Northwest Power/Conservation Council Seeks Recommendations For Amendments To Columbia Basin Fish/Wildlife Program
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has released a letter requesting recommendations from the region on how to amend its Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, with submissions due by April 17.
The Fish and Wildlife Program represents a 40-year effort to protect and mitigate for the impacts of the hydropower system on salmon and other fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. The program includes a variety of strategies to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife, including dam operations that improve conditions for fish passage and survival, habitat restoration and enhancement, predator and invasive species management, and artificial production. Target species include salmon, steelhead, lamprey and resident fish like sturgeon and bull trout.
The Fish and Wildlife Program is one of the largest mitigation efforts in the world, but significant challenges still remain, said the Council in a press release.
The Council updates the program every five years based on recommendations from regional tribes, state and federal agencies, local governments, nonprofits, energy customers, regional utilities, the general public, and more. Bonneville Power Administration funds these efforts to fulfill its mitigation responsibilities under the Northwest Power Act; currently, the Program provides about $300 million annually to support over 300 projects and initiatives throughout the Basin.
To learn more and submit a recommendation, go to www.nwcouncil.org/amend. The deadline for submissions is April 17, 2025. The Council is aiming to adopt the updated Fish & Wildlife Program in spring 2026.
“Columbia River Basin tribes share a common vision on the importance of salmon and steelhead, as well as a shared sense of urgency to better protect and care for them to ensure their survival for future generations,” said Louie Pitt, Oregon Council Member and a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. “Caring about this place, its ecosystems, and the fish and wildlife that sustain us is rooted in our tribal heritages and histories. The success and progress of the Council’s program to date would not be possible without the past four decades of partnerships with the Basin’s tribes. Tribes will play a critical role in guiding us forward.”
In December, Council staff gave a presentation on progress towards the Fish and Wildlife Program’s goals and objectives over the past 44 years. They showcased the Council’s online Program Tracker, which tracks data on progress indicators from around the region, including for adult returns of salmon and steelhead to the Columbia River Basin.
The 10-year rolling average from 2014-2023 stands at 2.3 million fish, similar to the average of 2.4 million between 2004-2013. It’s an improvement from the 1990s when the average dipped to 1.3 million – its lowest since the program began in 1980.
The 2014-2023 rolling average does not meet the Council’s long-standing goal of having 5 million adult salmon and steelhead return to the Basin annually.
–See CBB, Dec. 22, 2024, Council Shows Total Salmon/Steelhead Return Numbers To Columbia River Through The Years Short Of Goal; ESA-Listed Fish Continue To Struggle https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/council-shows-total-salmon-steelhead-return-numbers-to-columbia-river-through-the-years-short-of-goal-esa-listed-fish-continue-to-struggle/
Staff also reported progress on the goal of increasing the proportion of adult fish returning above Bonneville Dam compared with the 1980s. 2024 provided clear examples of both progress and challenges: the Basin saw record-setting adult returns of Okanagan Basin sockeye and Willamette River coho, yet the need remains for efforts to support, rebuild, and reintroduce, where appropriate, weaker stocks in the Basin, said the press release.
“Pacific Northwest residents now have an opportunity to inform the future course of the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program,” said Council Vice Chair Les Purce, who represents Washington. “Our website provides key dates, a link to submit recommendations, and an easy-to-use Program Tracker tool that tells the story of the Program’s 44-year history – it helps explain key initiatives, successes, progress, challenges, and lessons learned for the future. We encourage every member of the public to use this tool and then have their voices heard on where our program should go next.”
The Council’s program covers an area of land roughly the same size as France, which spans from the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Ore., to the Continental Divide in Western Montana. It makes up a significant part of the tapestry of mitigation and recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin.
“The Council’s program has provided consistent funding to support critical long-term monitoring and evaluation of threatened species, including salmon and steelhead,” said Lance Hebdon, Fisheries Bureau Chief, Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “Additionally, the Asset Management Strategic Plan has been instrumental in addressing deferred maintenance needs for fish screens and hatcheries. Investments in upgrading this infrastructure will ensure the longevity and integrity of these facilities, benefiting fish populations. Idaho has significantly benefited from the program’s strategic direction.”
“Located in the headwaters of the Columbia, Libby and Hungry Horse dams integrate operations for flood risk management, renewable power generation, and the ecosystem needs of local resident fishes as well as anadromous species residing in the downstream portion of the basin,” said Matt Boyer, Science Program Supervisor for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “Native fish mitigation projects and aquatic habitat conservation in the Kootenai and Flathead subbasins help improve conditions for fish and wildlife affected by construction and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. There’s more new and exciting work to do and Montana looks forward to continued engagement through the Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program amendment process.”
Established when Congress passed the Northwest Power Act in 1980, the Council represents the four Basin states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The Act directs the Council towards three goals: to ensure the region has an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable power supply; to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife impacted by the hydroelectric system in the Columbia River Basin; and to do so with broad public participation.
The current version of the program is a combination of the 2014 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program and its 2020 Addendum. The 2014 Program also includes 58 separate subbasin plans.
The Power Act requires the Council to call for recommendations to amend the Program prior to its review of its Northwest Power Plan; the Power Plan must be reviewed at least every five years.
The process begins with a formal request in writing to the tribes and state and federal fish and wildlife agencies for recommendations for:
• Measures which can be expected to be implemented by the Bonneville Power Administration, using authorities under this Act and other laws, and other federal agencies to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife, including related spawning grounds and habitat, affected by the development and operation of any hydroelectric project on the Columbia River.
• Establishing objectives for the development and operation of such projects on the Columbia River and its tributaries in a manner designed to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife
• Fish and wildlife management, coordination, and research and development (including funding) which will assist protection, mitigation, and enhancement of anadromous fish at, and between, the region’s hydroelectric dams The Act also allows recommendations to be submitted by federal and state water management agencies, regional electric power producers, utility customers of BPA, and the public. The Council provides wide public notice of the request for recommendations for that purpose. All recommendations must be accompanied by detailed information and data in support. The Act requires that the Council allow at least 90 days for entities to respond to the request for recommendations.
For complete information, go here: https://www.nwcouncil.org/fish-and-wildlife/program-amendments/
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