Mr. Colvin stated that the State Legislature has enacted increased fees for State hunting and fishing licenses to provide necessary revenue to the State Conservation Fund. As part of this legislation, DEC is required to annually produce a statement of expected levels of expenditures from the Conservation Fund and the activities which those expenditures would occur. The proposed FY 2003/2004 expenditure plan from the Conservation Fund was presented to the Legislature and the Conservation Fund Advisory Board in September, 2002. The Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources decided that it should similarly brief the Marine Resources Advisory Council. Mr. Colvin distributed the Division’s 2003/2004 Work Plan. He introduced Mr. Shaun Keeler, from the Division’s Albany office. Mr. Keeler and Ms. Karen Chytalo, the Bureau of Marine Resources’ representative on the Division’s work plan team, gave the Council a PowerPoint presentation on the Division work plan process; Ms. Chytalo provided additional information on the Bureau of Marine Resources’ 2003/2004 work plan.

At the conclusion of the presentation by Mr. Keeler and Ms. Chytalo, Mr. Colvin noted that the Department wanted feedback from the Council on both the goals and objectives of the Division/Bureau work plans as well as on specific activities. He asked councilors to take the time to read through the work plan and ask any questions they might have. DEC will produce a proposed work plan annually and the Council can expect to be engaged in a dialogue with the Department each year in the summer and early fall about its contents. It was agreed that each council member should look over the proposed work plan and come up with any suggestions that might be useful for the future.