Fish & wildlife Subbasin planning Level 3  

Regional Coordinating Group meeting

Portland Council Office
Large Conference Room
851 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1100

Agenda

1. Update on BiOp remand:

• Overall timelines for revised Biological Opinion; Status Reviews; Hatchery Policy.
• Next steps in hatchery and habitat collaboration meetings and issues emerging in them
• Jeopardy framework analysis update

The NOAA is reworking its 2000 Hydrosystem Biological Opinion in a remand process to meet requirements articulated by the Federal District Court of Oregon. Within the past 45 days, NOAA has been engaged in a collaborative process with state and tribal co-managers as it reviews and develops various technical or scientific elements of what will be a revised Biological Opinion. Rob Walton, Assistant Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries will explain the structure of the collaborative process for the RCG. Further, Mr. Walton will update the group on the schedule for the collaborative process elements, and the overall development of the revised Biological Opinion. Within this update, we would like to ask Mr. Walton to share as much detail as possible regarding the activities of the remand habitat subgroup and the remand jeopardy framework subgroup.

At the same time, NOAA Fisheries has been conducting status reviews of listed salmon and steelhead ESU's in the Columbia basin (and elsewhere). These status reviews could confirm the existing ESA listing status of the ESU's and/or propose a changed listing status for currently listed ESUs. Mr. Walton will provide a general background of what the status reviews are, and update the group on the schedule for the completion of those reviews. Further, NOAA Fisheries is in the process of reviewing its policies regarding the treatment of hatchery influenced salmon and steelhead. The completion of that work could lead to a confirmation of the existing hatchery fish policy, or modify it in some manner. We will ask Mr. Walton to discuss that policy review effort and update us on the schedule for its completion.

2. Discussion (30k PDF) with NOAA on the following items:
• Update on NOAA participation in SBP
• NOAA comments on SBP products
• Status of TRT product development and delivery and recovery planning processes in each state
   
3. USFWS - Bull Trout 5-year review letter. To be provided at the meeting, a letter that was sent to each of the states regarding the next steps for bull trout management. Mark Bagdovitz of the USFWS will provide the Group with an update at the meeting.
    
4. ISRP review criteria and schedule. See the final Subbasin Plan Review Guide for ISRP, ISAB, and Peer Review Group reviewers (200k PDF). Erik Merrill, ISRP Coordinator, will provide the Group with an overview at the meeting.
    
5. Council's adoptability framework for subbasin plans. The RCG has spent considerable time discussing the process for subbasin plan comment, and response and the review and adoption schedule. At this meeting the Council legal division staff will provide an overview of the substantive legal standards that must guide the Council's subbasin plan adoption decisions. Subbasin plans are being offered to the Council as "recommendations" for amendments to its Fish and Wildlife Program constructed pursuant to the Northwest Power Act. As such, both the Act itself and the 2000 Program establish certain standards or determinations that the Council will make as it adopts subbasin plan recommendations into the Program. John Ogan will generally describe the framework within which the Council will work to consider subbasin plans in light of the statutory and Program standards.
    
6. RM&E for subbasin planning - update. On behalf of PNAMP, Steve Waste will provide the Group with a status report on the development of updated guidance to subbasin planners on monitoring, evaluation and research
    
7. Invoicing spreadsheet. Of the $15.2 million total subbasin planning budget, the Council has contracted for just over $14 million to date. The amount invoiced for services performed through February 2004, totals $6.1 million. Sharon Ossmann and Kierstan Myers will provide a brief update of the contracting and billing by activity since the last RGC meeting.
    
8. EDT/IBIS status update (40k PDF)
    
9. Status Report from State coordinators. See most recent planning progress summary by subbasin for Idaho (10k PDF). Oregon, Washington and Montana will provide updated reports at the meeting.