Northwest Power and Conservation Council www.subbasins.org

What’s a subbasin?

The geographic area drained by a river and its tributaries 

is called a basin. The Columbia River Basin drains parts of 

seven states and the province of British Columbia, a vast 

area encompassing 259,000 square miles. For planning 

purposes, 62 subbasins of the Columbia River are designated 

in the United States. Some are tributaries and others are 

parts of the main Columbia and Snake rivers.

What’s a subbasin plan?

Columbia River Basin fish and wildlife populations have 

declined over time as the result of habitat losses, overharvest, 

ocean conditions and other causes. Subbasin plans direct 

actions to improve survival and increase the diversity and 

number of fish and wildlife populations in subbasins.

Whose idea was this?

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, an 

interstate compact of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and 

Washington, has specific responsibility in the Northwest 

Power Act of 1980 to mitigate the effects of hydropower 

dams on fish and wildlife of the Columbia River Basin. The 

Council does this through its Columbia River Basin Fish and 

Wildlife Program, which is funded and implemented by the 

Bonneville Power Administration. In 2000, the Council 

established in the program a vision, goals and objectives for 

all fish and wildlife of the Columbia River Basin.

The Council also decided it made sense to implement the 

program principally at the subbasin level through locally 

developed subbasin plans. Subbasin plans have the support 

of NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

federal agencies that implement the Endangered Species Act 

for fish and wildlife. Thus, subbasin planning coordinates 

fish and wildlife recovery efforts and improves their efficiency 

and effectiveness.

In The

Columbia River Basin

The Northwest Power

and Conservation Council’s

Guide to

A subbasin plan has 

three parts:

1. The inventory includes all the information on 

existing fish and wildlife programs, activities and 

management plans.

2. The assessment is a biological analysis of 

the potential for fish and wildlife survival 

improvements.

3. The management plan sets the course for 

future action — 10 to 15 years into the future. 

The management plan includes 1) a vision of 

the desired environment in the subbasin; 2) 

biological objectives to measure and quantify 

fish and wildlife populations and environmental 

conditions; 3) strategies, or actions needed to 

achieve the biological objectives; and, 4) a plan 

for research, monitoring and evaluation of the 

actions and results.

Your 

Subbasin 

Up Close
Northwest Power and Conservation Council www.subbasins.org 

Here’s how to 

comment:

Go to www.subbasins.org and find your 

subbasin in the pull-down list of subbasins on the 

left side of the page. Choosing the subbasin will 

call up its homepage. Download those portions of 

the plan you wish to read. Send your comments to 

the Council either by e-mail or by regular mail. 

Address e-mail comments to: 

info@nwcouncil.org 

Address written comments to:

Mark Walker

Public Affairs Division

Northwest Power and Conservation Council

851 S.W. Sixth Avenue, Suite 1100

Portland, Oregon 97204

Deadline for comments is August 12, 2004.

Why subbasin 

plans?

Many types of projects implement 

the fish and wildlife program. These 

include protecting habitat, improving 

fish passage at dams, rebuilding 

naturally spawning fish populations 

through the careful use of experimental 

hatcheries, researching factors that 

limit fish and wildlife survival.

Subbasin plans will direct these projects 

and project funding, and provide the 

context for public and scientific review 

of project proposals and, ultimately, 

the Council’s project-funding 

recommendations to Bonneville.

Who developed 

subbasin plans?

Local landowners and experts affiliated with state 

and federal fish and wildlife agencies collaborated to 

develop the plans. In each subbasin all of these interests 

collaborated to develop a plan that reflects unique 

circumstances, goals and objectives. The Council selected 

lead entities for each subbasin or, in some cases, groups 

of subbasins to organize the effort. Bonneville provided 

about $15 million to pay for the work.

Many public meetings were conducted in the subbasins. 

It was a long and, at times, difficult process. But 

importantly, the work was done with broad participation. 

The plans were submitted to the Council on May 28, 2004.

What’s in it for fish 

and wildlife?

Improved habitat and greater abundance of species and 

genetic diversity. Subbasin plans will give context to 

where mitigation projects should occur and also provide 

assurance that the most beneficial projects are being 

undertaken in the right places at the right time to improve 

conditions for fish and wildlife.

What’s in it for 

people?

The draft plans are available for public review and 

comment from June 4 through August 12. After the 

Council adopts the plans as draft amendments to the 

fish and wildlife program in November, another period of 

public comment and review will take place.

What’s 

in it for 

government?

Subbasin plans will help state 

and federal agencies that deal 

with fish and wildlife, water, land, 

hydropower, and endangered species 

build better relations and deeper 

understanding with the public 

about complex and controversial 

environmental issues. Subbasin plans 

will promote improved, collaborative 

planning consistent with local and 

regional goals and direct a limited 

amount of funding to fish and 

wildlife projects with the highest 

probability of success.

What’s next?

The plans will be available for public review and comment 

this summer. The Council will adopt the plans as draft 

amendments to the fish and wildlife program in November, 

conduct another public comment period, and then amend 

the plans into the program. Over time, the plans will be 

updated periodically.

”

Wherever feasible, 

the fish and wildlife 

program will be 

accomplished by 

protecting and 

restoring the natural 

ecological functions, 

habitats, and biological 

diversity of the 

Columbia River Basin.

“

Columbia River Basin

Fish and Wildlife Program
Northwest Power and Conservation Council www.subbasins.org

Key Subbasin Planning 

2004 Dates

May 28th

Subbasin Plans submitted

June 4 - August 12

Independent Scientific Review and Public review

August 13 - 17

Council develops “key issues” list based on your 

comments

August 17 - October 15

Plan response period. Planners develop responses to 

comments for Council

November

Council adopts draft amendments

November - December

Public hearings/comments on draft amendments

December - January

Council adopts subbasin plans into program
Council Central Offi ce Staff

Lynn Palensky, 503-222-5161

lpalensky@nwcouncil.org

John Harrison, 503-222-5161

jharrison@nwcouncil.org

Idaho

Tom Dayley (Council, Boise), 208-334-2189

tdayley@nwcouncil.org

Inter-Mountain Province coordinator:

Alison Squier, 509-747-5804

alison@softridge.net

Idaho Subbasins 

Boise

Bruneau

Clearwater

Coeur d’Alene

Kootenai

Lower Middle Snake Mainstem

Owyhee

Palouse

Payette

Pend Oreille

Salmon

Snake Headwaters

Snake Hells Canyon

Spokane

Upper Snake Closed Basin

Upper Middle Snake Mainstem

Upper Snake

Weiser

Montana

Kerry Berg (Council, Helena), 406-444-3952

kberg@nwcouncil.org

Montana Subbasins

Kootenai

Flathead

Oregon

Karl Weist (Council, Portland), 503-229-5171

kweist@nwcouncil.org

Oregon Subbasins

Burnt

Columbia Estuary

Columbia Gorge

Deschutes

Fifteenmile Creek

Grande Ronde

Hood

Imnaha

John Day

Lower Columbia Mainstem

Lower Middle Columbia Mainstem

Lower Middle Snake Mainstem

Lower Snake Mainstem

Malheur

Owyhee

Powder

Snake Hells Canyon

Umatilla

Upper Middle Snake Mainstem

Walla Walla

Willamette

Washington

Tony Grover (Council, Vancouver), 360-513-6801

tgrover@nwcouncil.org

Intermountain Province coordinator:

Alison Squier, 509-747-5804

alison@softridge.net

Washington Subbasins

(listed by coordinating group)

Intermountain Province Oversight Committee

Pend Oreille

San Poil

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 11

PORTLAND, OR

851 S.W. Sixth Avenue

Suite 1100

Portland, Oregon 97204

Telephone: 503-222-5161

Toll free: 800-452-5161

Web site: www.nwcouncil.org 

State Coordinators and Subbasins

Spokane

Upper Columbia Mainstem

Snake River Salmon Recovery Board

Asotin

Lower Snake Mainstem

Tucannon

Walla Walla

Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board

Entiat

Lake Chelan

Methow

Okanagon

Upper Middle Columbia Mainstem

Wenatchee

Yakima Salmon Recovery Board

Yakima

Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board

Columbia Estuary

Columbia Gorge

Cowlitz

Elochoman

Grays

Kalama

Lewis

Little White Salmon

Lower Columbia Mainstem

Washougal

Wind

Other Washington Subbasins

Big White Salmon

Crab Creek

Klickitat

Lower Middle Columbia Mainstem

Palouse

Snake Hells Canyon