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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes2017-018 Sponsored by: Hunt by Council direction CITY OF SEWARD,ALASKA RESOLUTION 2017-018 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, IN SUPPORT OF CHANGES TO TIMING AND SITING OF U.S. NAVY OPERATION NORTHERN EDGE TRAINING EXERCISES IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WHEREAS, the City of Seward has a long history of supporting all branches of the military, including previous Northern Edge exercises, deeply appreciates the dedication and service of all officers and enlisted personnel in protecting our nation, and understands that a fully trained force is necessary to fulfill that mission;and WHEREAS, Seward has enjoyed the community and economic benefits of a long relationship with the military, including thousands of off-duty personnel utilizing the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities here annually, and WHEREAS, previous similar exercises have taken place during periods of locally low or absent populations of migratory fish, marine mammal and bird species that the Seward economy depends on or have been conducted away from critical areas identified in the previous and current Environmental Impact Statements, and have been a positive experience for the community while causing little known negative environmental impact; and WHEREAS, Northern Edge 2017 is scheduled for May 2017, within an area that includes different habitat areas of particular concern, and lacks a National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS)Record of Decision or Letter of Authorization;and WHEREAS, commercial, guided sport and personal use fishing, and wildlife viewing tours are cornerstones of the local economy, and both occur in May, in the Gulf of Alaska, and within the northwestern area of the Temporary Marine Activities Area; and WHEREAS, the combination of timing, location, and lack of NMFS findings intended to address these types of issues raise concerns for the City,particularly regarding possible impacts to fish and marine mammal populations critical to the local economy; and WHEREAS, the Navy has demonstrated the ability to fulfill its training and testing obligations while also extending additional protections to important marine species as evidenced by its agreement to limit training and testing activities in Southern California and Hawaii during the previous permit period (2011-2016), and has more recently proven responsive in the 2017- 2021 period by agreeing to not conduct activities at the Portlock Bank near Kodiak.; and WHEREAS,marine mammal species protected by the Hawaiian and Southern California agreements have populations that routinely migrate seasonally to and from Alaska to feed, mainly from May to September; and CITY OF SEWARD,ALASKA RESOLUTION 2017-018 WHEREAS, the Navy has already committed to train at least 12 nm from shore during activities in the Gulf of Alaska, and relatively minor further adjustments in time and place can provide major levels of protection for species and habitat during Northern Edge 2017, and for future exercises during the remaining years of the permit application period. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA,that: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska hereby requests the Navy to offer similar consideration to the communities and marine species in the Prince William and Cook Inlet areas of Alaska as provided to the communities and marine species in Hawaii, Southern California and the Kodiak area of Alaska by 1) agreeing to employ operational limitations (on sonar or explosives within 20 nm of the biologically important areas identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service, limit vessel speeds in migration paths and feeding areas to avoid whale strikes) as described in the 2015 agreements, 2) avoiding the northwestern area of the Temporary Marine Activities Area and the State Marine Protected Area, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Protected Area, and Gulf of Alaska Seamount Protected areas therein, and 3) agreeing to conduct activities in the fall when overall marine mammal, fish, and migratory bird abundance is lower, or in subsequent permit years to conduct activities earlier in the year before migratory species are at seasonal high populations. Section 2. With the concerns the community has raised, the City Council respectfully requests the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to conduct an after-action survey of the training area, migration routes, haul out areas, and rookeries, and advise the concerned communities of any findings. Section 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska, this 28th day of March, 2017. THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA can Bardarson, Mayor AYES: Casagranda, Keil, Squires, McClure, Altermatt, Slater, Bardarson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ATTEST: .0%1, OF set N Jo anna KM CMC ; C�lPcr; �'"a` ,rte • Clerk '•'" ( •• n T (City Seal) - • --. 4.51 OF : �Y ♦..e.ii Jit