The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (CTGR) has managed the Fish and Wildlife Resources of the Willamette Valley and Lower Columbia River for thousands of years.  The Willamette Valley is part of the Columbia River Basin and the fish, wildlife and botanical resources are critical components to tribal culture and have high value to the Tribe.  

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funds perhaps globally, the largest Fish and Wildlife program (FW Program).  The Northwest Power Act has established a Council that directs the BPA to develop and adopt a program to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife, including related spawning grounds and habitat, on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Act also directs the Administrator to use the BPA fund and applicable laws to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife of the Columbia River and its tributaries in a manner consistent with the Act, the plan, and the fish and wildlife program. Lastly, the Act directs the Administrator and other federal agencies responsible for managing, operating or regulating hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River or its tributaries to provide equitable treatment for fish and wildlife in comparison with the other purposes of the facilities and take the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) fish and wildlife program into account as much as possible at each stage of decision making. The NPCC must develop a program based on the recommendations, supporting documents, and views and information obtained through public comment and consultation with the federal and state agencies, tribes and customers in the region. The program must consist of measures to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development, operation and management of the hydroelectric facilities while assuring the Pacific Northwest an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply.   The Administrator and other federal agencies are to consult and coordinate activities with the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service, state fish and wildlife agencies in the region, appropriate Indian tribes and affected project operators in carrying out their responsibilities.

Prior to development, review, or a major revision of the Fish and Wildlife Plan, the NPCC must request recommendations from federal and regional state fish and wildlife agencies and Indian tribes in the region on:   1) measures that can be expected to be implemented by the Administrator and other federal agencies to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric projects on the river and its tributaries; 2) objectives for developing and operating projects on the river and its tributaries in a manner designed to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife; and 3) fish and wildlife management coordination, research and development that will assist protection, mitigation, and enhancement of anadromous fish at and between hydroelectric dams.   The program must:  1) complement existing and future activities of the federal and state fish and wildlife agencies and Indian tribes in the region; 2) be based on the best available scientific knowledge; 3) use the least costly alternative means of achieving biological objectives, where alternatives are equally effective; 4) be consistent with the legal rights of Indian tribes; and 5) provide for improved survival of anadromous fish at hydroelectric facilities and sufficient flows between facilities to improve fish production, migration and survival.

Concerned with declining trends of native fish and wildlife population throughout the region and ceded lands of the Tribe, the CTGR used limited Tribal funds to best engage in these larger processes.  To be a more effective and informed leader in managing natural resources across the ceded lands of the Tribe, the need for additional funds to engage technical and policy staff in these regional hydro-system forums and processes was identified.  CTGR started to receive coordination funding from the Bonneville Power Administration starting in FY 2010.