Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation - KTOI Capital
Statement of Work and Budget FY2006

BPA Project Number:  1992-061-00
BPA Project Title: Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation - KTOI
Contract Number:  00017711
Contract Title: Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation - KTOI
Performance/Budget Period: 04/01/05  -  03/31/06

Natural resources, including flora and fauna have shaped the culture of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Tribe) for thousands and thousands of years. The aboriginal territories of the Kootenai Tribal peoples (Ktunaxa) were far reaching with traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering activities extending into British Columbia, Western Montana, and all of North Idaho.
Many of the areas and resources traditionally used by the Tribe have been lost, anadromous salmonids no longer journey up the Upper Columbia River and its tributaries and wapato no longer blooms on the drained wet meadows. Even today, the Kootenai white sturgeon and burbot struggle to maintain historic spawning grounds.

It is the goal of the Tribe to promote full mitigation of the impacts suffered by the people of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the fish, water, wildlife, and plant resources which they depended, as a direct and indirect result of the development and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).

Relevance of the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project to the Northwest Power Conservation Council Fish and Wildlife Program

Coordination and cooperation between all agencies and the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), including the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, will ensure Albeni Falls wildlife mitigation activities are consistent with the Northwest Power Conservation Council (NWPCC) Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The purpose of this work statement is to provide funds to the Tribe to participate in the Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group (AFIWG) and implementation of the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project #1992-061-00 (Project).

The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho project work statement and process follows the adopted program (NWPCC 2000) and the 1995 Fish and Wildlife Program by focusing its efforts on the mitigation of fish and wildlife losses attributable to the development, operation and management of the Columbia River Basin hydroelectric facilities. This project will also complement, support, and intergrate ongoing and future fisheries, wildlife and ecological studies in the Kootenai River Basin.