The Northwest Power Act directs the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to consult with the region’s appropriate Indian Tribes in the development and implementation of the Fish and Wildlife Program.  The Power Act also calls for fish and wildlife management coordination to assist protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources in the Columbia River Basin.  The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe whose area of influence extends from the crest of the Cascade Mountains and Celilo Falls to Pacific County in Washington and Clatsop County in Oregon.  The northern area of influence extends to Thurston County in Washington and is bounded on the south inside Columbia, Washington, Multnomah, and Hood River Counties in Oregon.  Many culturally important landscapes and species to the Cowlitz People within its areas of influence are affected by the operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).  The development of the FCRPS has adversely affected wildlife, resident fish, and anadromous fish resources along the entirety of the ancestral Cowlitz landscape including, but not limited to:  The Lewis River and its tributaries, the Cowlitz River and its tributaries, the Kalama River and its tributaries, as well as the Columbia River Estuary from Bonneville Dam to the Plume.

This proposal will assist and provide an opportunity for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s Natural Resources Department (CNRD) to increase their participation in the development and implementation of the BPA Fish and Wildlife Program in the estuary.  Specifically, this project will provide funding for CNRD staff time to better engage in local and regional processes that aid in the development and implementation of the BPA Fish and Wildlife Program.  The CNRD increased participation in project development and coordination in the estuary will result in a better understanding of the Tribe’s resource needs, ideologies and perspectives and will assist in the shaping the future management of the critical resources in the Columbia River Basin estuary.