FY26 marks the 6th year of Upper Columbia project mergers into 1996-040-00 (Mid-Columbia Reintroduction Feasibility Study), 2008-458-00 (Steelhead Kelt Reconditioning) and 2009-001-00 (Upper Columbia Spring Chinook and Steelhead Acclimation. This action creates administrative efficiencies within the Yakama Nation FRM, streamlining reporting, assets and funds for similar Basin actions to meet anadromous reintroduction objective goals.

This contract period from Feb. 1, 2026 through Jan. 31, 2027 would continue programmatic objectives for the coho reintroduction program. Duties to include primary O&M activities such as acclimation, adult collections, adult outplants (Methow Basin), spawning and early egg incubation in both the Methow and Wenatchee basins will continue. Other actions are included as well (e.g.- carcass out planting, etc.) but are part of these overarching program goals and objectives. The Methow program will enter into its fifth year of Natural Production Support Phases (NPP 1) transitioning towards natural production; a decrease by 30% of the production down to 700,000 will be released from targeted tributaries (i.e.-Chewuch R., Twisp R., and Upper Methow R.).  The Wenatchee program continues to work through the Broodstock Development Phase Two (BDPII) of the program and will look to repeat project-specific studies to try and determine if a contingency can be implemented if adults are unable to ascend Tumwater Canyon at the rate required to meet BDPII objectives.

O&M activities to include: fish rearing/acclimation, broodstock collection, spawning, incubation, transportation of eyed eggs to LCR facilities, facility oversight/operations, annual non-technical production reporting (both in WEN and MET but also to include rearing summaries through USFWS subcontracting).  

M&E activities include survival measures and data collection for status and trend analyses of the coho program; both within year and for long-term comparisons. Coho abundance and egg-to-immigrant survival (through the use of smolt traps) for naturally produced juveniles on both Nason Creek as well as the lower Wenatchee River trap (operated by WDFW) allows for us to calculate smolt-to-adult rates for natural origin returns.  Hatchery in-pond acclimation survival as well as out-migrant run timing is critical in determining that volitional releases are the most appropriate means for releases of coho in both Methow and Wenatchee basins.   On the adult returns, escapement methods to be calculated will involve spawning ground surveys to determine spawning timing, distribution and H vs. N origin compositions.

M&E Activities covered under this contract would relate to tagging/marking of juveniles in the form of:
- CWT'ing/Body Tagging/PBT analysis/PIT tagging (the first 3 would provide information in determining SARs and the last one would be for in-pond and Columbia corridor survivals as juveniles)
- Data analysis for adult distribution, run composition, spawning densities and locations, MvsF ratios, run timing, fecundity, etc.  (activities to contribute to this would occur on spawning ground surveys and at spawning).
- Juvenile run timing, out-migration survival and abundance (via the rotary screw trap on Nason Cr. as well as the WDFW operated Cashmere screw tap)
- Program will include Cost-Sharing with Chelan and Grant County PUD  

The Spring Chinook and Steelhead acclimation distribution in the upper Methow where adult management is in place and being implemented to restrict/reduce hatchery influence and more importantly reduce the effects of a single source release location, which YN identified in the UCSCSA original plan. Currently, restrictions to the numbers being released in the upper Methow are due to the uncertainties of whether these decreases in productivity form the egg-to-emigrant life stage is due to super saturation in the reaches near Methow SFH and Winthrop NFH, hatchery contributions that are driving down reproductive success or a combination of both.  In the Methow, approximately 30,000 steelhead are planned for release from Early Winters in 2026.  In the Wenatchee Basin, future Steelhead releases are planned at the Powerline Pond site on upper Nason Creek, and spring Chinook releases are planned for the Trinity acclimation site in the Chiwawa Basin.  Phase 1 construction; bridge rebuild/replace occurred in 2025, and road improvement (under REL290) is currently scheduled with construction set to begin in summer 2026.

This merged acclimation project proposes to further develop acclimation for upper Columbia steelhead and spring Chinook by developing new semi-natural ponds similar to what has been uniquely successful in the Mid-Columbia Coho Restoration Project. This would involve utilizing the existing PUD/Federal mitigation production in the region that is currently doing either direct stream plants or single point, large releases and expand/refine those releases by adding additional acclimation releases in known habitat reaches within the Wenatchee and Methow watersheds. This strategy will enhance the goals of recovery for these 2 listed stocks as discussed below.