Background

The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (Act) of 1980 (Public Law 96-501) directed that measures be implemented by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife to the extent affected by development and operation of hydropower projects on the Columbia River system (Martin et al. 1988).  The Act created the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Council (Council), which in turn developed the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (Program). Under the Act, BPA has the authority and obligation to fund fish and wildlife mitigation activities that are consistent with the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program (USDE 1996).  Part of the Program was the development of wildlife protection, mitigation and enhancement plans for each of the hydropower facilities on the Columbia River system and ultimately, implementation of the plans to mitigate wildlife habitat losses.  The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) developed a mitigation plan in 1987, for the Albeni Falls hydroelectric facility that was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE) on the Pend Oreille River in Bonner County, Idaho between 1951 and 1955 (Martin et al. 1988).  Mitigation plans for wildlife habitat losses at each of the Columbia River Basin dams were submitted by BPA to the Council in 1989, including the mitigation plan for Albeni Falls Dam in Idaho (USDE 1996).  The Council reviewed and approved the Albeni Falls plan in 1990 (USDE 1996).

BPA prepared the Albeni Falls Wildlife Management Plan: Environmental Assessment in 1996.  The plan guides the development of wildlife mitigation projects associated with Albeni Falls Dam proposed by the IDFG and the Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group, approved by the Council, and proposed for funding by BPA.  The plan enables the IDFG and the Kalispel, Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai Indian Tribes to:  1) Protect and enhance through land acquisition, a variety of wetland and riparian habitats; 2) Restore 28,587 Habitat Units (HUs) lost as a result of the construction of Albeni Falls Dam, and; 3) Conduct long-term wildlife habitat management activities at individual mitigation project sites (USDE 1996).  In-lieu of annualizing habitat unit losses the Council decided to mitigate losses at a 2:1 ratio. That is, for every two HUs protected the HU ledger would be reduced by one HU. In 2002, however, BPA decided to maintain a 1:1 crediting policy.  

The Northern Idaho Wildlife Mitigation Agreement was jointly prepared and approved by the IDFG and BPA in June 1997 (BPA and IDFG 1997).  This contract is one of two IDFG contracts for protection, mitigation and enhancement of wildlife habitats in Northern Idaho.  This contract covers all areas south of the McAurthur Lake wildlife corridor while another contract (i.e., the Boundary Creek WMA contract) covers all mitigation projects north of the wildlife corridor .  This contract includes 1)  all management and administrative responsibilities for implementing mitigation projects, as well as 2) all operational and maintenance of wildlife mitigation projects.  Thus, the project goals are twofold and are:  1) to continue ongoing implementation of the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project;  and 2) to manage high quality floodplain and riparian habitats, including cottonwood forests, emergent wetlands, and scrub-shrub wetlands for all species that depend on these habitat types for all or a portion of their life history requirements.

Between 1997 and present, IDFG has acquired 12 wildlife mitigation parcels through the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project for the Pend Oreille Combined Lands WMA totaling about 1,600 acres and yielding an estimated 2,927 HU (Table 1).  IDFG acquired 62 acres in Benewah County on the St. Joe River in 2007.  This parcel, while not in the Pend Oreille Subbasin, will be included under this contract until other arrangements can be made.  An additional 100 acres, more or less, will be added to the St. Joe parcel by Avista through their mitigation program.  A baseline HEP was completed for the St. Joe acquisition in 2007, and a management plan will be prepared for the St. Joe parcel after the Avista acquisition is complete.  A new Wildlife Management Plan has been prepared for the WMA and should be finalized in 2008.  In accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project, the purpose of the wildlife management plan is to describe the current situation and the long-term management activities necessary for the protection, enhancement and maintenance of wildlife habitat on mitigation parcels.

Table 1.  Pend Oreille Combined Lands Wildlife Management Area

Mitigation Property Year Acquired Acres Total Habitat Units (HU)
Albeni Cove                1999                      70              95.1     (5-year HEP)
Carter's Island             1997                  96              312      (completing 10-year HEP in 2008)
Cocolalla Lake            1999                      98              186      (5-year HEP)
Denton Slough           1997                  17                 41     (completing 10-year HEP in 2008)
Derr  Creek                 1997                240               379     (5-year HEP; completing 10-year HEP in 2008)
Gold Creek                 2005                310               606     (Baseline HEP)
Lower Pack River      1999                  30                 84     (5-year HEP - updated with new properties)
          Conner Lot       2006                0.24
          Liu Lot              2007                0.54
          Wilson Lot        2007                    0.74        
Rapid Lightning          1999                     110            603.62  (5-year HEP -updated with new properties)
          Shields              2006                       41
          Ginter                2007                     210
Trout Creek                1999                     216            446.33  (5-year HEP - updated with new properties)
          Ginter               2007                       27  
          Stevens           2008                         5
Westmond Lake        1999                       65      87       (5-year HEP)
Lower St. Joe   2007                       62              86.45    (Baseline HEP)

Previously, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Administrative contract assumed the responsibility of collecting, maintaining and forwarding to BPA any and all documentation pertaining to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance measures that must be undertaken prior to the start of implementation activities occurring on wildlife mitigation sites.  As mentioned above, this contract will include 1)  all management and administrative responsibilities for implementing mitigation projects, as well as 2) all operational and maintenance of wildlife mitigation projects.  Thus, this contract has been developed to cover personnel, mitigation implementation and operating costs for a 12-month contract period with the following objectives:

• Identify potential mitigation actions by identifying willing landowner participants and cost-sharing partnerships, building relationships with entities interested in wildlife mitigation and meeting with County Commissioners.
• Secure conservation easements, fee-title, and lease agreements by pursuing site information and title search, writing easement terms and conditions with landowners, verifying maps, fence boundaries, and legal descriptions, coordinating completion of property appraisal and review, and developing option/purchase agreements.
• Fulfill NEPA and BPA funding requirements by coordinating completion of cultural resource surveys, hazardous waste surveys and providing information for NEPA assessment.
• Provide cost-share funding to other project entities by determining cost-share entity’s role in the proposed project.
• Coordinate completion of biological baseline surveys of specific habitat areas to determine starting point for monitoring and evaluation of biological objectives.
• Develop management plans that will include, but not be limited to, the following components:  fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and access, fire protection noxious weeds, information and education, operation and maintenance, and monitoring and evaluation.  The management plans will define the management program.
• Coordinate enhancement activities defined in the individual site plans.  Activities may include, but are not limited to, fencing, controlled burns, planting native vegetation, property clean up, and cultivating cropland.
• Coordinate operations and maintenance activities on mitigation project lands. Activities may include maintenance of fences, property and habitat improvements, access, water structures, and information and education facilities, enforcement of easement terms and noxious weed control.
• Coordinate and implement information and education program.  Activities may include development of information and regulation signs and interpretive sites, production of audio-visual programs and informational brochures, and educational site tours.
• Provide assistance with monitoring and evaluation activities on mitigation lands.  Activities may include continuing HEP analysis to determine changes in habitat quality, site-specific monitoring and/or sampling of terrestrial vegetation, public use, and habitat use.
• Coordinate mitigation implementation activities associated with other members of the Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group
• Coordinate and develop Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project presentations to the Wildlife Caucus.  Such materials may include slides, overheads, budgets, spreadsheets, site-specific information, etc.
• Develop administrative work statement and budget and maintain site-specific operating budgets for individual mitigation parcels.  Oversee and develop budget revisions as necessary.
• Prepare an annual report of Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation implementation activities.
• Management of Acquired Lands:  to manage, protect, and enhance wildlife species and their habitats based on sound ecosystem techniques and principles.  To continue operation and maintenance activities on project lands.
• Monitoring and Evaluation:  to monitor vegetative cover and habitats using scientific principals and techniques to ensure that project objectives are being met and to provide a basis for use of adaptive management when appropriate.  To evaluate species and habitat responses to management activities for the benefit of fish and wildlife using mitigation lands.
•Enhancement and Restoration:  to implement sound ecosystem management to enhance and/or restore degraded habitats on project lands over time.