Yakama Nation Fisheries (YNF) Program Coordination and Administration Contract for FY 2023.

The Columbia Basin Fish Accords (Accords) represent a major salmon recovery and mitigation initiative in the Columbia basin.  The Accords also create significant commitments to participate in collaborative salmon-recovery activities, with commensurate increases in staff workloads.  The majority of YNF efforts focus on the implementation of Accord actions in habitat, hatchery, and hydro operations within the Yakama Nation Ceded Area.  However, significant staff resources also must be allocated to coordinate with regional fish management and restoration processes to ensure that Accord projects complement or leverage these processes and, on the other hand, ensure that these external processes do not compromise the effectiveness of Accord implementation.  

This contract provides the managerial and administrative oversight and support for YNF Accord projects and coordination of YN Accords commitments, including inter-agency and inter- entity coordination and collaboration, and planning overall future direction.

In order to implement the actions anticipated under these Accords, we have developed specialized relationships with various state and federal agencies in order to work on land they manage or to utilize their staff for project preparations and review as mandated by their regulating authorities. Our ability to implement actions has been both facilitated and impeded by various state and federal agency regulations that have not anticipated tribal organizations being able to conduct actions on a major scale. As a result, we have had to negotiate agreements that allow us to proceed.

YNF participates in the numerous collaborative salmon-recovery processes that occur throughout the YN territories. The Accords have allowed the YN and BPA to become the major instigators of salmon habitat restoration activities in Upper Columbia.

The Program Coordination and Administration project support several goals: Administer and supervise the implementation of Accord projects; coordinate with other regional fish management and restoration processes to ensure consistency with and by Accord project implementation; determine the reassignment and acquisition of staff resources necessary to address Accord commitments; support the operations of local and field offices conducting habitat restoration activities; support the activities to reintroduce culturally significant fish, and guide staff in selecting and prioritizing Accord projects.      

Program Goals and Objectives:
The purpose the Program coordination contract is to make a collaborative effort among different State, Federal, Local, Federal Recognized Tribal Nations, private and other parties to communicate with the Yakama Nation on the best interest of Salmon, Lamprey, Sturgeon recovery in the Columbia Basin. This requires considerable time and effort to synchronize individual parties to envision a solution that is in the best interest for a healthy riverine ecosystem for these species to thrive.