This contract provides management and operational support for a capital construction program dedicated to the protection all life stages of anadromous fish from water diversions, improvement of juvenile and adult fish passage at diversions, and improvement of stream flow conditions. Staff will process environmental regulatory documents, provide oversight to archaeologists and consulting engineers, engage in scoping, and negotiate with private landowners for habitat projects. All projects require compliance with State of Idaho and Federal regulations including, but not limited to, IDAPA Title 42, IDAPA Title 36, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Federal Land Management Policy Act, National Historical Preservation Act, and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Additionally, this contract funds one Fishery Habitat Biologist position (personnel only) that is not directly in the Anadromous Fish Screen Program.  This position is in the Salmon Region. Funding this position will accelerate the pace of implementation and completion of high-priority fish habitat projects funded from a variety of sources. These sources may include (but are not limited to) Bonneville Power, Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund, Farm Bill, National Fish Passage Program, Western Native Trout Initiative, NOAA, Landowner Incentive Program, Habitat Improvement Program, etc. The primary responsibilities will be to identify potential fish habitat improvement projects, prepare proposals for funding, review and prioritize projects and proposals, coordinate activities with other public and private entities, and implement fish habitat improvement projects.

In this performance period, staff will produce designs for three screens: Big Timber Creek-04 (LBTC-04, work element J) , East Fork Salmon River-17 (SEF-17, work element K), and Lemhi River-33, (L-33, work element L). Under work elements D, E, and F, staff will provide management and operational support for the current capital construction program, 2007-399-00 Upper Salmon Screen Tributary Passage.  The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) Anadromous Fish Screen, Passage, and Habitat Program expects to finalize designs, fabricate, install, and maintain nine new fish screens including the Lemhi River-58B (L-58B), Lemhi River-51 (L-51), Lemhi River-20 (L-20), Big Timber Creek-03 (LBTC-03), Lemhi River-44 (L-44), Lemhi River-45A (L-45A), Lemhi River-45B (L-45B), North Fork Salmon River-03 (SNF-03), and Wimpey Creek-03 (LWC-03).  These are all older fish screens that will be replaced with new screens designed to meet NMFS Juvenile Fish Screen Criteria.  These projects combined will screen approximately 79 cubic feet per second (c.f.s.) in critical habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead.  Staff also will focus on pre- and post monitoring of fish passage projects, tributary inventories, and fish salvage for multiple projects.

Project Coordination: The IDFG coordinates other funding sources with this Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) contract in order to maximize the potential for anadromous fish recovery efforts in the Salmon River and Clearwater River Basins.