As co-managers of the Columbia River Basin fish and wildlife resources, CRITFC tribes have developed some of the most comprehensive fishery programs in the country.  This contract will provide leadership, management, coordination and implementation of watershed restoration programs to achieve the goals and objectives consistent with Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit and the Northwest Power Council’s (NPCC) Fish and Wildlife Program.  This includes the support and advocacy of CRITFC’s mission and Commission priorities for restoration and protection of fish habitat at the local, regional, national and international levels.  The implementation of an effective public relations program will continue to be a key component to our coordinated outreach efforts.

The major efforts of the project continue to be 1) the implementation, outreach and advocacy of the 2014 update to Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit, 2) participation and coordination of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s processes and Fish and Wildlife Program, 3) technical and policy-level support and coordination on tribal and CRITFC Commission priorities in regional processes, 4) development and execution of public outreach and educational strategies to inform the public on tribal priorities and activities, 5) coordination of a Future of Our Salmon (FOOS) conference, and 6) overall coordination and technical support of issues related to water quality, climate change and tribal workforce development.

There were three major accomplishments within the past year.  First and foremost is the unveiling of the 2014 update to Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit (Spirit of the Salmon) through the website: plan.critfc.org.  Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit provides a “gravel-to-gravel” framework for restoring anadromous fish stocks, specifically salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, and white sturgeon in upriver areas above Bonneville Dam.  The plan’s geographic scope extends wherever these fish migrate and throughout the Columbia River Basin.  The twenty-five year plan was introduced in 1995 and will end in 2020; we are currently in the 19th year of implementation. The Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit website is fully searchable and includes the 1995 recommendations, the 2004 subbasin plans, the 2014 updated institutional and technical recommendations that describes progress and modifications, new community development recommendations, highlights of tribal projects, and hundreds of links of related materials to the CRITFC website, and other tribal, state, and federal websites related to the plan and Columbia Basin fish restoration.

The second accomplishment is the successful implementation of CRITFC’s Third Future of Our Salmon (FOOS) workshop and conference on the restoration of fish passage to all historical locations.  The effort included a 3-day technical workshop located in Spokane, WA in March 2013 and 2-day policy conference located in Portland in April 2013.  The goal of the workshop and conference was to facilitate dialogue between the co-managers of the resource and a broad range of other interested parties in an ongoing quest for a unified vision of salmon restoration in the Columbia River Basin.  Each FOOS conference approaches this goal with a different theme. The 2014 Future of Our Salmon conference focused on restoring fish passage to historical locations throughout the Columbia River Basin for salmon, lamprey, sturgeon, bull trout and other migratory and resident species. Out of this conference, we developed principles, parameters and a process to drive the development of a unified strategy that allows Columbia River Basin fish to return to their entire historical range.  This conference was also unique in that it was co-hosted by all Columbia Basin tribes, First Nations in Canada and Columbia Basin inter-tribal organizations.  We had 27 sponsors of the event, over 174 participants at the March workshop and over 309 participants at the April conference that included representation from federal agencies, state agencies, industry, consultants, non-government agencies, environmental organizations, educational institutions, regional organizations, intertribal organizations, tribes and First Nations in both the U.S. and Canada.  Outcomes from this conference are ongoing and will continue to be pursued as a priority for the Commission in coordination with the Columbia Basin tribes and First Nations.

The third accomplishment includes the participation in the NPCC’s Fish and Wildlife Program Amendment process and submission of CRITFC’s Recommendations on the 2009 Program in September 2013, Comments on those recommendations in November 2013, and final recommendations on the 2013/2014 Draft Fish and Wildlife Program submitted on July 25, 2014.  This effort included coordination and participation in various NPCC processes, meetings, consultation and hearings and also entailed coordination amongst Columbia Basin co-managers to develop shared recommendations.  This work will continue into the next contract period as the final Fish and Wildlife Program will be finalized and publicly released and further consultation will most likely be necessary.

CRITFC is proposing to continue all of these efforts through the implementation of this new proposal.