This is a detailed and thorough proposal for a big project. Among the database proposals, this is among the best justified. It includes an excellent recounting of the history of this effort, but little is said about how results have guided work in the Columbia River Basin, or how they solicit and utilize regular feedback on their products. Are all the users happy with the way habitats are quantified and displayed? As an example consider the following comment from the ISRP's review of the Flathead and Kootenai Subbasin Plans: "Planners used a biome approach informed by IBIS to assess wildlife. Specifically, they developed the Terrestrial Biome Assessment (TBA) tool to get to a finer level of analysis than that provided by IBIS, which is limited to qualitative measurements. The Terrestrial Biome Assessment includes both quantitative and qualitative data fields." www.nwcouncil.org/library/isrp/isrp2004-7.pdf. IBIS has likely progressed and can get to finer scales.

The rationale and significance to subbasin plans and regional programs is clearly and exhaustively described. Data developed by this proposal relate to the Fish and Wildlife Program, BiOp, and the ISRP retrospective report. This project provides data to, or works directly with, a wide range of projects. The proposal provides a good description of connections to many projects, BPA funded and otherwise.

The objectives and work elements are clearly described. The sponsors propose new decision support tools using data from the RME process: ELVIS (to provide guidance on wetland vegetation planning and monitoring protocols). Project effectiveness monitoring is proposed, as are quality control checks and data refinements.

Information transfer includes a website to disseminate habitat and biodiversity information and performance tools to support decision making, presentations at meetings, professional material development, peer reviewed publications, and an education outreach effort in a habitat assessment course offered at PSU.