Contacts
Amy J. Gaskill, (503) 231-6120
Mark Bagdovitz, (503) 872-2763
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
is committed to working cooperatively with the Northwest Power and Conservation
Council (Council) and all stakeholders in the Columbia Basin to develop high
quality fish and wildlife restoration and conservation plans, known as Subbasin
Plans, for the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Fish and Wildlife Service
is releasing a list of questions and answers that outline how its staff will
participate in subbasin planning and how it will integrate current planning
processes into this effort.
Subbasin Planning Questions & Answers
“The Fish and Wildlife Service
actively supports subbasin planning and the many Columbia Basin stakeholders
who are involved in the effort to develop high quality plans. We are providing
this information to our partners in the Columbia Basin to advance the planning
process and to let our partners know that we support them and will be working
closely with them to develop subbasin plans that meet the Council’s expectations,”
said David Wesley, Acting Regional Director for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Pacific Region.
The Northwest Power and Conservation
Council launched subbasin planning in 2002 to update and expand its Columbia
River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, to provide a basin-wide blueprint for
fish and wildlife restoration, and to ensure local and regional input into the
Council’s program. Subbasin planning has begun throughout the Columbia
Basin and will be in full swing in spring and summer 2003. Final subbasin plans
are scheduled to be completed by May 2004.
“Subbasin planning is currently
underway and many of our partners have asked us how it might affect our role
under the Endangered Species Act, our responsibilities for operating National
Fish Hatcheries, our obligations to protect Tribal trust resources, or whether
subbasin planning will affect our other fish and wildlife responsibilities.
Our field office staff are currently participating in subbasin planning and
are providing technical assistance to subbasin planners and local participants
in the planning process. We believe the interaction between local participants
and the fish and wildlife managers, including the Fish and Wildlife Service,
is important to the success of subbasin planning. We are committed to listening
to local concerns and to incorporating their ideas into subbasin plans. The
information we are providing today outlines our views on subbasin planning and
it will keep the Council, our State and Tribal partners, other Federal agencies,
and the public informed as the planning process unfolds,” said Wesley.
A contact list of Fish and Wildlife
Service field office coordinators for subbasin planning is posted on the Council’s
website at http://www.nwppc.org/fw/subbasinplanning.
The Northwest Power and Conservation
Council was created by Congress to give the citizens of Idaho, Montana, Oregon,
and Washington a stronger voice in determining the future of key resources common
to all four states, namely the electricity generated at and fish and wildlife
resources affected by hydropower development in the Columbia Basin, including
the Federal Columbia River Power System and the non-Federal hydropower projects
licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Council helps the
Pacific Northwest make critical decisions that balance the multiple purposes
of the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Council established 11 geographic
provinces and 62 subbasins for the purpose of subbasin planning. When completed
and approved by the Council, subbasin plans will become part of the Fish and
Wildlife Program and will guide the Council’s decisions regarding future
management and funding priorities.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is
the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing
fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of
the American people. We manage the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. We also operate the National Fish
Hatchery System, 64 fishery management offices and 78 ecological services field
stations. The Fish and Wildlife Service enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands,
and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. We also oversee
the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State
fish and wildlife agencies. The Pacific Region includes the states of Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, and Hawaii.
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