1

Citizen Update

Salmon & Our Future

Fall 1999 • Issue 1

A Publication of the Federal Caucus, Columbia River Basin Fish Recovery

About

This Update

This publication is intended to help Northwest citi

zens understand the many studies to be released

this fall and winter on recovery of endangered and

threatened fish and other aquatic species throughout

the Columbia River Basin.

It is sponsored by the Federal Caucus, a group of

nine federal agencies responsible for federal actions in

the Northwest that affect salmon, steelhead, bull trout,

white sturgeon and snails listed under ESA. The Caucus

is coordinating federal planning with other regional

recovery efforts, including those of states, Indian tribes,

the Northwest Power Planning Council and the

Columbia River Basin Forum. Further editions of this

Citizen Update will describe study results and list dates

and places of public meetings.

Public Meetings

The Federal Caucus will host public meetings January

through March 2000. They will provide citizens throughout the basin an opportunity to learn more about the

options being considered for recovery, and to make written and oral comments before final decisions are made

(see page 14).

What’s Inside

About this Update ................................... 1

Way is Salmon Recovery Important?..... 1

Columbia River Basin Fish Recovery . 2-3

What is the Four-H Paper? ........................ 4

The Lower Snake River Dams ................... 4

Goals for Recovery .................................. 5

The Four Hs : Issues & Options for Fish

Hydropower ...................................... 6

Hatcheries ........................................ 7

Habitat .............................................. 8

Harvest .............................................. 9

Native Americans ..................................... 10

How Recovery Plans Affect People ......... 10

What Happens Next? ................................ 10

Who Has a Role ......................................... 11

Decision Tools And Documents.......... 12-13

What You Can Do ...................................... 14

For more Information .............................. 15

Science ...................................................... 15

Why Is Salmon

Recovery Important?

➤ healthy watersheds and

clean water mean ecological integrity of natural systems, important for our future economic, environmental and social health

➤ salmon have been part of

the Northwest culture and

food source for thousands

of years

➤ healthy salmon runs provide tribal fishing opportunities that recognize tribal

culture and treaty rights

➤ salmon and fisheries contribute to our economy and

provide jobs

➤ the Endangered Species

Act requires protection of

native wild species
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Columbia River

Basin Fish Recovery

I

t is no secret to Northwesterners that salmon

are in serious trouble. There are now 12

salmon and steelhead species in the Columbia

and Snake rivers listed under the Endangered

Species Act (ESA), and more may be forthcoming. Resident fish and other aquatic species are

also listed.

 Immediate and regionwide action is needed

to reverse the declines of naturally spawning

wild salmon, steelhead and other fish, and improve habitat. Though opinion is strong among

Northwesterners that salmon should be protected, intense debate is focused on how to solve

the problem. At the very center of this debate is

the question of removing four federal dams on

the lower Snake River. Other actions under study

relate to improving ways to get migrating fish

past the dams, protecting and improving salmon

and other fish habitat in the rivers and many

tributaries, and making changes in hatchery and

harvest practices. These four factors that affect

the life cycle of salmon are referred to as the

Four Hs – habitat, hatchery, harvest and hydropower.

A Federal Caucus of nine agencies is working with regional tribal and state representatives

to lay the groundwork for a unified and coordinated approach throughout the Columbia River

Basin, to restore ESA-listed species and to

achieve a healthier ecosystem. This fall and winter, the region will move a step closer to solutions when key scientific and analytical reports

are published. This will set the stage for public

meetings and comment periods in Washington,

Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, January to

March 2000, providing opportunity for public

input on many facets of long-term salmon recovery decisions.

The Columbia River Basin collects water

from hundreds of mountain streams into four

U.S. rivers–the Snake, the Kootenai, the Clark

Fork-Pend Oreille and the Willamette Rivers.

These feed into the mainstem of the Columbia

River which eventually empties into the Pacific

Ocean. Covering 219,000 square miles in seven

western states–Washington, Oregon, Idaho,

Montana, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah - the basin also takes in 39,500 square miles in British

Columbia. That’s a total area roughly the size of

Texas.

Decline Of Fish and Habitat

In The Basin

I

t is estimated that before the 19th century

influx of large human populations and

development, between 10 million and 16 million

adult salmon and steelhead returned to the

Columbia River each year. Today, about one

million adult salmon return, and 80 percent of

these are salmon reared in hatcheries.

The decline in fish and their habitat in the Columbia River Basin has coincided with rising human populations and development in the last 150

years, bringing progress to communities, but at no

small cost to the basin’s natural ecosystem. Harnessing the basin’s rich resource has brought abundant and cheap electrical power for homes and

businesses; turned desert areas into productive

land that provides food, jobs and export commodities; created a water highway in the Columbia

River Basin for bringing wheat, barley and other

products downstream and supplies back upstream

to the inner reaches of Oregon, Washington and

Idaho; provided flood control for river communiContinued on next page
3

ties and irrigation for agricultural land; and supported recreational opportunities including boating, wind surfing, hiking, camping and fishing.

However, this development has also caused

extensive environmental problems and habitat

degradation throughout the basin, and brought

intense commercial fish harvesting. Some juvenile fish are injured or killed in their passage

through powerhouse turbines at dams. Hatchery fish releases have expanded. Watershed development has included agricultural practices,

timber harvest and road construction that affect

water quality and quantity.

Also, although not necessarily a result of development, ocean conditions including currents

and temperature changes, can affect salmon survival by decreasing food production and increasing predator population.

Salmon and steelhead are anadromous fish.

This means they are born in fresh water, migrate

downstream to the ocean where they mature in

saltwater, and then return to their original freshwater birthplace to spawn.

Depending on the species, these fish may

range thousands of miles during a four- or fiveyear life span, without regard to federal, state,

tribal or international boundaries or management practices. Because the salmon’s habitat is

vast and varied, from high mountain streams to

the ocean, protecting and restoring it is especially complicated and difficult.

Rivers and reservoirs in the basin are also

home to resident freshwater fish, such as trout

and sturgeon. They do not migrate to the ocean,

but may migrate to some extent through freshwater territory. Human development has altered

their habitat too. Some floodplains and streamside habitats important to wildlife were covered

when reservoirs behind dams filled with water.

Development in watersheds has affected water

quality of many formerly pristine tributaries, also

home to resident fish.

The Endangered Species Act

Steps In

T he Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a

federal law passed in 1973 to protect species of plants and animals from impacts of human actions. Under the ESA, species can be

listed as endangered – in danger of extinction,

or as threatened – likely to become endangered.

The National Marine Fisheries Service

(NMFS) has authority over marine fish (including anadromous fish) and marine mammals,

while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),

has authority over all other species.

Any federal agency whose proposed actions

may affect a listed species or its habitat must

assess the potential impacts of those actions,

in a document called a biological assessment,

or BA. The “action agency” must consult with

NMFS and/or FWS, which then issues its

biological opinion, or BO, stating whether the

proposed actions will jeopardize the continued

existence of the species. This BO may contain

“reasonable and prudent” actions needed to

avoid jeopardy.

ESA listings of Snake River salmon in 1991-

92, and subsequent listings of additional salmonids (salmon and steelhead) in the Columbia

and Snake Rivers, set in motion the federal consultation process. This eventually led to the

1995 BOs from

NMFS and FWS, a

1998 supplement

to the NMFS BO,

and a pledge of a

1999 decision on

how the Federal

Columbia River

Power System

should be operated

and configured to

protect fish, with a

focus on the future

of the four federal

dams on the lower

Snake River.

The agencies realized that actions beyond

those in the hydropower system must also be

considered to recover listed salmon and other

species. Those actions include improvements in

habitat, harvest and hatchery management.

To ensure a coordinated approach to analyzing all opportunities for improvement in all

Hs, the Federal Caucus was formed and began

work on a “Four-H Paper.”

Continued from last page

From Rivers to Ocean: The Columbia River Basin

drains an extremely diverse geographic area, from

mountain peaks that bear snow year-round, to sea-level

tidal flats where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean.

In between are deserts, forests, farmlands, towns and

cities.
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What is the

Four-H Paper?

Recovery of ESA-listed fish will require

changes in the way people affect fish in

each stage of their life cycles: habitat, hatcheries, harvest, and hydropower system. Decisions

about the hydro system, whether they involve

breaching dams or making further changes in

river operations, will need to be presented in

the context of how they fit with the other three

Hs to be meaningful.

 The federal and regional partners are describing and analyzing recovery options across

the salmon life cycle that involve all four Hs.

These options are broadly described, to engage

a regional discussion.

 The measures in each “H” will vary depending on the companion measures in the other Hs.

This is important in several respects. It means

the agencies are taking a “whole system” perspective, ensuring that hydropower improvements, in combination with other factors that

affect fish, achieve the desired results.

 The Four-H Paper will clarify these potential trade-offs. The bottom line is this: the region is working to find the right combination of

measures, including improving fish passage at

dams, restoring healthy watersheds and clean

streams, applying new scientific discoveries to

hatchery operations, and negotiating and monitoring harvest, to ensure salmon runs regain

their strength. Actions in each H are critical to

recovery.

The Lower

Snake River

Dams

A difficult and controversial

option is an alternative under study by the Corps of Engineers to breach

four dams on the lower Snake River (see map).

Breaching means removing the earthen embankment portion of the dams, which returns the

river to its natural level. The Corps of Engineers

is analyzing four major alternatives for changing

the dams for improved salmon survival. These are:

1. maintain the existing systems for fish passage,

with planned improvements

2. maximize juvenile fish transport, barging or trucking as many fish as can

be collected

3. make major system improvements such as surface bypass systems for juvenile fish

4. breach the dams to restore a free-flowing 140-mile stretch of river.

The Four-H Paper is considering similar options for the Snake River dams,

and looking at dam breach in the context of companion measures addressing other

hydro choices and options for habitat, harvest and hatcheries. The Four-H Paper

also considers the possibility of deferring a decision on whether to breach these

dams, if the science is too incomplete at this time to justify major changes to the

hydropower system, or if it seems likely the fish runs could be restored through

other measures.

Whatever the outcome of the Corps study, breaching the dams would require

Congressional authorization and funding and would take seven to eight years to

complete. Interim measures, in any case, are a high priority.
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Goals for Recovery

These goals are expressed by the Federal Caucus in the Four-H Paper and generally reflect

the goals of the regional partners:

Conserve Species: Avoid extinction and foster long-term survival and recovery of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, and other aquatic species. Protect and restore abundant, productive, widely distributed, and biologically diverse naturally spawning populations. Foster recovery to levels that can withstand reasonable harvest, the impacts of

continuing human activities, and a range of climatic and ocean conditions.

Conserve Ecosystems: Conserve the ecosystems upon which salmon and steelhead depend. Protect and restore ecosystem processes that create high quality habitat (tributary, estuary, mainstem) and protect and restore high water quality for spawning, rearing and migration.

Assure Tribal Fishing Rights: Restore salmon and steelhead populations, over time, to a level

that provides a sustainable harvest sufficient to allow for meaningful exercise of tribal

fishing rights. Until these restoration levels are achieved, provide tribal fishing opportunities that respect tribal culture and recognize treaty rights.

Balance the Needs of Other Species: Ensure that salmon and steelhead conservation measures are balanced with the needs of other native fish and wildlife species. Ensure the

long term persistence of self-sustaining, complex interacting groups of resident fish

and other aquatic and wildlife species across their native ranges.

Minimize Adverse Effects on Humans: Implement salmon and steelhead conservation measures in ways that minimize their adverse human effects.
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HYDROPOWER: The Corps of Engineers operates 12 and the Bureau of Reclamation

operates two of the 14 major Columbia River hydropower projects in the Federal Columbia River Power System. Bonneville Power Administration markets the power

from these projects. Congress authorized the federal dams and reservoirs for various

uses, including power generation, flood control, navigation, irrigation, water supply,

fish and wildlife, and recreation. There are also many nonfederal hydro dams in the

Northwest.

Dams create barriers to salmon and steelhead migration, for adult fish migrating upstream to spawning

and rearing areas, and for juvenile fish swimming downstream to the ocean. Chinook salmon once traveled as many as 1,200 miles to reach spawning sites in the Columbia River’s headwaters in Canada.

About one-third of all salmon habitat in the Northwest has been blocked by a few dams that do not allow

fish passage.

Even dams that provide passage systems are a hazard to young salmon migrating downriver. The reservoirs that back up behind the dams alter river flows and temperature, and provide habitat for fish predators. The reservoirs increase fish migration time, and may have adverse effects on the physiological

process through which young fish change to adapt from a freshwater to a saltwater environment. Juvenile fish can be injured or killed when they pass through dam turbines on their journey downstream.

The salmon and steelhead that migrate from the upper parts of the Columbia or Snake rivers must

pass as many as eight or nine dams on their journey to the ocean and return.

One solution now used is mechanical bypass systems installed at some dams. These include screens

to divert juvenile fish into special conduits that “bypass” the fish through or around the dam. Juvenile

fish are also collected at some dams for transport by barge or truck and released below the dams.

Increased spill is also used at the dams to divert more fish away from turbines and over the spillways.

Flows are augmented by release of water from storage dams during juvenile migration seasons.

After maturing in the ocean for one to four years, adult fish migrate back upriver to their original

habitat to spawn. Fish ladders have been built into the dams to allow adult fish to get past them.

Options ➤ Option 1: Continue present operations and ongoing improvements to the system, with roughly the existing

annual level of investment continuing into the future.

Option 2: Implement measures such as surface bypass systems for juvenile fish, to increase dam passage

survival. Federal agencies would seek increased funding to pursue more aggressive implementation of

measures to improve passage survival.

Option 3: Breach the four federal dams on the lower Snake River

The Four Hs : Issues & Options for Fish

HYDROPOWER
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The Four Hs : Issues & Options for Fish

HATCHERIES

HATCHERIES: Hatcheries were first built in the basin in the 1870s to enhance fish runs

depleted by overfishing. More than 80 anadromous fish hatcheries have been built by

federal and state governments and others as mitigation for hydroelectric development and habitat destruction. Federal and state agencies and tribes operate the hatcheries. Today, more than 80 percent of the basin’s salmon and steelhead are raised in

hatcheries. In 1997, Congress asked the Northwest Power Planning Council to do a

sweeping review of the region’s hatcheries, focusing on policies, operations and their

role in the broader context of fisheries management. This review includes recommendations that will be incorporated in the Four-H Paper.

In hatcheries, adult fish are artificially spawned and the eggs are incubated until they hatch. Hatcheries essentially replace natural freshwater rearing for salmon and minimize mortality at this life

stage. The juvenile fish are reared in ponds or raceways until they are ready to migrate. Most

juvenile fish are then released directly from the hatchery; a small proportion are transported and

released in streams at other locations. Hatchery fish migrate to the ocean where they mature.

Those that survive will return to the hatchery or stream where they were released.

Some scientists now believe that hatcheries have contributed to the decline of wild salmon in

the Columbia Basin. Juvenile wild salmon and steelhead compete for food and shelter with hatchery fish that are released into the same river habitat. Hatchery fish can attract predators and carry

disease, and hatchery practices tend to weaken the gene pool of wild fish. Loss of genetic diversity decreases the ability of a population to survive a natural disaster or disease.

Options ➤ Option 1: Includes currently planned programs to conserve genetic resources and currently planned

improvements in mitigation programs.

Option 2: Increase programs to conserve genetic resources over the currently planned programs, with

the same currently planned improvements in mitigation programs.

Option 3: Increase programs to conserve genetic resources, as described in Option 2, and significantly

decrease mitigation programs below currently planned levels.
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The Four Hs : Issues & Options for Fish

H ABITAT

HABITAT: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management manage more than

50 percent of spawning and rearing habitats for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin. Other public lands are managed by state, local and tribal entities.

The habitat required by salmon and steelhead varies with their life cycles, but it always includes

clean, cool water. Overhanging trees provide shade to keep the water cool. For spawning and the

survival of eggs, fish need clean, silt-free gravel so water can circulate. After hatching, young fish

need pools to rest in, overhanging vegetation to provide places to hide from predators, and plenty

of food, like insects and larvae.

Many human activities can degrade and destroy fish habitat. Logging and road building can

remove shade trees and increase sediment in the water, raising water temperatures and burying

spawning gravels. Heavy livestock grazing destroys streamside vegetation, leading to bank erosion,

sedimentation and higher water temperatures. Manure, pesticides and agricultural runoff have

contaminated lakes, streams and rivers near farm communities.

Low flows can strand fish or cause water temperatures to rise, increasing risk of disease and

death. Irrigation withdrawals can further reduce streamflows in the summer when they are already

low, reducing quality and quantity of habitat, and inhibiting juvenile fish migration downstream.

Unscreened irrigation ditches can divert migrating fish into dead-end ditches. Irrigation return

flows can increase water temperature, sediment loading of streams and pollution.

Mining can result in lethal acid or heavy metal contamination of waters. Placer or dredge

mining can destroy spawning gravels and pools where fish live.

Urban runoff from residential and industrial development can contaminate bodies of water

through increased organic materials, like sewage, or household lawn pesticides washing into

streams. As development moves out into new areas, wetlands, estuaries and streams that nourish

fish and wildlife disappear.

Options ➤ These options assume the federal land management agencies will continue to pursue their current

programs and will continue to consult on those programs under the ESA.

Option 1: Moderate increases in efforts to protect and restore habitat, a measurable increase in federal

action and coordination, and increased habitat assessments and planning efforts using federal funds.

Option 2: State, tribal, local and federal entities would significantly increase level of coordination,

planning and habitat implementation. There would also be an increase in federal funding for habitat

assessments, plans, immediate actions, and monitoring.

Option 3: Similar to option 2, with increased regulation by the federal agencies under the Clean Water

Act and ESA. This option would be implemented if the region cannot develop a coordinated plan with

state and local governments.
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The Four Hs : Issues & Options for Fish

H ARVEST

HARVEST: Since the 1960s, state, federal and international fishery managers have been

cutting harvest rates to protect salmon runs. Commercial and recreational fishing is

regulated by a series of state and federal regulations and court decisions regarding

treaty rights. Harvest has been shaped by decades of negotiations between the United

States and Canada and by extensive litigation that has involved ocean, in-river and

treaty fisheries.

Historically, overfishing has contributed to declines in fish populations. Fish are caught in the

ocean by commercial fishing operations, using hooks and line trolling. Commercial fishing also

takes place in the lower Columbia River using gillnets. Native American tribes of the region have

treaty rights to catch salmon for their own use, for sale and for cultural and religious ceremonies.

Sportfishers catch salmon in the ocean, mostly from charter boats, and many more salmon are

taken when they migrate up the rivers. Steelhead, caught primarily in the rivers, are considered a

prize sport fish.

Because hatchery fish intermingle with wild fish, harvest rates set based upon abundance of

hatchery fish may result in overharvest of weaker stocks of wild fish. However, harvest management has in recent years taken this into account.

Options ➤ The following options presume that the beneficial harvest reforms of recent years will continue.

Option 1: Implement recent Pacific Salmon Treaty agreements. For in-river fisheries, harvest rates are

constrained to 1999 levels, but may increase modestly if populations of listed fish increase.

Option 2: Implement recent Pacific Salmon Treaty agreements and continue the in-river harvest constraints developed for 1999. The 1999 in-river harvest rates would continue until recovery goals are

achieved.

Option 3: Harvest impacts on listed populations would be reduced to conservation crisis levels for

ten years, after which shift to option 1 or 2.
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Native Americans

Northwest Indian tribes fished the streams

and rivers of the Columbia River Basin for

thousands of years, and their culture reflects respect for water, fish and wildlife resources. In

1855, four Columbia River tribes signed treaties

giving the U.S. government control of more than

40 million acres of the Northwest. In those treaties, the tribes reserved their right to fish in their

usual and accustomed fishing areas. Other tribes

have treaties or executive orders that recognize

their sovereignty. Tribal leaders are concerned

that the loss of salmon runs means a loss of

cultural practices that have focused on salmon

as spiritual and physical nourishment. Tribal

rights include fishing for subsistence, for sale

and for cultural and religious purposes.

There are 13 federally recognized Indian

tribes in the United States portion of the basin

affected by the Columbia River power system.

They are: the Confederated Tribes of the Colville

Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the

Umatilla Reservation, the Confederated Tribes

of the Warm Springs Reservation, the Yakama

Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Spokane Tribe

of Indians, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the Kalispel

Tribe of Indians, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho,

the Salish-Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes

of the Fort Hall Reservation, the Burns-Paiute

Tribe and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the

Duck Valley Reservation.

How Might Recovery

Plans Affect People?

Recovery plans will cover all facets of managing a healthy ecosystem and may require

changes that are potentially disruptive to some

uses. Farmers and ranchers, barge operators,

hikers, fishers, and hunters, electricity providers

and consumers, and more, depend upon the

bounty of regional resources.

Many people have multiple interests and a

majority support both a healthy economy and

environment. Together, they want to see abundant and harvestable fish and wildlife stocks, a

strong economy and jobs in the Northwest, regulators and government that keep taxes and

power rates as low as possible, and a Northwest

ecosystem that is healthy and productive, sustaining natural resources for many generations

into the future.

REPORTS ➤A series of documents (described below) that analyze recovery options will be released this fall and winter for public comment

and review.

PUBLIC INPUT ➤ In January to March 2000, public

meetings will be held around the region, dates

and places to be announced in further issues of

this Citizen Update.

DECISIONS ➤ The “action” agencies - Bureau of

Reclamation, Corps of Engineers and Bonneville

Power Administration, will make final recommendations; NMFS and FWS will issue biological opinions in time for some of the hydropower

options to be applied to spring migration of

salmon; and action agencies make their operating decisions.

IMPLEMENTATION ➤ Then it’s the long haul – beginning the process of implementing these policies in the years ahead for all four Hs – hydropower, habitat, hatcheries, harvest.

The goal of the Federal Caucus is to participate

in a coordinated decision-making process in

which the entire region can build solutions to

recover listed species. This process will be open

and accessible to the public, so the thoughts and

views of Northwest citizens can be considered

in decisions.

What Happens Next?
11

The fish and wildlife problems in the Columbia River Basin cannot be solved by

one government, state or community. Recovering species in this large region requires a commitment to cooperation. All

major government entities are working

together to develop a coordinated multispecies management plan. Here are the

major parts of this effort:

Federal Caucus: To prepare for ESA consultations

and to ensure coordination with regional processes related to all Four Hs – hydropower, habitat, hatcheries and harvest – the nine federal

agencies with responsibilities for some aspect of

fish and wildlife recovery formed a caucus which

includes:

■ ESA Regulatory Agencies – National Marine

Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NMFS and FWS make listing decisions under ESA and prepare recovery

plans for listed species. The federal agencies that own and operate the hydropower system and manage federal lands

in the Columbia River Basin are required

to consult with NMFS and FWS on actions that may affect listed species.

■ Federal Columbia River Power System Action

Agencies – The federal agencies that own

and operate the federal hydropower system, called the “action” agencies –

Bonneville Power Administration, Corps of

Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation – are

required to prepare a biological assessment of how they propose to operate the

dams and how these actions will affect

ESA listed species.

■ In addition, the Environmental Protection

Agency is responsible for enforcing the

Clean Water Act; U.S. Forest Service and

Bureau of Land Management manage public forest and range lands that may provide critical habitat for listed species;

Bureau of Indian Affairs acts as a trustee

for tribal/individual Indian land and resources held in trust.

Tribes: Indian tribes in the Columbia Basin represent sovereign entities with management authorities for fish, water and wildlife resources

within their reservations, as well as various legal rights expressed in treaties and executive

orders.

States: Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana

have authorities over fish, wildlife and water resources within their jurisdictions. In particular,

water quantity and quality issues fall under state

authorities pursuant to the Clean Water Act, Safe

Drinking Water Act and state water rights laws.

Several states have developed their own management and recovery plans for fish and wildlife resources of the Columbia River ecosystem.

State water resource agencies control how much

water is withdrawn from streams and reservoirs

for irrigation, municipal and industrial water

supply and other purposes.

Northwest Power Planning Council: The four states

also appoint the members of the Northwest

Power Planning Council. The council develops

a Fish and Wildlife Plan that the federal action

agencies take into account in their planning. The

council also makes recommendations to the

Bonneville Power Administration on distribution

of ratepayer funds to fish and wildlife programs

in the basin.

Columbia River Basin Forum: The Forum includes

representatives from the four states, Columbia

River tribes, and the federal government. Its

purpose is to provide a forum to address, collaborate on, and coordinate basin level planning

and policy for fish and wildlife and related habitat.

Local Governments: Counties and cities throughout the region are also developing action agendas to aid recovery of listed species. Urban development and construction projects that range

from highway expansions to marina dock repairs

must consider effects on listed species.

Citizens, Landowners, Businesses, Institutions: Over

the past several decades, new awareness about

the problems of watersheds and wildlife has resulted in hundreds of local restorative actions.

Private and public partnerships have been

formed in watershed councils. School programs

have brought kids into the recovery process.

Local businesses have pitched in with their own

efforts.

Who Has a Role in

Recovery of Listed Species?
12

Federal Columbia River

Power System

Biological Assessment

Descriptions of how the three federal action agencies propose

to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System dams,

and their assessment of effects on fish and other aquatic

species listed under ESA. This assessment takes into

consideration information from other related studies.

Agencies:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Bonneville Power Administration

Bureau of Reclamation

Timetable:

✓ January 2000

Public Input:

Not required, but comments received will be reported to

NMFS and FWS for consideration in preparing their

Biological Opinions.

Biological Opinions

Response to the Biological Assessment, either agreeing with

the proposed actions or if not, outlining alternative measures.

NMFS writes opinion on salmon and steelhead.

FWS writes opinion on Kootenai River white sturgeon,

bull trout, and five species of Snake River snails.

Agencies:

National Marine Fisheries Service

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Timetable:

✓ May 2000

Related Federal & Regional

Documents

The following studies will contribute to the development of a basinwide

management plan for recovering fish and wildlife. NMFS and FWS will

also consider them in final biological opinions on the hydropower system.

Decision Tools And Documents
13

Conservation of Columbia

Basin Fish

The Four-H Paper: Habitat, Hatcheries, Harvest,

Hydropower

A conceptual document that explores alternative

actions needed to recover ESA-listed species in

the basin, organized around four factors that affect the life-cycle of salmon. Consolidates information from the Framework report (below).

Agencies:

Federal Caucus of nine agencies with NMFS

taking the lead

Timetable:

✓ Available in December 1999

Public input

Public meetings and comments, January to

March 2000

Agencies:

Forest Service

Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

National Marine Fisheries Service

Environmental Protection Agency

Timetable:

✓ Supplemental Draft EIS – Winter 2000

✓ Final EIS – to be determined

Public input:

Public meetings - late winter, early spring

Comment period - 90 days

Regional Framework

Multi-Species Framework Project

Describes the structure and components of the

Columbia River ecosystem, and the biological,

economic and social effects of a range of general

recovery management approaches. Provides an

analytical base for the Four-H Paper (see above).

Agencies:

NW Power Planning Council in association

with Columbia River Basin Forum, a coalition of states, tribes and federal government

Timetable:

✓ Preliminary Report – December 1999

✓ Final Report – January 2000

Related Federal

& Regional

Documents

The following studies will contribute to the

development of a basinwide management

plan for recovering fish and wildlife. NMFS

and FWS will also consider them in final

biological opinions on the hydropower system.

Lower Snake River Dams

Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration

Feasibility Study & Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS)

Feasibility study and EIS of alternatives for four

lower Snake River dams for improved salmon migration. The options include 1) maintain existing

system with planned fish passage improvements;

2) maximize juvenile fish transport by barge or

truck; 3) make major system improvements such

as surface bypass systems for juvenile fish; 4)

breach the dams to restore free-flowing 140-mile

stretch of river.

Agency:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Timetable:

✓ Draft – December 1999

✓ Final – Summer 2000

Public input:

Public meetings January to March 2000

Comment period: through March 2000

Interior Basin Habitat

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management

Project (ICBEMP) Supplemental Draft EIS

The ICBEMP is developing an ecosystem-based

strategy for the management of Forest Service and

Bureau of Land Management administered lands

in the Columbia River Basin. The Supplemental

Draft EIS addresses broad-scale issues of forest

and rangeland health, socio-economic factors and

aquatic and riparian health. The aquatic component of this strategy will provide guidance on the

management of important aquatic habitat for 72

million acres of federal land in eastern Oregon and

Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
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The time frame for reviewing study results and shaping key recommendations for regional recovery plans will

be now through March 2000. Here are

ways to be involved.

To Learn More

Citizen Updates

This Update will give you an overall picture

of what is happening.

• A second Update late this fall will provide a summary of the Federal Caucus

Four-H Paper describing fish recovery

options for the basin hydropower system, habitat, hatcheries and harvest practices.

• A third Update will provide more information about specific studies including

the Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon

Migration Feasibility Study, the Biological Assessment of the Federal Hydropower System in the Columbia River Basin, the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project and others.

The second and third Updates will provide

further information about upcoming public

meetings.

What You

Can Do

Web Site and Requesting

Report Drafts

You can learn more about these studies on

agency Web sites (see page 8). Or you can

go to www.bpa.gov/federalcaucus to see

a list of these Web sites, find other links and

see public meeting dates and places as they

are scheduled.

To request copies of reports (available midDecember), call 1-509-358-7415, or write to

the Federal Caucus, address below.

To Participate

Federal Caucus Public

Meetings

January to March 2000

These meetings, to be scheduled in locations

throughout the basin, will provide citizens an opportunity to review and comment on options in

all four areas of recovery, called the “four Hs”–

habitat, hatcheries, harvest, hydropower. Each

meeting will provide a time for people to:

• talk with study managers, ask questions

and learn more about the issues and options

• view a presentation about recovery options

• give written or oral comments to be recorded and reported to decision-makers.

Since all key documents will be available by

this time, these meetings will help participants learn about all parts of a multi-species

recovery plan and look at how the parts can

work together.

Both written and oral comments will be

welcomed on the Corps of Engineers Draft

Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Also, comments on the Four-H Paper will be reported

to the federal agencies that compose the

Federal Caucus including the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service for consideration in the biological opinions and recovery plans for listed

species. A report on the public meetings will

be available to the public, members of Congress and any interested parties.

Note: Meeting dates and places to be scheduled. Watch for future Citizen Updates for

more information on these public meetings

and others related to specific documents, or

check the Web site: www.bpa.gov/

federalcaucus

To Make Written

Comments

Comments To The Federal

Caucus

Written comments can be made to the Federal Caucus regarding any of the options in

the Four Hs: habitat, hatcheries, harvest,

hydropower. Comments received now

through March 2000 will be included along

with comments made at the public meetings

described above and reported to all the

member agencies of the Caucus.

By mail: Federal Caucus Comment

Record, c/o BPA-PL

707 W. Main St., Suite 500

Spokane WA 99201

By email: federalcaucus@bpa.gov
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For information or copies of reports:

Call 1-509-358-7415, write to Federal Caucus Comment Record c/o BPA-PL, 707 West Main

Street, Suite 500, Spokane, WA 99201, or go to the Federal Caucus Web site.

Federal Caucus Web site:

www.bpa.gov/federalcaucus

What you can find on this Web site:

• Citizen Updates as available

• Public meeting dates and locations

• Links to agencies, reports and further information about recovery

In addition, the following Web sites provide further useful information:

Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study: www.nww.usace.army.mil

Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: www.icbemp.gov

NMFS Salmon Information: www.nwr.noaa.gov

Science Information: www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/cri, www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/pubs/nwfscpubs.html

Multi-Species Framework: www.nwframework.org

Next Issues of this Citizen Update

#2 - A summary of the Four-H Paper

#3 - An overview of the other documents released

All issues will keep you updated on public meetings as they are scheduled.

Provided By:

The Federal Caucus: National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service.

For more Information:

Science: How it

works toward recovering

endangered fish

Science can help us better understand

the needs of salmon throughout their

life stages. The scientific approach to the

recovery of fish and wildlife involves biology, ecology and other related sciences,

and a range of models for exploring data,

identifying key risk factors and evaluating management options. If you would

like to learn more about relevant research

efforts visit the Web sites listed on this

page.