 
What We Do
Our mission is to work cooperatively with others to protect, restore, and enhance natural habitats, supporting fish, wildlife, and plants for the continuing benefit of the American people.
The Upper Columbia Fish and Wildlife Office (UCFWO) was established in 1995 to provide a more accessible point of contact to agencies, local government and citizens, serves 20 counties in eastern Washington, from the Cascade crest east to the Washington-Idaho State line, and the 6 northern Idaho Panhandle counties, covering approximately 51,000 square miles (see map).
We have a satellite office, the Central Washington Field Office (CWFO), located in Wenatchee Washington.
Our office implements all aspects of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Twenty nine ESA listed endangered, threatened, designated, proposed, candidate species, and 73 species of concern (see county species lists) occur in the UCFWO area. The species lists include among others, woodland caribou and Kootenai River white sturgeon, and wide-ranging species such as grizzly bear, lynx, and bull trout, and critical habitat proposals and designations. The UCFWO works with federal agencies such as U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, and Army Corps of Engineers to complete ESA section 7 consultation. A major focus in recent years has been working with local and state governments and private entities to develop partnerships by utilizing Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP’s), Safe Harbor Agreements (SHA) , Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) and other tools for non-federal landowners.
The UCFWO is involved in a number of recovery efforts for listed and sensitive species, including some wide ranging species with very complex (biologically and socially) recovery requirements. We are a major participant in bull trout recovery in the Columbia (River) Basin, and we are the lead for recovery of two endangered transboundary species, the Selkirk Mountains woodland caribou and the Kootenai River white sturgeon. Office staff work closely with members of the governments of British Columbia and Idaho and Washington states, as well as other federal agencies and stakeholders in a variety of efforts to protect these species’ habitat and improve population numbers.
This office represents the Service on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s subcommittee for the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear populations, overseeing recovery and management efforts for these two grizzly bear populations. We are the Region 1 lead for Canada lynx recovery, as well as the lead for recovery of the endangered Columbia Basin population of pygmy rabbit. Our biologists are working with the State of Washington and other entities on captive breeding and development of a recovery plan for this species.
The UCFWO has been involved in CERCLA activities such as designing and conducting biological investigations in the Coeur d’Alene Basin of northern Idaho as part of various multi-agency efforts to restore the basin from historic impacts of mining. The office also provides technical expertise with regard to other environmental contaminants, such as impacts of oil, metals (in particular lead poisoning in waterfowl), radionuclides, PCBs, and dioxin to fish and wildlife resources.
Another area of emphasis has been working with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and hydropower operators to address fish and wildlife issues in relicensing of their facilities. Box Canyon Dam on the Pend Oreille River, Post Falls Dam and the Spokane River Hydroelectric Project on the Spokane River, Chelan County Public Utility District, and several other Public Utility District facilities on the Columbia River upstream of the Tri-Cities are going through the relicensing process.
The Upper Columbia FWO also has an active and successful habitat restoration program, working with willing local landowners. Utilizing funds from the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, projects have been implemented on almost 4,490 acres of wetlands and grasslands, 108 acres of special trust species habitat, 330 acres of shrub-scrub and woodland habitat, and 221 miles of in-stream and riparian areas from 1995-2002.
Washington Counties within the UCFWO area of responsibility (see map)
Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Grant, Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin
Idaho Counties within the UCFWO area of responsibility
Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah, Latah
Endangered Species/Habitat Conservation Division
Recovery Planning
Listing and Classification
Candidate species
Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP)
Federal Activities
Partners for Fish and Wildlife
Wetlands
Migratory Birds
Environmental Assessment Division (Contaminants)
The Environmental Contaminants and Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program is part of a National Program that focuses on activities that prevent contamination on Service trust resources coupled with investigation, mitigation, and restoration activities. We integrate with other UCFWO programs and partner with federal, state, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to place emphasis on contaminant prevention by providing early planning coordination and recommendations to avoid adverse effects of environmental contamination to fish and wildlife species and their habitats. Click here for more details.
Upper Columbia
Mid-Columbia
Spokane River Basin
Hanford Reach
External Affairs
NewsRoom
Connecting People with Nature
Tribal Coordination The Federal government maintains a special trust relationship with Indian tribes pursuant to treaties, statutes, Executive Orders, judicial decisions and other legal instruments. The Service and Indian tribes have a common goal of conserving sensitive species (including candidate, proposed and listed species) and the ecosystems upon which they depend. Indian lands are not federal public lands or part of the public domain, and are not subject to federal public land laws. They were retained by tribes or were set aside for tribal use pursuant to treaties, statutes, judicial decisions, executive orders or agreements. These lands are managed by Indian tribes in accordance with tribal goals and objectives, within the framework of applicable laws. In Idaho, the Service works closely with Idaho Tribes, honoring their rights as as sovereign nations, and working on a government-to-government level to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats.
Working with Tribes
Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison
Regional Native American Liaison Contacts
American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities and the Endangered Species Act
Secretarial Order #3206, 1997: Federal-Tribal Trust Relationship
Executive Order #13175, 2000: Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments
Grant Programs for Tribal Government
Tribes of eastern Washington and northern Idaho:
Colville Confederated Tribes
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Kalispel Tribe of Indians
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Spokane Tribe
Yakama Indian Nation In addition the UCFWO coordinates, when necessary, with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla located in northeastern Oregon, and the Nez Perce Tribe located in central Idaho.
For more information contact us:
Upper Columbia Fish and Wildlife Office
11103 E. Montgomery Drive
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
509-891-6839
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