Related Planning Efforts
Watershed
Planning | Subbasin Planning
Comprehensive
Monitoring | ESA Regional Recovery Planning
Watershed Planning
Authorized by the Washington Legislature in 1998, the Watershed Planning
Act (ESHB 2514) provides for locally led, cooperative efforts to assess
water resource needs and develop comprehensive and effective solutions
at the watershed scale. The Planning Units can address three optional
elements of watershed planning: instream flows, water quality, and
fish and wildlife habitat. Lead Entities can play an important role in the Watershed
Planning program, especially where the local planning units have elected
to pursue the
fish and wildlife habitat element. For example, Planning Units can
utilize a Lead Entity’s habitat restoration strategy to address the
habitat element and even as a basis for developing recommended instream
flows.
Conversely, Lead Entities can consider projects identified in the watershed
management plan such as stream gauging, instream flow studies, water
conservation projects, and purchase or leasing of water leasing. Hence,
there is potential for considerable interaction between these two processes.
The majority of Lead Entities surveyed this summer indicated that they
share participants and data as well as coordinate at the staff level
with the Watershed Planning Unit(s) within their boundaries.
While there is room to tighten the connections to ensure good communication
and sharing of data, it is important to note that the greatest link between
the two programs will be through Regional Recovery Plans.
Subbasin Planning
The Northwest Power Planning Council’s (Council) 2000 Fish and
Wildlife Program establishes a basinwide vision for fish and wildlife
along with biological objectives and action strategies that are consistent
with its vision. Ultimately, the program will be implemented through
subbasin plans developed locally in the more than 50 tributary subbasins
of the Columbia and amended into the program by the Council. These plans
will be consistent with the Council’s basinwide vision and
objectives, and its underlying foundation of ecological science.
In Washington
State, the Council has directed $4.1 million over two years for subbasin
plan
development. The final group of these plans is due by May 2004. Regional
recovery boards are working within the boundaries set by the Council
to produce Subbasin plans that will be part of their regional recovery
plans.
Lead Entities play an important role in the development and implementation
of subbasin plans. Similar to the watershed planning process, the habitat
restoration and protection strategies developed by the Lead Entities
can inform the subbasin planning process. To the extent that subbasin
plans build upon the efforts of Lead Entities, local project sponsors
will be well positioned to compete for additional fish and wildlife funds
administered through the Bonneville Power Administration.
Comprehensive Monitoring
The 2001 Washington State Legislature passed Substitute Senate Bill
5637 requiring the development of a comprehensive strategy and
action plan
for measuring success in recovering salmon and maintaining watershed
health. Those involved in salmon recovery efforts often refer to
this type of measuring as “monitoring.” Monitoring is
a required element of any salmon recovery plan submitted to the federal
government
for approval under the Endangered Species Act. While numerous agencies
and citizen organizations are engaged in monitoring a wide range
of salmon recovery activities, there is a greater need for coordination
of these efforts.
A comprehensive monitoring strategy and action plan for measuring the
success of salmon recovery is due to the legislature in December 2002.
The comprehensive monitoring strategy will include guidelines for carrying
out monitoring activities, incorporating adaptive management principles
into decisions and incorporating agency assistance.
ESA Regional Recovery Planning
Since state ESA listings became pandemic, the State has supported a
major paradigm shift away from federal control of recovery planning
toward
an approach that involves state, tribal and local government agencies
and local citizens. Five regional recovery boards are already taking
the challenge of coordinating the development of regional salmon
recovery plans for their region of the state. The plans for species
in their
area will integrate all the “h” factors (habitat, hatcheries,
hydro and harvest) in meeting recovery goals and involve local
citizens, landowners, city and county governments and local salmon
recovery
groups, as well as state, federal and tribal governments in the development. This extraordinary effort – development of multi-species recovery
plans at the watershed and regional level by everyone who has a stake
in the outcome and the actions – is monumental. To accomplish
it, the regional boards will compile and coordinate information, planning
results and actions at the watershed and regional as well as state
level
that can feed into creating a successful regional plan.To support this citizen-based recovery planning effort, WDFW published
a model guiding writers on the necessary contents of a recovery plan,
and the SRFB made substantial grant awards to a number of these regional
recovery boards. Lead Entities operating in each of those regions are key to the success
of recovery planning, not only through their contribution of habitat
restoration strategies and project lists, but also because the Lead
Entities already comprise many salmon recovery stakeholders. Similarly,
2514 Watershed Planning Units, Regional Fish Enhancement Groups, marine
resource groups will make valuable contributions to regional plans.For example, watershed restoration strategies developed by the Lead
Entities, as well as their prioritized project lists, contribute
a major piece to the recovery plan for that watershed. The potential contributions
from the 2514 Watershed Planning activities include assessments of
a
basin’s water needs (for people and for fish), potential instream
flow recommendations for adoption by the Department of Ecology, and
lists of projects to improve water supply, storage, or fish passage.
Each of these pieces is critical to both local and regional salmon recovery,
and the structures under which these activities occur help ensure these
products will be available for recovery planning use. Clearly, the success
of recovery planning lies in strong connections between local efforts
and the regional perspective.
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