Under this plan, all government agencies that impact salmon are accountable for coordinated programs in a manner that is consistent with conservation and restoration efforts. Government, alone, cannot conserve and restore salmon across the landscape. The Plan recognizes that actions to conserve and restore salmon must be worked out by communities and landowners, with local knowledge of problems and ownership in solutions. Watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, and other grassroots efforts are vehicles for getting the work done. Government programs will provide regulatory and technical support to these efforts, but the bulk of the work to conserve and restore water- sheds will be done by local people.
Education is a fundamental part of community- based action.
People must understand the needs of salmon in order to make informed decisions about how to make changes to their way of life that will accommodate the needs of the fish. Work plans will be used to determine whether agencies meet their goals as promised. Biological and physical sampling will be conducted to determine whether salmon habitats and populations respond as expected to conservation and restoration efforts. The Plan emphasizes improving compliance with existing environmental laws rather than arbitrarily establishing new protective laws. Compliance will be achieved through a combination of education and prioritized enforcement of laws that are expected to yield the greatest benefits for salmon.