the value of the coast to Washington citizens and the local economy, and provides the information to make sure areas that are valuable for non-consumptive recreation can be protected.
 
What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
Washington’s Marine Spatial Plan offers a great opportunity to improve the way our ocean and its resources are managed. Our governments distribute management authority to various agencies, both state and federal, who often do not share information or readily communicate. The MSP process has already made great strides in pulling useful information from governments and other entities together, bringing those governments to the planning table, and allowing them to work collaboratively. Even better, they work alongside the stakeholders on the WCMAC who bring tremendous knowledge from personal and professional experience to develop a plan for the future.

My goal is for the plan to protect the valuable resources that Washington citizens enjoy and on which coastal communities depend. I hope the plan will develop a clear process for evaluating new ocean uses such as renewable energy extraction, offshore aquaculture, or anything else that may emerge in the future. And finally, I hope the evaluation process includes a thorough review by stakeholders and the WCMAC. I think these goals will help to ensure that the ocean and its resources are managed in such a way that valuable resources are preserved for the future.
 
Anything else interesting about you?
Before my work with Surfrider, I was an invasive species manager with The Nature Conservancy and an active wildland firefighter with the Center for Natural Lands Management. I also spent three years performing long-term monitoring of alpine lakes and streams at Mount Rainier National Park. While I am no longer a crew leader or participant in fire operations, the leadership and teamwork I learned from my training and experiences in each of those positions is extremely useful with my work on the coast.

Member Spotlight: Jeff Ward

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Jeff Ward
WCMAC Coastal Energy Seat
Jeff worked as the Senior Program Manager for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Sequim for over twenty eight years. He now owns his own consulting firm that specializes in environmental program design, implementation, and management. Jeff is a member of the Northwest Straits Commission, Northwest Straits Foundation, and Clallam County Marine Resources Committee. He has a vast understanding of the energy industry and the stages of permitting potential projects. Jeff is an experienced program manager and excellent representative on the WCMAC.
 
Jeff Ward
 
What does Marine Spatial Planning mean to you?
I see the MSP process as an opportunity for a variety of folks representing different stakeholder groups and interests to work collaboratively to plan for the future. The process has encouraged people to think about what is important to them, appreciate differences of opinion, and do their best to balance socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural needs to make the best possible decisions.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
During my final years at PNNL, I managed two projects for the US Department of Energy with direct relevance to the MSP process. The first investigated how ocean energy development and deployment might affect environmental resources in the ocean and estuaries; the second involved procuring two oceanographic buoys designed to accurately measure offshore wind speeds up to 100 meters above the ocean, and working with local, State, and Federal organizations to obtain permits for their deployment. Given this experience, I was a good fit for one of the two energy seats on WCMAC, and I was lucky enough to be appointed by the Governor.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I hope we can create a living document that will be used for many years to plan for growth without sacrificing the unique characteristics of the coast that we cherish and appreciate. I think the best possible outcome will be if all of us help develop a process that provides a framework for decision-making that is science-based and inclusive, and that clearly describes the potential tradeoffs of one course of action versus another.

Anything else interesting about you?
Although Sequim is a long drive to the outer coast, I have always felt connected to the ocean, and made my living on or in the water for over three decades. With the exception of woodworking, my hobbies are mostly outdoor things (hiking, biking, kayaking, surfing). My wife and I have raised a blended family of five kids (all adults now and out of the house, thank God) that deeply appreciate nature and have a lot of fun from the mountains to the sea!

Member Spotlight: Arthur Grunbaum

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Arthur (R.D.) Grunbaum
WCMAC Conservation Seat
R.D. shows his leadership and passion through many community groups and conservation efforts. He is President of Friends of Grays Harbor and a member of the Grays Harbor Marine Resources Committee. R.D. also chairs the Newsletter Committee for the Grays Harbor Audubon Society and is the founding member and treasurer of The Grays Harbor Institute. Recently, he has been working to raise awareness and advocacy surrounding the issue of oil terminals along the coast. R.D. uses his interest in community issues and raising public awareness to successfully serve as the Program Director, co-General Manager, and co-Engineer of the community public radio stations KGHI 91.1 and KGHE 89.1. R.D. is a passionate activist who brings practical solutions and concerns to the WCMAC as the Conservation Seat.

R.D. Grunbaum

What does Marine Spatial Planning mean to you?
MSP offers the region an opportunity to recognize the marine assets we have as a community and to “future think” about the potential benefits and/or impacts of introducing new uses that may affect present functions and values.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
As a member of the coastal community, it is clear that protection of our beaches, estuaries, and ocean habitats begins with a careful understanding and appreciation of the ecosystem as it exists today. Introducing new uses or expanding current uses may have profound impacts to the community’s way of life, its wildlife, and its aesthetic values. We must plan for the long-term and base decisions on a balance of natural processes and human influences.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I hope the plan will be a guideline that honors and respects nature, the unique tribal influence and rights within our State, and the communities themselves as sustainable entities that work in harmony with existing and future uses of our waters and their resources.

Member Spotlight: Mark Cedergreen

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Mark Cedergreen
WCMAC Recreational Fishing Seat
Mark moved to Westport with his parents in 1956 and purchased Westport Charters from his parents in 1976 after having commercially fished from California to Alaska and operated charter boats from time to time. From 1996 until he semi-retired in 2015, Mark worked for the Westport Charter Boat Association as its Executive Director.

Mark was a long standing member of the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Southern Panel and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. He and his wife, Cathy, have two children, Carrie and Chris. The entire family worked in the recreational fishing industry for many years. Mark was recently honored by induction into the Westport Sportfishing Hall of Fame. The WCMAC is honored to have Mark as the recreational fishing seat on the WCMAC.
 

 
What does Marine Spatial Planning mean to you?
Basically, it’s similar to city planning but on a much grander scale and includes diverse public and private interests that have economic, social, and cultural ties to the marine environment. Marine Spatial Planning includes government and citizen oversight of ocean spatial uses. A key component is the existence of long-standing historical uses, particularly fisheries, that must be considered and protected. Proposed new users of ocean geography need to be aware of the constraints they may face prior to initiating projects that may conflict with existing uses.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
Some years ago, a proposal was made to put a large wind farm off Washington’s Southwest coast. It was obvious that this project, if approved and built, would supplant some of the most productive fishing grounds on the west coast. I did some research on marine wind turbines and found that they require a large footprint, are not necessarily an efficient or cost-effective way to produce electricity, and are a very negative endeavor aesthetically. I decided to be involved in the planning process to help protect the fishing industry from those types of projects. The global report card on marine ocean energy is not all positive. Some places have replaced food providers and recreational users with energy projects that add little to the community at exorbitant cost. This situation makes no sense. I believe that a historical use is the best use and I am involved in the planning process to protect the fishing industry from costly mistakes.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I hope this plan puts a very rigorous process into place for any ocean energy proposal. I want the plan to require an applicant to prove that a new ocean use is the best way to supplement Washington’s energy needs without impacting existing fishing grounds and other existing uses. Any project that requires government subsidies to initiate, expand, or continue production should not be considered the best option. The fishing industry is not willing to trade their long-standing economic and cultural benefits to coastal communities for something that likely provides no benefit to the coastal communities or Washington.
Farmers often claim, “Food doesn’t come from Safeway” and neither do fish. Fishermen need their fishing grounds in order to provide for their families long into the future. I want the Marine Spatial Plan to protect the historical fishing grounds, the food, and the jobs they provide.

Anything else interesting about you?
I have a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington (1968) and my first job was at Boeing working on Minuteman missiles. I think that qualifies me as a “rocket scientist”. I fished my way through college, got hooked in the process, and became a fisherman. I left Boeing in 1969 and “went back to sea”.

Member Spotlight: Larry Thevik

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Larry Thevik
WCMAC Commercial Fishing Seat
Larry is a lifetime resident of Washington State and has been the owner and/or operator of several commercial fishing vessels over the past 45 years. The last three decades he has owned and operated the fishing vessel Midnight Star. He is a member of the state appointed Washington Coastal Crab Advisory Board and one of six state appointed industry representatives to the Pacific States Marine Fish Commission’s Tri-State Crab Committee. He is vice president of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishermen’s Association (WDCFA) headquartered in Westport and a newly appointed member of WCMAC, (replacing Ray Toste).

During Larry’s fishing career, he has trolled for salmon and jigged for albacore from California to Canada. He has pot fished for spot prawns off of Washington. He has long-lined for sablefish, rockfish, and halibut off of Oregon and Washington. And he has pot fished for Dungeness crab off of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Larry recently sold the Midnight Star, but is still involved in several commercial fisheries as a permit owner and continues his role as a representative of coastal commercial fishing interests.

Larry Thevik

What does marine spatial planning mean to you?
When most gaze seaward from shore, the waters of coastal Washington appear to be a vast and fallow place. To a commercial fisher and other ocean users, our coastal seascape offers a considerably different view and different characterization. Ocean user groups know from experience that our coastal marine waters are a busy, utilized, valuable, and limited space. The MSP process has very serious implications and long-lasting impacts. Any process considering displacement of any existing use needs to be thoroughly scrutinized and allow for an elevated level of stakeholder influence. Any policy which may lead to designated areas for new uses needs an accurate assessment of the utility of those uses, and a true measure of the impact on other uses. For me, the Marine Spatial Planning process carries both great risk and potential opportunity. The wrong choices could lead to significant negative impacts and I want to see us avoid them.

How did you get involved and why are you involved in the planning process?
I have travelled our coast and benefited from its beauty and bounty for 45 years. The ocean was my workplace; our estuaries part of my commute. Thousands of families, including my own, depend on the health of our marine natural resources and public access to marine waters for their livelihood. Commercial fishing is highly regulated, it is sustainable, and it is a renewable resource industry. The fishing dependent communities must be involved in MSP due to high potential impact to fishing communities, histories, and culture. I appreciate the opportunity to represent coastal commercial fishing interests in the MSP process. I am hopeful my participation will help sustain fishing families and fishing futures.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
Even with no regulatory authority, WCMAC members provide knowledge and experience to the MSP process. Hopefully the WCMAC can offer careful and considered recommendations that policy makers will use when making future decisions affecting our marine space. I think using the WCMAC as a forum for new information and discussion is a fundamental part of our purpose. The priority underlying all WCMAC recommendations is to protect and preserve existing sustainable uses. Existing users and stakeholders should not have to prove the worth of their case; new uses should have to prove the worth of theirs. The WCMAC cannot presume that existing uses will be valued, we need to ensure that any future alternative uses should not proceed without a true measure of benefit, potential impact, and cost. WCMAC can help provide data and experience, ensure continued stakeholder participation, and recommend guidelines for this vetting process.

Any fun fact that you would like to include?
People who have worked or traveled the ocean for an extended period of time know that the ocean is work first, fun second, and fear last but not least. As a fisher, your work is dawn to dusk and sometimes dawn to dawn. The ocean has no preference or care for your safety and well-being. It is harsh and unforgiving when in a sour mood many never tell their final tale. Pulling the bounty hidden beneath the waves is arduous and often wrought with failure, but to witness what treasure hides when found is joyful. I have watched a male orca pod leader teach his young to hunt sea lions. I have seen orcas elect to display themselves at day’s end just yards from the boat. I have stopped fishing to enjoy Grey and Humpback whales passing by, and at midnight seen the phosphorescent trails left by porpoises as they breach cresting waves in the moonlight. Working on the ocean reminds us of our place in this natural world. Fishing is a way of life. We need a thoughtful MSP process to avoid ever saying “we will fish no more forever…”

Member Spotlight: Tiffany Turner

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Tiffany Turner
WCMAC Economic Development Seat
Tiffany is the daughter of a commercial fishermen and grew up on the Peninsula. She and her husband, Brady, own The Inn at Discovery Coast, the Adrift Hotel and Pickled Fish Restaurant in Long Beach, and the Ashore Hotel in Seaside. Tiffany has an impressive resume as a member of the Pacific County Economic Development Council, the Chair of the Washington Budget and Policy Center, a board member of the Long Beach Peninsula Visitor’s Bureau, and a member of the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Board of Directors. She was just named one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 successful people under 40 in 2015. The WCMAC is excited to welcome Tiffany as the Economic Development Seat.
Tiffany Turner

What does marine spatial planning mean to you?
To me, this process is all about making sure that we preserve the current uses of our coastal waters, while discovering other opportunities. The current uses not only provide economic vitality to our coastal communities, but they are part of our culture and a way of life. My dad is a commercial fisherman, my husband is a surfer, and our guests come to the coast to dig clams, eat oysters, and watch birds. We need to make sure that as we are examining the possibility of new uses, we are also ensuring the protection of the uses that make the Washington Coast such a unique place to live and visit.

Anything else interesting about you?
I have 2 boys; Beckett is 10 and Jaden is 12. I want to make sure that I do my part to create a better world for them.

Member Spotlight: Joshua Berger

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Joshua Berger
WCMAC Commerce Seat
Joshua started working at the Department of Commerce in November 2015 as the Economic Development Director for Washington’s maritime industry sector. Joshua brings a depth of business and economic development knowledge to his commerce seat on the WCMAC. He has been a recognized leader in several professional settings, as the Coordinator of the Washington Maritime Federation, the Maritime Sector Business Development Manager for the Seattle and King County Economic Development Council, the Program Director and Marine Operations Manager at The Evergreen State College, and the Regional and Network Coordinator for the Environmental Education Association of Washington. Joshua also worked in the towing industry and spent six years on the water with Sound Experience aboard the schooner Adventuress. With a lifelong passion for the marine transportation industry, Joshua is an excellent addition to the WCMAC.

Joshua Berger

What does marine spatial planning mean to you?
There is a confluence between our natural environment and human interactions and this is clearly shown along Washington’s Pacific coast where already we engage in so much activity. It is incumbent upon us to think clearly, critically, and inclusively to engage stakeholders on a plan, or guidelines, on how we continue to develop a sustainable approach to these interactions.

How and why did you get involved in the planning process?
As part of my role as the Governor’s Maritime Sector Lead, I act as the liaison, or conduit, between the diverse maritime sector and state agencies. I am also charged to set strategic direction for maritime economic development opportunities. The Washington Marine Coastal Advisory Council calls for representation from the Department of Commerce, therefore, it makes sense that I act as the representative.

What do you hope the WCMAC can accomplish with the Washington Marine Spatial Plan?
I hope the group can engage in meaningful dialogue to find concrete and agreed upon guidelines. We want to ensure that each of the ecological, economic, and cultural identities of the region are considered and find pragmatic ways in which we can accept new uses. This is an opportunity to sustainably develop new economic uses that will not only protect the resource but create prosperity and local jobs.

Anything else interesting about you?
Like many of those on the Advisory Council, I have spent many days and nights at sea along the Pacific coast. I have sailed as mate and engineer on coastwise tugs as well as been captain of several sailing ships that ply these waters. I feel strongly about the cultural and environmental value of the region and share it often with my children and visiting family. This is a unique, powerful, and sensitive area that we can manage well with integrity and progress.