BACKGROUND
The Colville Tribes initially submitted a Master Plan for the Okanogan River steelhead to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) in November of 2008.  At that time, the steelhead program consisted of the following components:
- Renovating and expanding the existing artificial production facilities at Cassimer Bar Hatchery,
- Collecting broodstock at sites throughout the Okanogan River subbasin,
- Acclimating and releasing 180,000 parr and smolts to various streams in the basin, and
- Implementing a steelhead  kelt reconditioning program.
The goal of the program was to increase the abundance, productivity, and diversity of Okanogan River steelhead which are a component of the Upper Columbia Summer Steelhead Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU).  The proposed program was aimed at eventually eliminating out-of-subbasin transfer and release of summer steelhead smolts into the Okanogan River.  This action, according to the Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG), was expected to reduce genetic and disease risks to local fish populations.  Development of a locally adapted broodstock was expected to increase the survival rate of the artificially produced fish, thus increasing the stock’s abundance and ability to withstand environmental perturbations.

The 2008 Master Plan was reviewed by the Independent Science Review Panel (ISRP) tasked with determining the scientific merit of the program (ISRP 2009).  The ISRP concluded that the program did not meet scientific review criteria, one of the components of the NPCC’s Step One review process.  They requested that the plan be revised to address the following topics and re-submitted for review:
- Develop a clear logic path
- Develop a decision management framework
- Describe steelhead status and reproductive status
- Provide more specificity on habitat projects
- Provide more detail on the program elements:
- Incorporate HSRG material
- Monitoring and Evaluation program
- Broodstock development
- Acclimation practice
- Kelt reconditioning
- Chinook and steelhead plan linkage

Since these comments were received, the Tribe has reevaluated all biological and operational components and made significant modifications to achieve program objectives and to address the ISRP recommendations.  A revised Step 1 Master Plan, to be submitted in August 2013 to NPCC, is based around a new small hatchery located farther upstream on the mainstem Okanogan River that can use Okanogan River water.  The program no longer will make use of the Cassimer Bar facility.  The new facility will be equipped with adult collection capabilities to attract and remove hatchery adults from the system.  Juvenile acclimation sites are proposed on Omak and Salmon creeks to more effectively achieve conservation goals.

The proposed program is more aligned with the HSRG management recommendations for Okanogan summer steelhead.  It incorporates a decision management framework consistent with the Chief Joseph Hatchery program and the Master Plan also provides a description of proposed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities, performance indicators and standards.  More detail about the M&E program will be provided in the Step 2 submittal.

CURRENT CONTRACT
This contract will address the following:
Respond to ISRP comments on the Step 1 Master Plan to be submitted in August 2013.
Update the HGMP and Step 1 Master Plan based on ISRP comments and responses.