Natural resources, including flora and fauna, have shaped the culture of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Tribe) for thousands and thousands of years. The aboriginal territories of the Kootenai Tribal peoples (Ktunaxa) were far reaching with traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering activities extending into British Columbia, Western Montana, and all of North Idaho.

Many of the areas and resources traditionally used by the Tribe have been lost; anadromous salmonids no longer journey up the Upper Columbia River and its tributaries, and wapato no longer blooms on the drained wetlands. Even today, the Kootenai white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and burbot (Lota lota) struggle to exist in the Kootenai River.

It is the goal of the Tribe to promote full mitigation of the impacts suffered by the people of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the fish, water, wildlife, and plant resources which they depended, as a direct and indirect result of the development and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).

This project is tied strongly to the scientific principles of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC 2009); ecosystem function and ecological management are keys to the directed project objectives. Moreover, this project framework aims to assess, characterize and address many of the limiting factors and objectives identified in the Kootenai Subbasin Plan (KTOI and MFWP 2004).

The primary goal of the Reconnect Project is to investigate and implement actions that enhance biological, terrestrial and aquatic habitats by reconnecting the Kootenai River with its historic floodplain. The Reconnect Project is one component of a complex matrix of projects that are designed to assess, conserve, restore, and manage various aspects of the lower Kootenai River ecosystem, including the fundamental processes that are necessary for the production of all other ecological systems.

To date, the Reconnect Project has examined the feasibility of reconnecting floodplain habitats with the mainstem Kootenai River and determined it to be feasible and beneficial for the health of the ecosystem. Major project components completed include: the identification and initial feasibility of reconnecting six tributaries to the mainstem Kootenai River; collection and analysis of baseline productivity data in existing floodplain water bodies; the examination of several restoration alternatives for the Ball Creek Ranch site; the completion of Ball Creek reconnection design plans; and the identification of restoration areas for sturgeon refugia. Since 2002, the Project has distributed data to other Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)-funded projects within the Kootenai Subbasin and has provided a variety of data-sharing benefits. For example, the Tribe collected LiDAR data that was later utilized in other BPA-funded projects. In addition, various aspects of hydraulic and hydrologic models were co-created with other projects to simulate water surface elevations, velocities and hydraulic parameters to estimate the extent of floodplain inundation.

The proposed biological objectives for 2012 – 2013 include the following:
- Finalize wetland assessment methodology, in conjunction with 2002-011-00, including a comparison of wetland functions and values within each project reach;
- Conduct an on-site survey and wetland boundary determination of Nimz Ranch, including field validation of methodology and wetland functional assessment;
- Identify resources and gaps in our understanding of site hydrology as it relates to groundwater storage and groundwater movement, and surface processes directly related to Nimz Ranch reconnection opportunities;
- Develop a relational database for the project, including information, reports, data, models, and engineering designs;
- Develop groundwater, HEC-RAS models, and related existing data for relevancy to Nimz Ranch reconnection opportunities and initiate the development of a project prioritization tool;
- Update the Ball Creek stream restoration design to represent scaled-back construction and capture cost savings;
- Review and update the Ball Creek Stream Restoration Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) Plan;
- Assess wetland and floodplain viability and threats and complete a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) in association with Kootenai Tribe Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) process, that includes refined objectives and strategies to ensure conservation and restoration success;
- Complete a literature review for invasive species control management techniques, including resource management projects, methods, and success/failure criteria to suppress reed canary grass.