Biological Opinions - Bureau of Reclamation

the above QA/QC procedures described above under Maintain Water Level and Flow Gages
Throughout the Project. We recommend that Reclamation post the final datasets on a secure
website available to stakeholders.
2. USFWS recognizes that a substantial amount of resources is committed to the gathering and
analysis of sucker-related data. Therefore, it is important to ensure that such data are used as
effectively as possible for the conservation of these species to minimize duplication of effort and
ensure rigorous analysis. Therefore, we recommend that all data collected or funded by
Reclamation as part of these monitoring efforts or other sucker-related research should be made
available to USFWS when the reports are published or no later than 1 year after collection of the
data if no reports are to be produced. When contracting for these efforts, Reclamation should
therefore contract for the data in addition to any analyses or reports. In other words, the cleaned
data and reports should be identified as deliverables in the contract.
3. A substantial effort was made by the Klamath Tribes to collect plankton samples from UKL.
Those data could be highly important for understanding how plankton populations, which are the
basis of the food web, are affected by lake management and other conditions in the lake.
Consequently, we recommend that Reclamation provide assistance to the Klamath Tribes so that
the plankton data are analyzed and a report produced.
13.8 NMFS Recommendation
1. Short-term and long-term climate change may affect and change hydrological patterns in the
Klamath Basin. As a result of these potential changes, key assumptions of the WRIMS
modeling results that NMFS used in this BiOp may be affected. Reclamation, in
coordination with OWRD and CDFW, should assess throughout the duration of its proposed
action the potential impacts of climate change in the Klamath Basin and whether the WRIMS
modeling results continue to be valid.
In order for NMFS to be kept informed of actions minimizing or avoiding adverse effects or
benefitting listed species or their habitats, NMFS requests notification of the implementation of
any conservation recommendations.
14 REINITIATION NOTICE
This concludes formal consultation on the actions described for the Project. As provided in 50
CFR §402.16, reinitiation of formal consultation is required where discretionary Federal agency
involvement or control over the action has been retained (or is authorized by law) and if: (1) the
amount or extent of incidental take is exceeded; (2) new information reveals effects of the
agency action that may affect listed species or critical habitat in a manner or to an extent not
considered in this opinion; (3) the agency action is subsequently modified in a manner that
causes an effect to the listed species or critical habitat not considered in this opinion; or (4) a new
species is listed or critical habitat designated that may be affected by the action. In instances
where the amount or extent of incidental take is exceeded, any operations causing such take must
cease pending reinitiation.
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