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 (ACOE) 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).

The Albeni Falls Wildlife Management Plan Final Environmental Assessment (BPA 1996) addressed the potential environmental effects of a proposed wildlife habitat protection and enhancement program.  Based on the analysis in the environmental assessment, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) concluded that funding the development and implementation of the Project would enable the IDFG, as well as other federal agencies and sovereign nations to protect and enhance a variety of wetland and riparian habitats, restore 28,587 Habitat Units (HU) lost as a result of construction of the Albeni Falls Dam, and implement long-term wildlife management activities.  The Project also complies with the Wildlife Mitigation Program Final Environmental Impact Statement (BPA 1997) and the standardized planning and implementation process prescriptions set forth in the Record of Decision.  In-lieu of annualizing habitat unit losses the Council decided to mitigate losses at a 2:1 ratio. That is, for every two HU protected the HU ledger would be reduced by one HU. In 2002, however, BPA decided to maintain a 1:1 crediting policy.  The issue of how to address the annualized wildlife habitat losses remains unresolved.

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 management and administrative responsibilities for implementing mitigation projects.  The second contract under this Project number covers all operational and maintenance of wildlife mitigation parcels.  Thus, the Project goals are twofold and are: 1) to continue the administration and ongoing implementation of the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Project; and, 2) to protect, restore, maintain, and manage wetland, riparian and upland coniferous forest habitats on three wildlife management areas in Northern Idaho.  

This contract has been developed to cover personnel, mitigation implementation and monitoring costs for a 16-month contract period  (March 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010) 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.
• 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 operating under the Project.
• 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 Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation implementation activities.
• 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.