columbia river basin fish and wildlife program annual ...

IV, SYSTEM PLANNING ACTIVITIESBPA actively participates in two Council-managed system planning programs,System and Subbasin Planning and System Monitoring and Evaluation. These twoprograms will strongly influence future Program direction and will ultimatelyaffect BPA's implementation of the Program, its evaluation and monitoringefforts, and its future Fish and Wildlife Program budget levels. The currentstatus and plans of these two programs are presented below.System and Subbasin PlanningResponsibilities: The Council funds the activities of the fish and wildlifeagencies and tribes to develop an Integrated System Plan, including 31separate Subbasin Plans. The fish and wildlife agencies and tribes haveorganized committees at the system and subbasin levels for completing thistask. The system level committee, the System Planning Group (SPG>, has beenresponsible for developing the format for the plans, guiding the subbasinplanners, and reviewing draft plans. The SPG will develop the IntegratedSystem Plan. The subbasin level committees have been responsible forcollecting information and developing drafts of specific Subbasin Plans. TheCouncil has organized another committee at the system level, the SystemPlanning Oversight Committee (SPOC), that has identified and is addressingmajor issues that have been and will be part of the system planning process.Progress: The Council contract with the fish and wildlife agencies and tribesthrough the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission calls for nine productsover the life of the planning process. Planning began in September 1987, andseveral products have been completed to date. These products include thepreliminary information report that contains information needed to evaluatethe production potential of the subbasins and thereby identify realisticobjectives for production, draft Subbasin Plans above Bonneville Dam thatinclude proposed objectives for production, the preliminary system analys isreport above Bonneville Dam that analyzes the proposed objectives forconsistency, and final Subbasin Plans above Bonneville Dam that includerecommended and alternative strategies for meeting the proposed objectives.The same products have been completed for subbasins below Bonneville Dam. Thedraft Integrated System Plan has been issued for public review, with a finalexpected in early 1991.Plans: The Integrated System Plan will recommend objectives for salmon andsteelhead production in the 31 subbasins of the Columbia River Basin. It alsowill include recommended strategies for meeting those objectives. This plan,including the 31 Subbasin Plans, will be considered for amendment into theProgram in a process that will extend into early 1992. The results of thatamendment process should provide guidance for funding activities in BPA'simplementation of the Fish and Wildlife Program in the 1990s. BPA isparticipating in the system planning process to assist in the definition ofstrategies for meeting salmon and steelhead production objectives and to helpmake the link between the planning process and implementation scheduling infiscal years beyond 1991. BPA participation in the SPG and the SPOC willcontinue on a regular monthly basis through the end of the planning process.25