The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA) was established by charter in 1987 to coordinate the efforts of federal, state, and tribal fish and wildlife managers to protect and enhance fish and wildlife resources of the Columbia River Basin through joint planning and action.  

For contract year 2010 and 2011, the CBFWA members adopted and implemented the following Policy Directives committing each member’s staff and directing the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Foundation) staff to:

1.   Participate in and support ongoing assessments of the status of the species and implementation of strategies and actions to help determine if protection, mitigation, and enhancement efforts are successful in the Columbia River Basin.
2.   Maintain the “Status of the Resources” (SOTR) website and annually prepare a written report summarizing the current information provided on the website.
3.   Monitor and report on activities of key regional forums where policies, programs, and actions that affect fish and wildlife are planned and implemented.

A fourth directive was to direct staff to seek additional funding for Columbia River Basin fish and wildlife related activities from sources other than BPA with the intent the work will complement activities identified in the Policy Directives.

For contract year 2012 (April 2012 through March 2013), the CBFWA Members have directed the Foundation staff to restructure how their facilitation services are provided to members and non-members. While the Members and Members Advisory Group (MAG) will continue operations, the Foundation staff will begin a transition from the historic CBFWA Charter to a facilitation services model.  Thus, the CBFWA’s long-standing committees (i.e., Resident Fish Advisory Committee, Anadromous Fish Advisory Committee, and Wildlife Advisory Committee) will no longer exist as advisory committees specific to CBFWA’s MAG and Members.  Instead, fish and wildlife managers will participate in independent focus work groups that collaborate with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) staff, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) staff, and other Columbia River Basin stakeholders to provide technical assistance for the development and implementation of the NPCC’s Fish and Wildlife Program (Program), and other regional programs and processes.

During 2012, the CBFWA Charter will be rewritten and the Foundation by-laws will be re-drafted to reflect the revised organizational structure. During the transition, Foundation staff will continue to work on the Policy Directives as described through this statement of work.

The Members of CBFWA took action on February 20, 2013 to dissolve their membership effective March 31, 2013.  The Foundation will continue to provide regional coordination services in FY 2013 based upon client interests and funding opportunities. For contract year 2013 (April 2013 through March 2014), the Foundation staff to support this contract will consist of a part-time contract program coordinator and a part- time administrative assistant dedicated to supporting the fish and wildlife managers for the former Policy Directive #3 (monitor and report on regional activities).  Foundation staff will also continue to support and facilitate the Coordinated Assessments Project and the Fish Screening Oversight Committee.  Several co-managers have also chosen to continue contracting their time and travel reimbursement through the Foundation.