BPA Fish and Wildlife FY 1997 Proposal

Section 1. Administrative
Section 2. Narrative
Section 3. Budget

see CBFWA and BPA funding recommendations

Section 1. Administrative

Title of project
Large Woody Debris Collection and Placement

BPA project number   5510300

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Yakama Indian Nation

Sponsor type   WA-Tribe

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

BPA technical contact   , EWN

Biological opinion ID   

NWPPC Program number   

Short description
Locate sources of high-quality large woody debris (LWD), such as from the USDA Forest Service or the USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs. Develop a memorandum of understanding with the agency(s) to provide long-term and (hopefully) perpetual source of LWD for future projects. Survey the river system using remote sensing to determine possible LWD project sites. Ground-truth potential sites, develop site-specific plan for placing LWD at sites in a manner that provides maximum benefit to fish resources.

Project start year   1997    End year   1998

Start of operation and/or maintenance   

Project development phase   Implementation

Section 2. Narrative

Related projects

Project history
Provide any background relevant to prioritization (e.g. historic costs if the activity was previously funded under other project numbers, cost shares received from other agencies, major non-biological products or conclusions.) There are separate spaces below for biological products, reports, and need for the project.

Biological results achieved

Annual reports and technical papers

Management implications

Specific measureable objectives
Fish density will be determined pre- and post-project implementation throughout season of use.

Testable hypothesis
Increasing stream complexity increases the amount of rearing habitat available, in turn improving carrying capacity of treated sites.

Underlying assumptions or critical constraints

Methods
Fish density at treated sites will be determined by mark and recapture methods. Equipment will include normal fish sampling tools.

Brief schedule of activities
The project would begin by contacting potential cooperative agencies. Remote sensing would be conducted to determine potential suitable sites for scattering LWD. Once suitable sites have been ground-truthed and methods for delivery have been finalized, contractors with the appropriate equipment would be contacted and bids would be secured. Delivery of the LWD to the site would then occur. It is impossible to know the time frame within which all this would happen, but it would likely require one year to finalize the plan and an additional three months to distribute the material.

Biological need
Managers believe rearing habitat for juvenile fish is severely limited in the basin. This project would increase that amount of rearing habitat available by increasing habitat complexity.

Critical uncertainties
Rearing habitat for juvenile fish is severely limited in the Yakima Basin, so much so that fish managers believe rearing habitat restoration is one of most important actions to restore stock health.

Summary of expected outcome
Rearing habitat would increase.

Dependencies/opportunities for cooperation
Project design and implementation would be coordinated with the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs affected contractors, landowners, BOR and WDFW.

Risks
Flooding may decrease the effectiveness of some of the LWD.

Monitoring activity
Pre- and post- project fish densities will be quantified at treated sites.

Section 3. Budget

* For most projects, Authorized is the amount recommended by CBFWA and the Council. Planned is amount currently allocated. Contracted is the amount obligated to date of printout.

Funding recommendations

CBFWA funding review group   Bonneville Dam - Priest Rapids Dam

Recommendation    Tier 2 - fund when funds available

Recommended funding level   $50,400