Preface and Background
The monitoring and evaluation activities supported by this agreement were determined by consensus of the scientists from the Yakama Nation (YN) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  Project M & E activities have been subjected to rigorous scientific and technical review by the YKFP's Science/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and the Monitoring Implementation Planning Team (MIPT).  STAC is responsible for the conceptual design of the project's M & E program, and MIPT must transform the conceptual design into the tasks identified in this agreement.
The process used by STAC and MIPT to verify the usefulness of these activities and the timing of their implementation involves consideration of the following principles:
1. YKFP monitoring should evaluate the success (or lack of it) of project supplementation efforts and its impacts, including juvenile survival, natural production and reproductive success, ecological interactions, and genetics;  
2. YKFP monitoring should be comprehensive; and,
3. YKFP monitoring should be done in such a way that results are of use to salmon production efforts throughout the Columbia basin and the region.
With the above principles as a backdrop, STAC and MIPT developed the M & E action plan in three phases. The first phase was primarily conceptual. STAC and MIPT defined critical issues and problems, and identified associated response variables.  The second phase was quantitative, which determined the scale and size of an effective monitoring effort. A critical element of the quantitative phase was an assessment of the precision with which response variables can be measured, the probability of detecting real impacts, and the sample sizes required for a given level of statistical precision and power.  The third and final phase was logistical.  At this point the feasibility of monitoring measures was evaluated as to practicality and cost. The YKFP Policy Group, representing the policy leads for both the YN and WDFW, has determined that the M & E activities covered by this agreement are necessary, effective, and cost-efficient.
This statement of work covers the share of the monitoring and evaluation activities under this project for the Yakima River Subbasin assigned to the WDFW staff.
For additional information on the overall YKFP projects and the linkage between work elements (M&E, Production, and Management), please see the following annual report at BPA's publication web site:  DOE # 6215.3, "Short Project Overview of Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation in the Upper Yakima Basin: Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project."