Download or read book Rainwater Wildlife Area Habitat Evaluation Procedures Report A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project written by Allen B. Childs and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 8,768 acre Rainwater Wildlife Area was acquired in September 1998 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) through an agreement with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to partially offset habitat losses associated with construction of the John Day and McNary hydroelectric facilities on the mainstem Columbia River. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) were used to determine the number of habitat units credited to BPA for acquired lands. Upland and riparian forest, upland and riparian shrub, and grassland cover types are evaluated in this study. Targeted wildlife species include downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), black-capped chickadee (Parus atricopillus), blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), mink (Mustela vison), and Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Habitat surveys were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in accordance with published HEP protocols and included 65,300, 594m22 plots, and 112 one-tenth-acre plots. Between 153.3 and 7,187.46 acres were evaluated for each target wildlife mitigation species. Derived habitat suitability indices were multiplied by corresponding cover-type acreages to determine the number of habitat units for each species. The total baseline habitat units credited to BPA for the Rainwater Wildlife Area and its seven target species is 5,185.3 habitat units. Factors limiting habitat suitability are related to the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of past livestock grazing, road construction, and timber harvest which have simplified the structure, composition, and diversity of native plant communities. Alternatives for protecting and improving habitat suitability include exclusion of livestock grazing, road de-commissioning/obliteration, reforestation and thinning, control of competing and unwanted vegetation (including noxious weeds), reestablishing displaced or reduced native vegetation species, allowance of normative processes such as fire occurrence, and facilitating development of natural stable stream channels and associated floodplains. Implementation of habitat enhancement and restoration activities could generate an additional 1,850 habitat units in 10 years. Baseline and estimated future habitat units total 7,035.3 for the Rainwater Wildlife Area. Habitat protection, enhancement and restoration will require long-term commitments from managers to increase probabilities of success and meet the goals and objectives of the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Program.

Download or read book Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Draft Management Plan has been developed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to document how the Rainwater Wildlife Area (formerly known as the Rainwater Ranch) will be managed. The plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Appendix A and Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into a 5-Year Action Plan that will focus our management actions and prioritize funding during the Fiscal 2001-2005 planning period. This plan is a product of nearly two years of field studies and research, public scoping, and coordination with the Rainwater Advisory Committee. The committee consists of representatives from tribal government, state agencies, local government, public organizations, and members of the public. The plan is organized into several sections with Chapter 1 providing introductory information such as project location, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, common elements and assumptions, coordination efforts and public scoping, and historical information about the project area. Key issues are presented in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses existing resource conditions within the wildlife area. Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation on management activities and Chapter 5 outlines a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project that will help assess whether the project is meeting the intended purpose and need and the goals and objectives. Chapter 6 displays the action plan and provides a prioritized list of actions with associated budget for the next five year period. Successive chapters contain appendices, references, definitions, and a glossary.

Download or read book Rainwater Wildlife Area Management Plan Executive Summary written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Executive Summary provides an overview of the Draft Rainwater Wildlife Area Management Plan. The comprehensive plan can be viewed on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) website at: www.umatilla.nsn.us or requested in hard copy from the CTUIR at the address below. The wildlife area was established in September 1998 when the CTUIR purchased the Rainwater Ranch through Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for purposes of fish and wildlife mitigation for the McNary and John Day dams. The Management Plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by BPA for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into a 5-Year Action Plan that will focus management actions and prioritize funding during the 2002-2006 planning period. Since acquisition of the property in late 1998, the CTUIR has conducted an extensive baseline resource assessment in preparation for the management plan, initiated habitat restoration in the Griffin Fork drainage to address road-related resource damage caused by roads constructed for forest practices and an extensive flood event in 1996, and initiated infrastructure developments associated with the Access and Travel Management Plan (i.e., installed parking areas, gates, and public information signs). In addition to these efforts, the CTUIR has worked to set up a long-term funding mechanism with BPA through the NPPC Fish and Wildlife Program. The CTUIR has also continued to coordinate closely with local and state government organizations to ensure consistency with local land use laws and maintain open lines of communication regarding important issues such as big game hunting, tribal member exercise of treaty rights, and public access. During the past two years, non-Indian public concern over big game hunting issues has at times overwhelmed other issues related to the wildlife area. In 2001, the CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee closed the wildlife area to tribal branch antlered bull elk harvest in response to harvest data that indicated harvest rates were greater than expected. In addition, illegal harvest of mature bull elk in southeastern Washington during the 2001 season exceeded the legal tribal and nontribal harvest combined which has created a potential significant regression in the bull;cow ratio in the Blue Mountain Elk herd. CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee and staff and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Regional Director and staff have been coordinating regularly to develop strategies to address harvest rates and ensure protection of viable big game herds in southeastern Washington. The CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee and WDFW has jointly agreed to continue close coordination on this and other issues and continue working together to ensure the long-term vigor of the elk herd on the Rainwater Wildlife Area. The purpose of the project is to protect, enhance, and mitigate fish and wildlife resources impacted by Columbia River Basin hydroelectric development. The effort is one of several wildlife mitigation projects in the region developed to compensate for terrestrial habitat losses resulting from the construction of McNary and John Day Hydroelectric facilities located on the mainstem Columbia River. While this project is driven primarily by the purpose and need to mitigate for wildlife habitat losses, it is also recognized that management strategies will also benefit many other non-target fish and wildlife species and associated natural resources.

Download or read book Rainwater Wildlife Area Watershed Management Plan A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project 2002 written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Management Plan has been developed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to document how the Rainwater Wildlife Area (formerly known as the Rainwater Ranch) will be managed. The plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Appendix A and Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into a 5-Year Action Plan that will focus our management actions and prioritize funding during the Fiscal 2001-2005 planning period. This plan is a product of nearly two years of field studies and research, public scoping, and coordination with the Rainwater Advisory Committee. The committee consists of representatives from tribal government, state agencies, local government, public organizations, and members of the public. The plan is organized into several sections with Chapter 1 providing introductory information such as project location, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, common elements and assumptions, coordination efforts and public scoping, and historical information about the project area. Key issues are presented in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses existing resource conditions within the wildlife area. Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation on management activities and Chapter 5 outlines a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project that will help assess whether the project is meeting the intended purpose and need and the goals and objectives. Chapter 6 displays the action plan and provides a prioritized list of actions with associated budget for the next five year period. Successive chapters contain appendices, references, definitions, and a glossary. The purpose of the project is to protect, enhance, and mitigate fish and wildlife resources impacted by Columbia River Basin hydroelectric development. The effort is one of several wildlife mitigation projects in the region developed to compensate for terrestrial habitat losses resulting from the construction of McNary and John Day Hydroelectric facilities located on the mainstem Columbia River. While this project is driven primarily by the purpose and need to mitigate for wildlife habitat losses, it is also recognized that management strategies will also benefit many other non-target fish and wildlife species and associated natural resources. The Rainwater project is much more than a wildlife project--it is a watershed project with potential to benefit resources at the watershed scale. Goals and objectives presented in the following sections include both mitigation and non-mitigation related goals and objectives.

Download or read book Columbia River Wildlife Mitigation Habitat Evaluation Procedures Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Habitat Evaluation Procedure study was conducted to determine baseline habitat units (HUs) on the Scotch Creek, Mineral Hill, Pogue Mountain, Chesaw and Tunk Valley Habitat Areas (collectively known as the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area) in Okanogan County, Sagebrush Flat and the Dormaler property in Douglas County, and the Berg Brothers ranch located in Okanogan County within the Colville Reservation. A HEP team comprised of individuals from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (Appendix A) conducted baseline habitat surveys using the following HEP evaluation species: mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus), pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana), mink (Mustela vison), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), Lewis woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis), and Yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia). Results of the HEP analysis are listed below. General ratings (poor, marginal, fair, etc.,) are described in Appendix B. Mule deer habitat was marginal lacking diversity and quantify of suitable browse species. Sharp-tailed grouse habitat was marginal lacking residual nesting cover and suitable winter habitat Pygmy rabbit habitat was in fair condition except for the Dormaier property which was rated marginal due to excessive shrub canopy closure at some sites. This report is an analysis of baseline habitat conditions on mitigation project lands and provides estimated habitat units for mitigation crediting purposes. In addition, information from this document could be used by wildlife habitat managers to develop management strategies for specific project sites.

Download or read book Columbia River Wildlife Mitigation Habitat Evaluation Procedures Report written by Paul R. Ashley and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Rainwater Wildlife Area Management Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of the project is to protect, enhance, and mitigate fish and wildlife resources impacted by Columbia River Basin hydroelectric development. The effort is one of several wildlife mitigation projects in the region developed to compensate for terrestrial habitat losses resulting from the construction of McNary and John Day Hydroelectric facilities located on the mainstem Columbia River. While this project is driven primarily by the purpose and need to mitigate for wildlife habitat losses, it is also recognized that management strategies will also benefit many other non-target fish and wildlife species and associated natural resources. The Northwest Power Act directs the NPPC to develop a program to ''protect, mitigate, and enhance'' fish and wildlife of the Columbia River and its tributaries. The overarching goals include: A Columbia River ecosystem that sustains an abundant, productive, and diverse community of fish and wildlife; Mitigation across the basin for the adverse effects to fish and wildlife caused by the development and operation of the hydrosystem; Sufficient populations of fish and wildlife for abundant opportunities for tribal trust and treaty right harvest and for non-tribal harvest; and Recovery of the fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of the hydrosystem that are listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Download or read book Habitat Evaluation Procedures HEP Report Yakama Nation Wildlife Management Areas Technical Report 1999 2000 written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Construction of the Dalles, Bonneville, McNary, and John Day Dams on the Columbia River by the federal government resulted in a substantial loss of riparian bottomland along the Columbia River. Impacts associated with the Mid-Columbia Projects were assessed for several wildlife species using the Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USDI-FWS 1980). The studies documented the loss of riparian habitat and established a baseline against which mitigation measures could be developed (USDI-FWS 1990 and USDE-BPA 1990). The impact assessments established a mitigation goal, a portion of which would be satisfied by the creation, restoration, and enhancement of riparian lands on tributaries to the Columbia River, including the Yakima Valley. The Yakama Nation (YN), the Northwest Power Planning Council, and the Bonneville Power Administration have agreed that the Yakama Nation would be funded to implement habitat restoration on lands within and adjacent to their reservation. Some of the targeted lands are owned by the Yakama Nation, some are trust lands, and some lands have been in private ownership. Since the early 1990s, the Yakama Nation has been in the process of assembling riparian lands into Wildlife Management Areas, and restoring natural hydrology and natural cover-types on these lands. The Northwest Power Planning Council, through the Bonneville Power Administration, has supported the program. HEP studies were performed by the Yakama Nation in 1990 (Bich et al. 1991) to establish baseline conditions and inventory wildlife habitat at the initiation of the restoration project. The 1990 HEP used a simplified version of the HEP to quantify baseline conditions. The present assessment is designed to evaluate the progress of the mitigation plan in meeting its stated goals. The 1999 HEP assessment has two distinct tasks: (1) Evaluation of the mitigation plan as currently implemented using the simplified YN HEP methodologies for the Wildlife Management Areas; and (2) Evaluation of the simplified YN HEP methodologies as a means of measuring mitigation progress.

Download or read book Habitat Evaluation and Monitoring in the Columbia River Basin Final Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The law established the Northwest Power Planning Council to prepare and adopt a regional conservation and electric power plan, and a program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife. The objectives are the development of regional plans and programs related to energy conservation, renewable resources, other resources, and protecting mitigating, and enhancing fish and wildlife resources and to protect, mitigate, and enhance the fish and wildlife, including related spawning grounds and habitat, of the Columbia River and its tributaries. 4 refs.

Download or read book Habitat Evaluation Procedures HEP Report Iskuulpa Wildlife Mitigation and Watershed Project Technical Report 1998 2003 written by Eric Quaempts and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) were used to determine the number of habitat units credited to evaluate lands acquired and leased in Eskuulpa Watershed, a Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation watershed and wildlife mitigation project. The project is designed to partially credit habitat losses incurred by BPA for the construction of the John Day and McNary hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River. Upland and riparian forest, upland and riparian shrub, and grasslands cover types were included in the evaluation. Indicator species included downy woodpecker (Picuides puhescens), black-capped chickadee (Pams atricopillus), blue grouse (Beadragapus obscurus), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), yellow warbler (Dendroica petschia), mink (Mustela vison), and Western meadowlark (Sturnello neglects). Habitat surveys were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in accordance with published HEP protocols and included 55,500 feet of transects, 678 m2 plots, and 243 one-tenth-acre plots. Between 123.9 and f 0,794.4 acres were evaluated for each indicator species. Derived habitat suitability indices were multiplied by corresponding cover-type acreages to determine the number of habitat units for each species. The total habitat units credited to BPA for the Iskuulpa Watershed Project and its seven indicator species is 4,567.8 habitat units. Factors limiting habitat suitability are related to the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of past livestock grazing, road construction, and timber harvest, which have simplified the structure, composition, and diversity of native plant communities. Alternatives for protecting and improving habitat suitability include exclusion of livestock grazing or implementation of restoration grazing schemes, road de-commissioning, reforestation, large woody debris additions to floodplains, control of competing and unwanted vegetation, reestablishing displaced or reduced native vegetation species, and the allowance of normative processes such as fire occurrence. Implementation of these alternatives could generate an estimated minimum of 393 enhancement credits in 10 years. Longer-term benefits of protection and enhancement activities include increases in native species diversity and structural complexity in all cover types. While such benefits are not readily recognized by HEP models and reflected in the number of habitat units generated, they also provide dual benefits for fisheries resources. Implementation of the alternatives will require long-term commitments from managers to increase probabilities of success and meet the goals and objectives of the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Program.

Download or read book Habitat Evaluation Procedures Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Status Review of Wildlife Mitigation Columbia Basin Hydroelectric Projects Columbia River Mainstem Facilities 1984 Final Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report reviews the status of past, present, and proposed future wildlife planning and mitigation programs at existing hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin. The project evaluations will form the basis for determining any needed remedial measures or additional project analysis. Each hydropower facility report is abstracted separately for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.

Download or read book Status Review of Wildlife Mitigation Columbia Basin Hydroelectic Projects written by Jack Howerton and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Washington State Wildlife Area Plan Columiba Basin Wildlife Area written by Gregory Paul Fitzgerald and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Precious Lands Wildlife Management Area written by Angela Sondenaa and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Management Plan written by Washington (State). Department of Fish and Wildlife and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Hnt k wipn 2005 Habitat Evaluation Procedure Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The construction of Albeni Falls Dam was completed in 1955. Prior to construction, the dam was expected to alter approximately 6,300 acres. However, the loss assessment addressed the losses in terms of Habitat Units (HUs) (Martin et al. 1988). HUs are derived by multiplying the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) by the number of acres in question. The HSI, in turn, is an index to the habitat carrying capacity for a specific species or guild of species based on a set of habitat performance measures and can be used to assess changes, both positive and negative, in habitat quantity and quality (USFWS 1980, 1980a). The HSI is derived though a HEP that is completed according to species or guild specific models. Variables defined in the models are measured on the landscape; and those measured values are rated according to the model to produce an index to the habitat's suitability. The HSI index ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. An HSI of 0.3 indicates that habitat quality/carrying capacity is marginal while an HSI of 0.7 suggests that habitat quality/carrying capacity is relatively good. Thus an acre of optimum habitat (HSI = 1.0) results in 1 HU. The construction and inundation of Albeni Falls Dam resulted in a loss of 28,587 HUs. This HU ledger was the sum of the losses for each of the chosen target species, which were 5,985 mallard HUs, 4,699 Canada goose HUs, 3,379 redhead HUs, 4,508 breeding bald eagle HUs, 4,365 wintering bald eagle HUs, 2,286 black-capped chickadee HUs, 1,680 white tailed deer HUs, and 1,756 muskrat HUs. The PACIFIC NORTHWEST ELECTRIC POWER PLANNING AND CONSERVATION ACT (1980) made mitigating against the HU ledger associated with the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS), of which Albeni Falls is a part, the responsibility of BPA. The Act also established the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC), which is responsible for, among other things, establishing the Fish and Wildlife Program to direct the mitigation process. The Bonneville Power Administration funded the acquisition of the mitigation properties covered in this baseline HU assessment in accordance with the NPCC's Fish and Wildlife Program and is due the appropriate HU crediting for both protecting and enhancing that area. The mitigation property is composed of three separate property acquisitions completed in the southern portion of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation (Figure 1). These acreages are contiguous (Figure 2) and were targeted because of their potential instream, wetland and riparian habitats. The 909 acre Hanson Property was purchased fee title in December of 2004 and includes the northern and southern most parcels. The 159.7 acre Allotment 331 was purchased in February of 2005 and lies along Hangman Creek and includes the majority of the forested land. Allotments 1021, 333A and 333B, which were acquired in September of 2005, lie along Hangman Creek upstream of Allotment 331 and are 160 acres, 80 acres and 75 acres respectively. The Allotments remain in Trust but are now held by the Department of Interior for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe rather than for individual Tribal members. Approximately 174.8 acres (acreage determined by Coeur d'Alene Tribal GIS) of the Hanson Property lies south and west of U.S. Highway 95. These 174.8 acres encompass uplands along with a farmstead that includes a dwelling, several shops, storage sheds and a loft barn. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe decided at the time of purchase not to retain those uplands in the mitigation program since uplands and residential areas are not suitable to the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Program. This baseline HU assessment encompasses only the contiguous acreages that lie north and east of U.S. Highway 95. This report is a summary of the 2005 baseline Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) conducted on the 1,195.2 acres (as determined from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's GIS database) of hnt'k'wipn surrounding the confluence of Sheep Creek and Hangman Creeks on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The Bonneville Power Administration was guaranteed a minimum of 364 protection HUs for the purchase of this area by the Albeni Falls Work Group. This HEP was conducted to document extant HU values of the habitats within the property as a basis for initiating a management plan and to evaluate the full potential of the area to credit against the Albeni Falls Dam construction and inundation ledger (Martin et al. 1988). The Regional HEP Team completed the field mensuration on the property in June of 2005 and this report summarizes the results of that data gathering effort.