------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- ----------- -----------------
  **United States\                                                                                                                                                          **United States\    **United                    **United States\
  Department of\                                                                                                                                                            Department of\      States\                     Department of
  Agriculture\                                                                                                                                                              Commerce\           Department of               the\
  Forest Service**                                                                                                                                                          National Oceanic/\  the\                        Interior\
                                                                                                                                                                            Atmospheric Admin.\ Interior\                   Fish and\
                                                                                                                                                                            Fisheries**         Bureau of\                  Wildlife
                                                                                                                                                                                                Land                        Service**
                                                                                                                                                                                                Management**                

  [                                                                                                                                                         ]{.underline}                                                   

  **Reply Refer To:** 2670 (FS)/ 6840 (BLM) (OR-931) P                                                                                                                                                          **Date:**   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                November 5, 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                2004        
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- --------------- ----------- -----------------

+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
| *     |                    | **EMS TRANSMISSION**                   |
| *FS/N |                    |                                        |
| OAA/F |                    | **BLM-Instruction Memorandum No.       |
| WS-Me |                    | OR-2005-012**                          |
| moran |                    |                                        |
| dum** |                    | **Expires: 09/30/2006**                |
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
|       |                    |                                        |
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
| **    | Bureau of Land     |                                        |
| To:** | Management         |                                        |
|       | District/Field     |                                        |
|       | Managers (Coos     |                                        |
|       | Bay, Eugene,       |                                        |
|       | Lakeview, Klamath  |                                        |
|       | Falls, Medford,    |                                        |
|       | Roseburg, Salem,   |                                        |
|       | Tillamook, Arcata, |                                        |
|       | King Range         |                                        |
|       | National           |                                        |
|       | Conservation Area, |                                        |
|       | Redding, Ukiah);   |                                        |
|       | Forest Service     |                                        |
|       | National Forest    |                                        |
|       | Supervisors        |                                        |
|       | (Columbia River    |                                        |
|       | Gorge, Deschutes,  |                                        |
|       | Gifford Pinchot,   |                                        |
|       | Klamath, Lassen,   |                                        |
|       | Mendocino, Modoc,  |                                        |
|       | Mt.                |                                        |
|       | Baker‑Snoqualmie,  |                                        |
|       | Mt. Hood,          |                                        |
|       | Okanogan, Olympic, |                                        |
|       | Rogue River,       |                                        |
|       | Shasta-Trinity,    |                                        |
|       | Siskiyou, Siuslaw, |                                        |
|       | Six Rivers,        |                                        |
|       | Umpqua, Wenatchee, |                                        |
|       | Willamette,        |                                        |
|       | Winema); Fish and  |                                        |
|       | Wildlife Service   |                                        |
|       | Office Project     |                                        |
|       | Leaders (Klamath   |                                        |
|       | Falls, Upper       |                                        |
|       | Columbia, Western  |                                        |
|       | Washington and     |                                        |
|       | Oregon) and        |                                        |
|       | Manager,           |                                        |
|       | California/Nevada  |                                        |
|       | Operations Office; |                                        |
|       | NOAA Fisheries     |                                        |
|       | Oregon and         |                                        |
|       | Washington State   |                                        |
|       | Habitat Directors  |                                        |
|       | (Portland, Lacey)  |                                        |
|       | and Habitat Branch |                                        |
|       | Chiefs (Arcata,    |                                        |
|       | Portland,          |                                        |
|       | Roseburg, Lacey)   |                                        |
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
|       |                    |                                        |
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+
| **    | Procedures for     |                                        |
| Subje | Endangered Species |                                        |
| ct:** | Act Consultation   |                                        |
|       | for Timber Sales   |                                        |
|       | Affecting Listed   |                                        |
|       | Salmonid Species   |                                        |
|       | Within the         |                                        |
|       | Northwest Forest   |                                        |
|       | Plan Area          |                                        |
+-------+--------------------+----------------------------------------+

Attached please find the document titled *Analytical Process for
Developing Biological Assessments for Federal Actions Affecting Fish
within the Northwest Forest Plan Area* (Attachment 1). The new
Analytical Process for Developing Biological Assessments for Federal
Actions Affecting Fish within the Northwest Forest Plan Area (Process)
was developed by an interagency team at the direction of the Regional
Interagency Executive Committee Aquatic Consultation Subcommittee, which
consists of regional executives of the Forest Service (FS), Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Fisheries, and Fish and Wildlife Service. The Process was
developed to address project-level Endangered Species Act (ESA)
consultation issues raised in Federal court rulings in the *Pacific
Coast Federation of Fisherman's Association et al. v. National Marine
Fisheries Service* and *Cascadia Wildlands Project et al. v. US Fish and
Wildlife Service* cases. Please distribute to all administrative units
within the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area for immediate
implementation.

The Process described in Attachment 1 is designed to facilitate and
standardize evaluations of actions and effects determinations for
conferencing/consultations under Section (§) 7(a)(2) of the ESA,
focusing on salmonid fishes within the NWFP area. The Process results in
biological assessments with detailed analysis that is commensurate with
the effect determination. The information developed through this process
generally also satisfies the information requirements for essential fish
habitat consultation for Pacific salmon under the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and its implementing regulations
(50 CFR Part 600) when the species is also listed under the ESA.

Attachment 1 appends the July 27, 1999, interagency streamlined
consultation procedures. As a supplemental tool for making ESA effect
determinations, the methods described in the attached document are
mandatory for the assessment of NWFP timber sale actions that "may
affect" listed salmonid species. The Process replaces/supercedes the
Matrix of Pathways and Indicators or other similar effect determination
methods currently in use by Level 1 Teams with the exception of actions
that support the National Fire Plan and are consulted upon under
counterpart regulations via an Alternative Consultation Agreement.

The new Process has been pilot tested on several timber sales in
southwest Oregon and northern California that affected listed salmon
species. We hope to gain additional experience applying the method to a
broader set of projects across all NWFP administrative units. In
particular, we hope to gain additional experience applying the Process
within the range of other listed salmonid species such as bull trout.
The results of these additional applications will be used to refine the
Process.

It is recommended that users review the Process and attend a training
session prior to use. The target audience would be physical scientists
and fishery biologists. Four interagency eight-hour training sessions on
the Process are planned November through January. The tentative schedule
of training sessions is as follows:

+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| >   | > Nov. 15-16, NOAA Fisheries Office, Arcata, CA (Firm date and |
|  1^ | > location)                                                    |
| st^ | >                                                              |
| >   | > Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Portland, OR                                 |
| >   | >                                                              |
|  2^ | > Dec. 6-7, Eugene, OR                                         |
| nd^ |                                                                |
| >   | Jan. 11-12, Roseburg, OR                                       |
| >   |                                                                |
|  3^ |                                                                |
| rd^ |                                                                |
| >   |                                                                |
| >   |                                                                |
|  4^ |                                                                |
| th^ |                                                                |
+-----+----------------------------------------------------------------+

The date and location of the first training session have been arranged
for the California administrative units that will be attended by
approximately 30 people from NOAA Fisheries, BLM and FS. When the
logistics have been arranged for the remaining three sessions, the
administrative units will be informally contacted.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| /s/ Cathy Harris                  | /s/ Jim Golden                    |
|                                   |                                   |
| ELAINE M. BRONG                   | LINDA GOODMAN                     |
|                                   |                                   |
| State Director, OR/WA             | Regional Forester, Region 6       |
|                                   |                                   |
| USDI Bureau of Land Management    | USDA Forest Service               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| /s/ James Wesley Abbott           | /s/ Ken Connaughton               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| MICHAEL J. POOL                   | JACK A. BLACKWELL                 |
|                                   |                                   |
| State Director, CA                | Regional Forester, Region 5       |
|                                   |                                   |
| USDI Bureau of Land Management    | USDA Forest Service               |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| /s/ Michael R. Crouse             | /s/ David B. Allen                |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| D. ROBERT LOHN                    | DAVID B. ALLEN                    |
|                                   |                                   |
| Regional Admin., Northwest Region | Regional Director, Region 1       |
|                                   |                                   |
| USDC National Oceanic and         | USDI Fish and Wildlife Service    |
| Atmospheric Administration        |                                   |
| Fisheries                         |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
|                                   |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Authenticated by                  |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

+---+------------------------------+---------------------------------+---+
| 1 |                              |                                 |   |
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+---+------------------------------+---------------------------------+---+
|   | 1 - Analytical Process for   |                                 |   |
|   | Developing Biological        |                                 |   |
|   | Assessments for Federal      |                                 |   |
|   | Actions Affecting Fish       |                                 |   |
|   | Within the Northwest Forest  |                                 |   |
|   | Plan Area (53pp)             |                                 |   |
+---+------------------------------+---------------------------------+---+
| [ |                              | [cc:]{.underline}               |   |
| B |                              |                                 |   |
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| M |                              |                                 |   |
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+---+------------------------------+---------------------------------+---+

931:MOREAU:xt.6418:tt:10/28/04:S:\\931\\docs\\Moreau\\10971.doc

POCs:

NOAA -- Jennifer MacDonald 503-231-6881

FWS -- Larry Salata 503-231-2350