Mid-Year Meeting Notes

Committee on Ecology and Transportation

The views expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies or opinions of TRB, or the National Academy of Science. dw c:\users\dlwatson\desktop\jeff\2017may14_trb_meetingnotes_final 1-3-18.docx

TRB Committee on Ecology and Transportation (ADC30) Mid-Year Meeting Notes

Date/Time: May 14, 2017 / 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (MDT)

Place: Salt Palace Convention Center, Room 259, Salt Lake City, Utah

Next Meeting:

Attendees (on site): See Attached List

Attendees (via conference call):

Absentees

Distribution: Distribution List

Prior to the meeting, an agenda (attached) was disseminated to the group, which provided the framework for discussion. Highlights of the ensuing conversation are provided below.

• The meeting was initiated with introductions by all in attendance at the meeting site. • Dan also reviewed the current committee members noting the new members/attendees. • Dan posted the Committee’s mission statement as a reminder.

1. Notes/Minutes from the January 10, 2017 Annual Business Meeting a. Notes have been drafted, consolidating comments now. b. Sponsor workshops on Bats and LiDAR

2. TRB & Mid-Year Meeting Updates and Remarks (Christy Gerencher, TRB Senior Program Officer) a. Annual Meeting will be in Washington DC beginning January 8, 2018 b. Call for Papers has been sent and due August 1, 2017 c. Changes to terms and conditions for papers:

i. Papers will be available online for 5 years, but will no longer be printed ii. Authors will need to review and accept new terms, which includes posting on AM online

d. If Workshop(s) are proposed, requests need to be submitted by June 15, 2017; focus will be on collaboration

e. Summer Meetings i. Will have more oversight and requirements due to change in TRB policies (see attachment)

ii. Starting in 2018, will need to work through TRB for management/organization or develop association with already established organization’s conference/meeting such as ICOET to handle management of finances.

iii. Planning of section wide environment and energy conference in 2020

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3. Sub-Committee Reports/Updates

a. Committee Communications (Jeff Simmons, Coordinator & Newsletter Editor; updates provided by Dan and Alex)

i. Newsletter 1. The new newsletter has been posted on the website and email notification

sent. For the next update, we will be repeating the process sometime in November/December (an email soliciting content will be sent out) prior to the TRB meeting, so please start thinking about the next submittal. Authors do need to send confirmation that we have permission to print any graphics that go with the article.

2. Thanks go to everyone who submitted for the newsletter, as well as Carrianne Knight and the rest of the team at Stantec who helped track submittals, layout/format the newsletter, completed reviews, and sent out the email blast notifying friends and members of its availability. It is definitely a team effort!

3. Recommend more use of social media for our committee, particularly around key events like TRB, ICOET, and Northeast Transportation and Wildlife Conference. Any suggestions on how best to accomplish this are welcome.

ii. Updates to the website: www.ecologyandtransportation.weebly.com

1. All committee member biosketches received as of 5:00 PM EDT on 5/11/27 were uploaded to the committee website. A few submittals were received at the end of the day on 5/12/17, and will be added next week. Thanks to Carrianne and Bridget for making this happen.

2. Recommend providing a direct link to individual bios for each committee member on the website, rather than having all in one document. This will make updating easier.

iii. Poster Revision

1. Updated to touch upon events and sponsorship programs for outreach and also get people interested in ecology and transportation.

2. If members are attending other ecology and transportation related conferences, please reach out to help promote.

iv. Call for Papers

1. Going out June 1, 2017, recommend sharing to colleagues to increase the number of papers and involvement.

b. Committee Research Coordinator (Todd Williams)

i. Recommend establishing quarterly phone calls/webinars to reengage membership activity.

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ii. Funding Opportunities (see handout for details)

1. Kris Gade leads the Natural Resource Committee and oversees several funding opportunities.

2. RFP for NCHRP 25-25 (short-burn, ~18 mo) funds are still available (see TERI database); extended to June 2, 2017.

3. Full NCHRP study funds are still open (2-5 yr projects) 4. SCOE evaluates proposals 5. Key to success – proposals that have benefits across multiple DOT’s 6. Projects not selected are put into an archive 7. Selected projects for 25-25 will start Summer 2018; NCHRP will be longer lead-

time due to going to bid. 8. Other funding opportunities available through AASHTO and State DOTs 9. Recommend developing a list of researchers/consultants to send advertisements to

for SCOE Grants 10. Would like to see if Stantec could modify the website/biosketches to see if template

could be used for SCOE Advertisements on ADC30 website. Coordinate with Bridget.

11. Check to see if SCOE website could host these updates vs ADC30s weebly site

c. Liaison (Coordinator Needed)

i. Reaching out for volunteers to coordinate with Committee Members and Friends to have a repository of potential future partnerships.

d. Wildlife & Vehicle Conflict (ANB20-2) (Fraser Schilling)

i. Proposing to change Subcommittee name to Animal Vehicle Conflict

1. Will need approval from ANB20 staffer for change

2. By consensus, ADC30 members in attendance support the proposed change

ii. Developed a synthesis statement for WVC

e. Presentation by Ron Sutherland (Wildland Network): Establishing Road Ecology Working Groups in the mid-Atlantic states

i. Push for proactive approach to highlight preferred wildlife crossings and present to NC DOT and V DOT; coordination amongst many stakeholders

ii. Published draft Prioritization of Wildlife Road Crossings in NC iii. Will be conducting local wildlife bridge monitoring/modeling iv. Establishing Virginia Road Crossing Working Group

4. 2018 Annual Meeting

a. Paper Review (Coordinator Needed)

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i. Dan requested volunteer for Paper Review Coordinator; assist with prioritization, present at the meeting, publication recommendation

ii. Jeff Gagnon volunteered for this role; follow-up with Dan to occur. iii. Authors for paper submittals, will need to have MyTRB profile up-to-date for review and

consideration

b. Program (Coordinator Needed)

i. Dan requested a volunteer to assist the Chair in organizing and setting-up the various sessions for the Annual Meeting.

ii. Workshops – Proposals due by June 15, 2017

1. Coordinate with Dan for template.

iii. Sessions

1. Cross-cutting Session Proposal – Technological Advances in Road Ecology Science a. In review by TRB for approval b. Collaboration between Dan and Fraser

2. Two remaining sessions available a. Typically based on paper submittals

3. Poster Session a. Can have up to 20 posters b. Will need to recruit more presenters for poster sessions (more focused

toward practitioners) c. Call for posters will go out in August 2017 d. Committee can have their own poster

5. 2018 Mid-year Committee Meeting

a. A venue is needed, looking possibly at a host in the Northeast b. ADC10 may be hosted by Florida DOT, and may have Cape Canaveral tour

i. ADC30 has interest in combining and Dan will coordinate

6. Updates

a. US Forest Service (Joe Burns and Dr. Cindy West)

i. USFS is presently seeing many employees retiring and few new employees/applicants have experience in the area of road ecology

ii. Looking at more holistic planning and partnering across agencies iii. Considering 25-25 proposal for resiliency (O&M) iv. National Drought Federal Partnership across multiple agencies – increase storage capacity v. International training on road crossings/roads in Columbia and Costa Rica

vi. Resources are limited and becoming more challenging for younger staff to get exposure at conferences

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vii. Relationships across agencies and modeling is allowing for more robust discussion regarding connectivity

b. ICOET (Chair, Deb Wambach of Montana DOT)

i. Looking for more participation/coordination with resource agencies

c. International Symposium for Linear Infrastructure (Wendy Coillinson, EWT)

i. Symposium to be held in March 2018 at Kruger National Park, South Africa ii. Focus will be on: Road Ecology, Renewable Energy, Transmission Lines

7. Closing/Reminders

a. TRB 96th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC January 7-11, 2018 (http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/AnnualMeeting.aspx)

b. Infra Eco Network of Europe (IENE), Netherlands, September 2018 (http://www.iene.info/news/welcome-iene-2018/)

c. ICOET 2019, Possibly Sacramento, CA, Dates TBD (move to UC Davis for facilitation)

The meeting adjourned at approximately 7 pm MDT. The foregoing is considered to be a true and accurate record of all items discussed. If any discrepancies or inconsistencies are noted, please contact the writer immediately.

Respectfully submitted by Dave Lundgren (on behalf of Jeff Simmons)

Jeff Simmons, PWS/NHCWS ADC30 Committee Communications Coordinator Environmental Services Sector Leader, Transportation Stantec Phone: (803) 748-7843 Cell: (803) 543-3813 Jeff.Simmons@stantec.com

Attachments: Meeting Agenda Meeting Sign-In Sheet TRB Conference Policy

5/12/2017

AGENDA TRB Committee on Ecology and Transportation (ADC30)

Mid-Year Business Meeting at ICOET International Conference on Ecology and Transportation

Sunday, May 14, 2017 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM MDT Salt Palace Convention Center, Room 259 ~ Salt Lake City, Utah

(All ADC30 Members, Friends, and Guests are welcome)

1) Introduction of Members, Friends, and Guests (10 min - 5:00-5:10 PM) 2) Notes/Minutes from January 10, 2017 Annual Business Meeting (5 min – 5:10-5:15 PM) 3) TRB & Mid-Year Meeting Updates and Remarks (Christy Gerencher) (10 min – 5:15-5:25 PM)

4) Sub-Committee Reports/Updates - (20 min – 5:25-5:45 PM)

a) Committee Communications i. Coordinator & Newsletter Editor: Jeffrey Simmons, Stantec ii. Updates to the website: www.ecologyandtransportation.weebly.com iii. Poster revision - Dan Smith, UCF

b) Committee Research Coordinator – Todd Williams, Michael Baker Int’l. c) Liaison – Coordinator Needed d) Wildlife & Vehicle Conflict (ANB20-2) – Fraser Schilling, UC Davis

d) Presentation by Ron Sutherland, The Wildland Network: Establishing Road Ecology

Working Groups in the mid-Atlantic states region (15 min – 5:45-6:00 PM)

5) 2018 Annual Meeting - (30 min – 6:00 – 6:30 PM) i. Paper Review – Coordinator Needed ii. Program – Coordinator Needed

(1) Workshops – Proposals are due by June (2) Sessions

(a) Cross-cutting Session Proposal: Technological Advances in Road Ecology Science

Potential participating committees include Committee on Roadside Maintenance Operations (AHD50), Committee on Safety Data, Analysis and Evaluation (ANB20), Committee on Information Systems and Technology (ABJ50)

(b) Two remaining sessions iii. Poster Session

6) 2018 Mid-year Committee Meeting (15 min 6:30 - 6:45 PM) 7) Updates (15 min 6:45 - 7:00 PM) Agencies– Organizations –

8) Wrap-up/Reminders:

a) TRB 96h Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 8-12 January 2017 http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/AnnualMeeting.aspx

b) Infra Eco Network of Europe, IENE, Netherlands: Sept. 2018 http://www.iene.info/news/welcome-iene-2018/

TRB Conferences & Meetings

The purpose of this document is to assist Senior Program Officers (SPOs), and the Associate Program

Officers (APOs) who work with them, in booking TRB Conferences and Meetings. It is not intended to be

used by volunteers.

Important Rules Regarding Committees:

TRB committees may take the lead in organizing the programs for TRB conferences and

meetings, but they do not own the events and have no authority over the logistics or revenue of

any event. Committees may recommend cities, venues, off-site events, tours, comp registration

or travel reimbursement for certain individuals, and (in some cases) third-party hosts, but such

recommendations must be sent to the responsible SPO and the final decision can be made only

by TRB staff.

TRB committees are expressly prohibited from entering into contractual agreements, collecting or

distributing revenue, holding bank accounts in TRB’s name, or making any guarantees (written or

verbal) to any third party. If an SPO becomes aware of any violation of this rule, they must notify

the TAD Director immediately.

The responsible SPO must be kept aware of all plans by a committee to organize an event, and

(to the extent practical) should be involved in the planning.

SPOs should make it clear to their committees that TRB cannot enter into any agreements

regarding a conference until such conference has first been approved by the TAD Director and

then approved by either the TRB Executive Committee (EC) or the Subcommittee on Planning

and Policy Review (SPPR). (In the case of small committee meetings, approval rules may vary;

see the section below labeled “Committee Meetings.”)

Types of Events:

There are five basic types of events, each with different requirements for approval:

TRB-Sponsored Events hosted by TRB

TRB-Sponsored Events hosted by a third party

TRB Co-Sponsored Events

Joint Events

TRB Committee Meetings

TRB-Sponsored Events Hosted by TRB

TRB Sponsored events are those for which TRB is the lead or primary organization conducting the event

(i.e. the event is owned by TRB).

Before a sponsored event can be approved, the responsible SPO must do the following:

Consider the location. Events that are small enough to fit on one of the four NAS facilities (NAS Building, Keck Building, Jonsson Center in Woods Hole, MA; and the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA), should be held in one of those facilities, unless there is a compelling reason to hold them elsewhere. If such a compelling reason exists, the SPO must request and obtain permission (via email) first from the TAD Director and then from the NAS Manager of Business Processes (Kathleen Gregory).

Prepare the “Advance Approval Form for Conferences,” which is on the TRB Intranet’s Conference page. The form should be submitted to the TAD Administrative Coordinator (Rosa Allen), who will forward it to the TAD Director for approval and (if approved) will forward it to the EC or SPPR.

When completing the Advance Approval Form for Conferences, the SPO will need to specify all of

the roles that will be played by TRB (e.g., managing the planning committee, developing the

program, handling logistics & registration, etc).

It’s not necessary to indicate the specific role of the Meetings Department on the form, however,

the SPO should be aware of the role that the department will play:

o If the event will be held in an NAS facility, the program staff should book the meeting

space and handle the logistics, such as room setup, catering, and audiovisual. The

Meetings Department will provide registration, website, and badges. Hotel booking

procedure will depend on the total number of “room nights” needed. (If you need ten

rooms on Monday, ten rooms on Tuesday, and five rooms on Wednesday, that’s a total

of 25 room nights).

If the event requires no more than 100 total room nights, then the program staff

should work to book the hotel. NAS has a list of preferred hotels in Washington,

Woods Hole, and Irvine. These hotels have pre-existing contracts with NAS, so

the program staff can simply complete the existing addendum template to book

the rooms directly. If the event has no more than 100 total room nights and is in

a location where there are no NAS-preferred hotels, then the program staff

should work directly with the NAS Travel Office to book a hotel.

If the event requires more than 100 room nights, the hotel must be booked by the

TRB Meetings Department.

o If the event will be held at a hotel or other non-NAS venue, typically the Meetings

Department will contract the venue, and provide logistics (room setup, catering,

audiovisual), registration, website, and badges.

Once the event has EC or SPPR approval, the SPO should complete a detailed budget, using the

“Conference Budget Template” on the TRB Intranet’s Conference page. The budget should be

submitted to Tom Palmerlee, and will be reviewed by the TAD Leadership Group.

If the event will receive more than $100,000 in funds from TRB sponsors then it must also be

approved by the National Research Council. If the event will receive less than $100,000 in

sponsor funds then it may need NRC approval if the event will draw high-profile attendees, deal

with a particularly sensitive topic, or otherwise draw more attention than the typical TRB

conference, In these instances, consult with the Division Director. (The $100,000 limit refers only

to sponsorship money. Any revenue from registration or the sale of patronages is not included in

that figure.) A sample of the application is in the file, “Sample NRC Prospectus,” on TRB

Intranet’s Conference page. Note, SPPR or EC approval and a complete budget are required

before applying to the NRC. For more information about this process, contact Tom Palmerlee.

Additional information about requirements for sponsored events can be found in the footnotes of the “Advance Approval Form for Conferences,” which is on the TRB Intranet’s Conference page.

Remember, TRB cannot not enter into any agreements regarding a conference until such

conference has first been approved by the TAD Director and then approved by either the TRB

Executive Committee (EC) or the Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Review (SPPR) and (if

applicable) by the NRC.

Once a TRB Sponsored event has been approved:

o TRB can list it on our online Conference Calendar. The Director of Communications will

contact the SPO to discuss the content of the listing. For more information about publicity

for conferences, visit the Communications Resources page, and click on “Event

Marketing Process for TAD Staff.”

o The Meetings Department can begin work on the event. The Director of Meetings will

contact the SPO to confirm the role of the Meetings Department (e.g., hotel booking,

logistics, registration, etc.) and to assign the appropriate meetings staff members.

TRB-Sponsored Events Hosted by a Third Party

Ideally, TRB-sponsored events should be hosted by TRB, but there are a number of “legacy” conferences

that have been held for many years and have always been handled by third parties. Moving forward,

conferences that are not already using this model should not start to do so; for legacy conferences that

have been using this model, the SPO should work with committee leadership to move away from this

model by 2020. In addition, it is not acceptable to call a TRB-sponsored conference a “co-sponsored”

conference in order to avoid the requirements of sponsored conferences.)

For TRB Sponsored Events hosted by a third party, the policies and procedures are the same as those of

TRB Sponsored Events hosted by TRB, with the following exceptions:

Instead of venue contracting, logistics, registration, website, and badges being handled by TRB,

they are handled by a third party host (typically a university or a state DOT). The Meetings

Department has no role in the hotel booking, logistics, registration, website, or badges for

conferences hosted by third parties.

Before the use of a third party can be approved, the committee chair must answer a list of

questions from the TAD Director regarding the organization of the meeting, and the reason that a

third party is necessary. This list of questions changes from time to time so staff should obtain

the most up-to-date list from the Director of Meetings.

In some cases, committees have sent out requests for proposals to potential hosts, and then

interviewed the finalists in person at the Annual Meeting. Any RFP should be approved by the

Director of Meetings before it is sent out. Committees may review proposals, interview potential

hosts, and recommend a host—but the selection of any host is subject to approval by the TAD

Director.

No commitments can be made to any host (and no host should make any contractual

commitments to other parties, such as hotels) until the TAD Director has approved the host and

the event, and the SPPR or EC has approved the event.

The host must collect all revenue and pay all expenses for the conference, and accept all risk for

any loss. TRB must have no financial responsibility for conferences hosted by third parties. The

host must be willing to acknowledge this in writing.

The host also must agree in writing to other requirements of TRB that derive from commitments

made to TRB’s sponsors and normal business management. For example: TRB’s sponsors

receive discounted conference registration and TRB must receive a complete list of attendees

and their contact information after the conference. Specific requirements may change from time

to time so staff should consult the Director of Meetings regarding this.

Having an event hosted by a third party does not make it a “co-sponsored” event. If TRB is the

originator/owner of the event, it is “TRB-sponsored.” It is not acceptable to label a TRB-sponsored

event as a “co-sponsored” event, in order to avoid the requirements of sponsored events.

TRB Co-Sponsored Events:

TRB often is invited to become a participating organization in, or cosponsor of, a conference or

workshop for which some other organization has the primary responsibility.

Here are the key requirements of a co-sponsored event:

The event must be owned and managed by another organization. By definition, it must be an event that would exist even if TRB were not involved.

TRB and/or its committees must play a meaningful role in the planning and/or development of the event’s program (e.g., TRB committee members serving on the planning committee, reviewing papers, or organizing specific sessions). TRB’s role should not be limited to just marketing of the event.

TRB must have no role in the logistics of the event. TRB must have no role in choosing the host of the event. TRB must have no financial responsibility for the event.

TRB cannot agree to co-sponsor an event until the event has been approved first by the TAD Director and then by the EC or the SPPR.

Once a co-sponsored event has been approved, TRB will list it on our online Conference Calendar. (An asterisk will indicate that it’s a co-sponsored event.) Also, the organizer can use the TRB logo in its marketing to indicate that TRB is a co-sponsor.

Additional information about requirements for co-sponsored events can be found in the footnotes of the “Advance Approval Form for Conferences,” which is on the TRB Intranet’s Conference page. This is the same form that SPOs should use to request approval for events.

Note: It is not acceptable to label a TRB-sponsored event as a “co-sponsored” event, in order to avoid the

requirements of sponsored events. If TRB owns the event, it is a TRB-sponsored event. If TRB is the

primary organizer of the event or if TRB chooses the host, it is a TRB-sponsored event. If the event could

not exist on its own without TRB’s participation, it is a TRB-sponsored event.

Joint Events

Joint events truly are “co-owned” by TRB and another organization. Events like this are fairly rare, but

there are some examples, like the TRB-APTA Joint Meeting on Light Rail.

Typically, responsibilities are divided between the two organizations, the steering committee

includes individuals from both parties, and any financial gain or loss is shared by both parties.

Joint events require a signed Memo of Understanding that spells out the responsibilities of each

party. Any Memo of Understanding must be approved by the Director of Meetings and the TAD

Director and signed by the Executive Director. (Depending on the specific situation, additional

approval may be required from NAS.)

An SPO who wishes to organize a Joint Event should begin by discussing it with the TAD

Director.

Committee Meetings

For an event to qualify as a committee meeting the most important criterion is that the event is primarily

intended for committee members. Some committee friends and invited speakers may also attend but, in

general, the event will be small, perhaps 40-60 attendees. Other characteristics of an event that is a

committee meeting include: It is not broadly advertised to individuals who are not directly related to the

committee. It has an agenda that addresses committee business, rather than a program intended to

attract a broad audience (even though there may be presentations to the committee from non-committee

members). It may charge registration fees to cover expenses but it does not seek sponsor funding or

patrons. It does not have exhibits.

An event that happens to have committee meetings embedded in a larger program is a conference, not a

committee meeting, and is subject to the above-mentioned rules for TRB-sponsored events.

Information about the approval procedures are contained in the document, “Committee Meeting Approval

and Budget Procedures” on the TRB Intranet’s Conference page. Rules for approval vary, depending on

the budget amount.

Typically, committee meetings are held in NAS facilities, and the program staff (rather than Meetings

Department staff) handles arrangements for booking the meeting space, catering, and audiovisual

equipment. Also, the program staff typically handles hotel bookings by using the existing contract

template to book rooms with one of the NAS preferred hotels.

Updated by Ed Leonardo, 5/8/17