Habitat Survey Coordination in the Wenatchee and Entiat River Subbasins

Contract Description: Since its inception in FY2003, Project #2003-017-00 (the Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program; ISEMP) has been developing two novel monitoring and evaluation programs: (i) subbasin-scale pilot status and trend monitoring efforts for anadromous salmonids and their habitat in the Wenatchee/Entiat, John Day and South Fork Salmon River basins, and (ii) effectiveness monitoring for suites of habitat restoration projects in selected watersheds within the three target subbasins. This work is critical for the development of a federal research, monitoring, and evaluation (FRME) program for the Columbia River Basin, which is now a requirement under the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA-Fisheries) 2000, 2004 and 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinions (BiOps, NMFS 2000, NOAA 2004, NMFS-NWR 2008).  In 2008, the ISEMP became a component of BPA’s BiOp Program to help ensure that provisions of the BiOp are satisfied.  ISEMP builds on current status and trend monitoring programs within each of the pilot basins. Several regional and local organizations are funding and implementing these programs. In short, this project has integrated existing and new monitoring and evaluation activities in three pilot subbasins to help ensure that provisions of the BiOp are satisfied. This contract is one of several contracts that will implement this project.  The FINAL REPORT for this contract will contain data that will 1) be submitted to NOAA FISHERIES (also a contractor under this project) and 2) be submitted to BPA as a contract final report according to the terms of this contract.

This contract will support the overall project in the following manner:

The Cascadia Conservation District (CCD) offers support to other agencies as part of the larger project in the form of landowner coordination and agency coordination.  Specifically, the District coordinates outreach to private landowners, and facilitates landowners and cooperating agencies getting the appropriate information based on the needs of each entity (agency or private landowners).  For landowner coordination during habitat and snorkel surveys, private sites on the list are identified and appropriate landowners along these sections of stream are contacted by the District to ensure agency staff access will be possible and allowed by the landowner.  The purpose of the survey is explained to the landowner and permission to access the stream at specific locations is requested. A database is developed for the survey and maps are created of each site for the appropriate agency conducting the survey.  The District serves as the contact point for questions from landowners about the purpose of the survey and for any special requirements specific landowners may have for agency staff to be aware of during the visit to a private site.  The work under this contract is coordinated through Terraqua, Inc. and NOAA Fisheries, entities that also implement actions under this project.

This contract includes funding support for a position at the Cascadia Conservation District which is essential to the successful implementation of the Entiat Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW).  The Entiat IMW is called for under the 2008 BiOp RPA 57.1 and seeks to determine whether a suite of instream habitat actions designed to improve habitat for listed salmonids and steelhead are effective.  The ISEMP has designed an implementation and monitoring experimental design for the Entiat IMW that calls for habitat restoration actions to be implemented in a spatially and temporally explicit manner.  This approach to action implementation and monitoring will require significant coordination, facilitation and support for the many agencies and stakeholders involved in restoring the Entiat River and the need for a person to head up this coordination effort was recognized by all those involved.  It was agreed that such a position should be housed at the CCD, with support from multiple agencies involved in the Entiat IMW, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the ISEMP.