The Resident Fish Symposium project is a useful forum with evidence of participant satisfaction. The proposal describes a worthwhile process that facilitates communication and coordination among managers and interest groups in the blocked area of the Columbia above Grand Coulee Dam. The qualification is for the sponsors to include an interactive modeling workshop in a symposium in the near future to implement steps toward a Structured Decision Making process for resident fish in Columbia reservoirs. See the programmatic comments on fish stocking, Structured Decision Making, and regional coordination contained in this report. See also the ISRP Retrospective Report 2011 (ISRP 2011-25) and Harvey and Kareiva (2004): http://www.ecopath.org/sites/default/files/ecopath_models/papers/harvey_kareiva_2005.pdf

1. Purpose: Significance to Regional Programs, Technical Background, and Objectives

The symposium meets the need for coordination and dissemination of information among fish and wildlife managers and various interest groups about project results, best management practices, limiting factors, and long term challenges within the blocked area of the Columbia above Grand Coulee Dam. The symposium is well justified. It provides a forum for coordination of activities comparable to those for salmon downstream of the blocked areas. The objectives are straightforward, and there is little doubt they can be accomplished, as they have in the past.

2. History: Accomplishments, Results, and Adaptive Management (ISRP Review of Results)

The symposium has a good track record of success and is highly rated by participants. Attendees are from throughout the Northwest and Canada and include not only agency managers but also tribal representatives, interest groups, stakeholders, and university personnel. Conference organizers have continued to improve the symposium through suggestions and comments by the participants.

3. Project Relationships, Emerging Limiting Factors, and Tailored Questions for Type of Work (hatchery, RME, tagging)

Topics addressing Emerging Limiting Factors have become part of the symposium. As an example, the sponsors cite sessions by University of Washington faculty on results of modeling climate change in the upper Columbia.

4. Deliverables, Work Elements, Metrics, and Methods

The Deliverables address planning and conduct of symposia in each of four years (2013-2018). These Deliverables are appropriate for this type of proposal.

Modified by Dal Marsters on 4/17/2012 2:42:56 PM.

This proposal differs markedly from other watershed coordination proposals. It is much better than many of them. The tasks are significant and well defined. This project has an excellent track record. It does a good job of connecting appropriate parties, and it has an informative website.

The proposal's rationale and significance to the subbasin plan and regional programs are adequate. Its relationship to other projects is evident by definition. The proposal presents evidence that project activities foster strong collaboration (transboundary aspects included).

This proposal contains a more useful set of statements on broad objectives than do most of the more technical project proposals. The personnel from the rest of the projects should have such objectives firmly in mind. If the forum promotes this, it will certainly help improve the sense of purpose for the projects in this region.

The assessment of project performance occurs via compilation of attendees' conference evaluation forms (high marks received). Otherwise, the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is unclear, and such matters as coordination and education are evaluated differently than physical and biological efforts. A response is not requested on this issue, but future proposals could be improved by additional consideration of evaluation methods.