Fish & wildlife Subbasin planning Guides and forms

Subbasin Planning 101 - How the process works

Introduction
What is a subbasin plan
How many subbasin plans are there?
Expectations
Collaborative approach
Getting there from here

The Council was created in 1980 by Congress to give the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington a voice in how the region plans for its energy needs, while at the same time mitigating the effects of the hydropower system on fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Each year the Council reviews proposals for on-the-ground projects and research to implement the program. Proposals meeting the highest standards are then recommended to the Bonneville Power Administration for funding. Bonneville will spend about $186 million annually on fish and wildlife projects in the basin for the next four years. The Council's 2000 Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program outlines a new review and selection process, one that emphasizes the development of local subbasin plans to guide project funding. These subbasin plans are intended to be a blueprint for recovery efforts in those areas, and to guide the review, selection and funding of projects to carry out the Council's program.

A subbasin plan will:

• identify the goals for fish, wildlife and habitat;
• define the objectives that measure progress toward those goals;
• establish the strategies to meet those objectives;  and
• incorporate much of the existing information related to fish and wildlife activities in a subbasin in a single document.

In addition to becoming the source of specific actions and projects recommended for Bonneville funding and implementation, subbasin plans have a role in recovery planning for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and well as a coordination function at the local and state levels.

For those areas that include salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act, (NMFS) has stated that the subbasin plans developed in this initiative will be used as the foundation for its recovery planning tasks. To that end, the NMFS has agreed to provide interim targets for ESA-listed salmon populations to subbasin planning groups. NMFS has stated that if these interim targets are adopted in scientifically based, comprehensive subbasin plans, and those plans are being implemented, that it will accept those plans as meeting ESA needs for that listed population in the subbasin for at least the next few years. (See more about ESA.)

The three main parts of a subbasin plan are:

1. Inventory - The inventory includes information on fish and wildlife protection, restoration and artificial production activities and management plans within the subbasin.
2. Assessment - A subbasin assessment is a technical analysis to determine the biological potential of each subbasin and the opportunities for restoration. It describes the existing and historic resources, conditions and characteristics within the subbasin.
3. Management plan - The management plan is the heart of the subbasin plan ? it includes a vision for the subbasin, biological objectives, and strategies. The management plan should take on a 10-15 year planning horizon.

How many subbasin plans?

The Council's fish and wildlife program organizes the Columbia River Basin into 11 ecological provinces. Within these provinces there are groups of adjacent subbasins with similar climates and geology; in all there are 62 tributary subbasins. By developing subbasin plans at the local level, the Council hopes to achieve the kind of grassroots planning that will direct funding to the projects that will do the most good. The limited focus allows for a more in-depth scientific review of proposed projects, and will instill the confidence and accountability for the Council to recommend multi-year funding for projects.

The Council expects subbasin plans to achieve a comprehensive, integrated and scientifically sound fish and wildlife program for the Columbia River Basin through:

• Locally developed plans - By working with local stakeholders, fish and wildlife managers, tribes, government agencies and citizens we will identify projects that address the needs of the subbasin.
• Broad participation - The Council hopes to involve a wide range of constituents to review the information and reach consensus on the elements of subbasin plans.
• Connecting to other efforts - The program addresses the requirements of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, the broader requirements of the Northwest Power Act and the policies of the states and Indian tribes of the Columbia River Basin. It is also designed to link to, and accommodate, the needs of other local and state watershed planning and recovery efforts that affect fish and wildlife. In this way, people can develop projects that fit with broader goals and do not duplicate or contradict one another.
• Adoption into the Council's Program - Future implementation and funding will be directly linked to subbasin plans because the plans will become part of the Council's fish and wildlife program. The plans will gain credibility through the Council's review and adoption process, which includes independent science review, public review, and Program review.

Collaborative approach

The Council has spent more than a year consulting with the state, tribal and federal entities about coordinated subbasin planning. The Council knows that there are many ongoing efforts aimed at fish and wildlife, as well as many interests within the boundaries of each state that need to be considered in the planning process. In order to integrate the Council's comprehensive planning process with these other activities, the Council is looking to the individual states and tribes to take the leadership role in determining the best approach for developing subbasin plans for the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program within each state.

Getting there from here

The Council plans to launch the subbasin planning process early in 2002. An initial budget of $15.2 million has been established with Bonneville basin-wide over two-years. One-half of that figure will be available in fiscal year 2002, and the other half in 2003, to assist local entities with plan development. In addition to other criteria, subbasin planning funding will be made available to groups that have been designated by a state or province coordinating group and who have demonstrated support by state and tribal fish and wildlife managers and local entities within the given subbasin.

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