The long term vision of this restoration project is to restore coho salmon to the Wenatchee and Methow river basins at biologically sustainable levels that will support harvest in most years. The project works toward development of locally adapted, naturally spawning coho populations in the Wenatchee and Methow subbasins by increasing the fitness of reintroduced coho salmon by reducing domestication and emphasizing local adaptation. The program will use strict broodstock collection protocols which ultimately will place a limit on the proportion of natural origin adults in the hatchery program and place a limit on the proportion of hatchery origin adults on the spawning ground. Hatchery smolt production work is covered under BPA contracts with other agencies. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is contracted to incubate, and rear, and coho at Willard NFH and Winthrop NFH and to provide acclimation space at Leavenworth NFH and Winthrop NFH.  Transportation of smolts from lower river facilities to acclimation ponds in the Wenatchee and Methow rivers is done by contract with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. A contract with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will provide acclimation space at Wells FH.

This SOW includes includes work elements for tasks that will be completed prior to September 30st, 2008.  Broodstock collection and spawning ground surveys have been added for fall 2008 activities to the SOW.  BPA's decision to amend this SOW from its existing 8-month scope that is currently being operated under was to facilitate adult collection for the 2007 brood and put in place an extended 12-month budget/SOW.  The FY 08 budget will be complimented with annual cost-share funding from Grant County and Chelan County PUD's to assist with project costs.  CCPUD and GCPUD cost-shares will be paying for 100% of the mass marking for the 2007BY.  In addition to this 100% funding of the 2007 brood marking by the cost-share entities, O&M and M&E fall activities to include broodstock collection (WE T) , spawning (WE's U and V), egg incubation and transportation to the lower Columbia River rearing facilities (WE's W and X), spawning ground surveys (WE Y and Z), and subsequent data collection and CWT extraction for both the Wenatchee and Methow basins were approximately 80% covered by the cost-sharing through the PUD's (WE's AA and AB).  Concurrent project management, data analysis, and database management will be approximately 30% covered by the PUD cost-share (to cover WE started prior to the amended contract or continuing WE's through the fall from Sept. '07 to Jan. '08; WE I-M, O, Q, and R).  The PUD's front-loading their contracts with Yakama Nation to cover the majority of the 4-month fall activities in case BPA funding was delayed.  The remaining contractual obligation from the PUD's will go towards funding the 2007BY marking.  BPA will be responsible for 100% funding of all O&M and M&E activities in the winter, spring, and summer for the 2008 calendar year to include start-up for the 2008 BY collection in September '08.  These activities include overwinter acclimation, spring acclimation and all related data collection and analysis (WE's AD-AP) .