Project Goal:
The objective of this project is to facilitate wildlife mitigation activities under the Southern Idaho Wildlife Mitigation Program in order to protect, enhance/restore and maintain riparian, shrub-steppe, and scrub-shrub wetland habitat at suitable sites in the Middle Snake Province as mitigation for wildlife losses associated with the construction of Black Canyon, Deadwood and Anderson Ranch hydro-electric projects.  Target species include mule deer, elk, mallard, mink, black-capped chickadee, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, spruce grouse, greater sage-grouse, redband trout, and bull trout. This contract has been developed to cover personnel, administrative, and operating costs.  Many of the objectives and tasks listed throughout this document are conducted on an ongoing basis throughout the contract period.

Background:
In southern Idaho, a BPA debt for wildlife habitat losses identified in the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program remains to be mitigated in the area covered by the Southern Idaho Wildlife Mitigation (SIWM) project.  The SIWM group includes the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

Tools that will be used to identify acquisition, protection, and enhancement sites include the GAP analysis program, BPA impact assessments, regional fish and wildlife data, input from regional professionals and working groups, and maps of available properties.

Location:
The Duck Valley Indian Reservation is 289,820 acres in size and is located on the Idaho/Nevada border. There are approximately 2,300 enrolled Tribal members.  The Reservation is located in the Middle Snake Province in both the Bruneau and Owyhee subbasins.  

The Tribes will concentrate their mitigation efforts in the Middle Snake Province, which is part of the Tribes' aboriginal lands.

Budget:  
The project FY 2012 budget is $105,000, of which only $86,000 is included in this contract. The balance of the project budget, $19,000 has been earmarked by BPA to cover expenses related to the appraisal review and site visits anticipated by BPA's real property staff for pre-acquisition activities.