Since its inception in FY2003, Project #2003-017-00 (the Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program; ISEMP) has been developing two novel monitoring and evaluation programs: (i) subbasin-scale pilot status and trend monitoring efforts for anadromous salmonids and their habitat in the Wenatchee/Entiat, John Day and South Fork Salmon River basins, and (ii) effectiveness monitoring for suites of habitat restoration projects in selected watersheds within the three target subbasins. This work - critical for implementing the 2000 NMFS FCRPS Biological Opinion (RPA Actions 180, 181, and 183) (BiOp) and UPAs from the 2004 BiOp - builds on current status and trend monitoring programs within each of these basins. Several regional and local organizations are funding and implementing these programs. In short, this project has integrated existing and new monitoring and evaluation activities in three pilot subbasins to help ensure that provisions of the BiOp are satisfied.
This contract is one of several contracts that will implement this project.  The final report for this contract will contain data that will 1) be submitted to NOAA Fisheries (also a contractor under this project) for use in a project level integrated Annual Report and 2) be submitted to BPA as a contract final report according to the terms of this contract.  
Terraqua's role has been, and continues to be, to enable the Bonneville Power Administration to continue to implement Project #2003-017-00 in the Wenatchee and Entiat subbasins. Objectives of this work have been, and continue to be:

- Coordinate contract development between Bonneville and entities participating in implementation of the ISEMP program in the Wenatchee/Entiat and other pilot subbasins.

- Coordinate contract implementation between Bonneville and entities participating of the ISEMP program in the Wenatchee/Entiat and other pilot subbasins to insure that implementation activities meet the purpose and needs of the ISEMP program.

- Implement selected monitoring activities.

- Coordinate the design and testing of a data management system to support the program with local ISEMP contractors including the development of field protocols coupled with metadata necessary for proper data management .

- Analyze and report results related to the implementation of monitoring activities.

This contract represents an increase in scope and budget of about 9.4 percent over the previous Terraqua Release #1 primarily due to the expansion of ISEMP activities in the Entiat subbasin, additional data analysis tasks, and additional protocol development.

To offset the expanded costs associated with this expanded scope of work, Terraqua has: maintained the same rates for key positions as were charged in previous years; has elevated lower-cost staff to assume some of the responsibilities previously executed by more senior staff; and has reduced the scope of some coordination elements that were more prominent in earlier releases as those elements have been completed or institutionalized to the point they are relatively maintenance-free. The following list describes details associated with some of the significant scope/budget differences compared to Release #1:

- A 13% increase in budget for "Coordination" (i.e. task 6.1 compared to Release #1 task 5.1) is modeled on the actual number of hours spent on Coordination in FY2006 compared to the amount under-projected in 5.1.

- The budget for "Implementation Strategy" design (i.e. 6.2 vs. Release #1 task 5.2) has been dropped 35% due to insufficient funds at the program scale.  Existing strategies for the work in the Entiat and Wenatchee will continue to be used but will not be updated.  The decision tracking tool will continue to be maintained.

- The budget for Task 6.3 is slightly lower than Release #1 Task 5.3 due to the projected use of lower-cost staff.

- The budget for Task 6.4 is slightly lower due to the projected use of lower-cost staff despite a projected increase in the frequency of ISEMP staff meetings.

- The budget for Task 6.5 is about 13 times higher than Release #1 task 5.5 because the work in task 6.5 includes the development of 10 times as many protocols (10 total vs. a single “habitat field manual”) and 8 of those 10 will be developed for the first time (compared to relatively minor modifications of a pre-exisiting field manual as was covered by Release #1 task 5.5).  The budget for Task 6.5 is much less than 10 times the initial cost of developing the field manual due to our reliance on contributions from other ISEMP contractors.

- Task 6.6 is 19% more expensive than Release #1 Task 5.6 because of a 12% increase in macroinvertebrate analysis costs and a 13% increase in the number of samples expected to be processed resulting from additional sampling in the Entiat.

- Task 6.7 represents an 69% expansion of work with the budget remaining at the same level as Release #1 Task 5.6.  We expect to be able to achieve this efficiency due to the use of lower-cost staff (Mike Ward will not be used while Jeremy Moberg, crew leader for the past several years, will assume responsibility for more of the technical coordination and site selection once performed by Mike Ward) and because of efficiencies achieved at sites that have been previously monumented (“old” sites can be done at the rate of 2 per day where we used to budget sites at one per day; now, “new” sites are estimated to be surveyed at the rate of 1.5 per day).

- Task 6.8 is a new work element.  It is based on a similar work element in Terraqua’s contracts in the first two years where we provided contingency support for habitat field crews.  This work element is necessary because the shear number of sites requiring snorkeling, and the short time frame that the sampling must occur, has swamped the staffing capabilities of our usual list of ISEMP contractors.

- The budget for Task 6.9 has increased 44% for 50% more work and benefits from afore mentioned staff efficiencies.

- The budget for Task 6.11 has decreased about ½ to meet the lower amount of work expected to produce an annual review versus the three-year program review.