The objective of the Idaho Clearwater Focus Program is to facilitate the implementation of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program in the Clearwater Subbasin and the lower Salmon Subbasin.  Since assistance is provided to a diversity of interests and authorities, facilitation increases the efficacy of program delivery. The project will strive to continue to expand project sponsorship to increase restoration capacity and maximize use of multiple funding sources to serve common program habitat restoration goals.

The Clearwater Focus Program is a subbasin scale facilitation effort to implement the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (FWP).  The primary goal of the project is to facilitate and coordinate the restoration of salmonid habitats in the Clearwater and lower Salmon Subbasins in order to rebuild abundant, productive, and diverse anadromous and resident fish populations in sustainable and healthy ecosystems. The foundation for this work is the Clearwater Subbasin Management Plan, adopted by the Council’s FWP in 2005, and the Salmon Subbasin Management Plan, adopted in 2004. The vision for the Clearwater Subbasin is a healthy ecosystem with abundant, productive, and diverse aquatic and terrestrial species, which will support sustainable resource based activities (Council, 2005).  

                 Work under this contract also coordinates the Council's program with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) latest recovery plan for ESA-listed Snake River spring/summer/fall Chinook Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, and steelhead. The NOAA recovery plans to be coordinated include the following:

• Proposed ESA Recovery Plan for Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) & Snake River Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (2016)
• ESA Recovery Plan for Snake River Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), published June 8, 2015 (80 FR 32365).
• Proposed ESA Recovery Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (2015)

The Clearwater Focus Program was created under the Council’s FWP of 1994 (Council, 1994) which directed states to identify subbasins to develop coordination programs for watershed restoration actions. Model watersheds were created first throughout the Northwest, followed by the focus watersheds; the Clearwater Focus Program has existed since late1996 and is co-coordinated by the State of Idaho and the Nez Perce Tribe.  Habitat restoration projects were initiated in1999 through the Focus Program and since that time, some projects have concluded and additional projects have begun.

A Clearwater Policy Advisory Committee (Clearwater PAC) was created by the Focus Program in late 1999 to advise and provide policy direction for subbasin planning, which was coordinated through the Focus Program. This activity culminated in the adoption of the subbasin management plan into the Council’s FWP.

After the adoption of subbasin planning, the state and tribe co-coordination functions began to evolve and to reflect their respective authorities and agency missions. The Nez Perce Tribe Focus Program component is a division within the Department of Fisheries Resources Management, and the division implements watershed restoration programs throughout the Nez Perce 1855 Treaty Territory.  The Idaho Focus Program component facilitates and coordinates project development and information dissemination in the Clearwater Subbasin and lower Salmon Subbasin.  The Clearwater PAC no longer has a formal function in the subbasin so the Clearwater Technical Group and the Clearwater Core Review Team were formed by the Idaho Focus Program in 2008 to further organize coordination, facilitation, and technical review of project proposals for funding consideration.

The Idaho Focus Program was originally sponsored by the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission; in 2010 reorganization assigned this program to the Idaho Office of Species Conservation (Idaho OSC), which also sponsors the Upper Salmon Basin Watershed Project and several Idaho Accord projects.

The Idaho OSC manages funding awarded by NOAA's Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) for habitat restoration projects in the Clearwater and Salmon Subbasins. The Idaho OSC Focus Program coordinator prepares the Idaho PCSRF program proposal narrative for the annual NOAA competition for these funds.  Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funding may be matched with PCSRF funds.  Project sponsors that receive sub-recipient awards from the Idaho PCSRF program are coordinated by watershed and the Idaho PCSRF program priorities.  The Idaho Clearwater Focus coordinator assists with the development of projects and proposals for potential Idaho PCSRF program sub-recipient funding. Project sponsors that have received funding from the Idaho program have included the following: five conservation districts, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, University of Idaho, Nez Perce Tribe, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Northwest Management Inc., and Potlatch Forest Holdings. Any potential project sponsor may request assistance from the Idaho Focus Program coordinator.

There are a number of watershed restoration projects that implement the Council’s FWP and that are funded by BPA.  The sponsors for these projects include: Idaho OSC, the Nez Perce Tribe, Latah Soil and Water Conservation District, the Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.  Coordination and facilitation in the Clearwater Subbasin provides the structure to prioritize habitat restoration project development to focus on the goals and objectives common to funding sources, thereby maximizing funding efficiencies and restoration efficacy.

The Idaho Focus Program has one FTE in the Clearwater Subbasin funded by this project.  

Specific duties of the coordinator include:

• Assist BPA contractors, as requested, with Council FWP solicitation cycles
• Coordinate and assist BPA funded project sponsors to plan, develop, and implement projects that will meet the goals of the Clearwater or Salmon Subbasin plans
• Secure funding sources through grant writing and proposal development for cost share with BPA funded projects and other subbasin projects that meet the goals and objectives of subbasin plans and/or associated draft recovery plans, watershed plans, and biological opinions for ESA listed fish species
                Coordinate Bonneville funded projects with other habitat restoration funding programs
• Connect habitat restoration project sponsors with technical experts to assist with planning, design, and implementation of projects. Provide technical review, editing, and writing assistance as requested by project sponsors.  
• Provide advice and assistance with environmental consultations including NEPA, ESA, National Historic Preservation Act, and state and federal environmental permitting
• Offer general management, support, and contract administration assistance
• Update the Clearwater Subbasin implementation database

Groups the coordinator oversees and/or facilitates:

• Clearwater Technical Group (CTG) is composed of agency personnel, organizations, individuals, and conservation districts interested in restoration project coordination and collaboration.  Purpose:  Develops partnerships and project proposals to restore fish habitat and populations.

• Clearwater Core Review Team (CCRT) is composed of technical personnel from the following: Clearwater - Nez Perce National Forest (2 retired), NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (2 retired).  The function of this group is to review project proposals developed for various habitat restoration programs using review criteria the team has developed. None of the team members, by design, have a stake in the project proposals they review.