The issues raised in this review can be addressed during contracting. No response to the ISRP is required. Deliverable 2 (Implement a GIS spatial library and repository for habitat data) and parts of Deliverable 5 (Continue to Acquire Other Regional Data Appropriate to Subbasin Planning and High-Level Indicators) appear to be regionally inconsistent with the objectives and deliverables of StreamNet and other fish and fish habitat data storage projects. Long-term storage of terrestrial wildlife and habitat data, including GIS data layers, may be more appropriate in a distributed network in cooperation with projects dealing with long-term storage and retrieval of fish and fish habitat data. Deliverable 5 needs specific details that can be specified during contacting, namely, what other data sets should be acquired and where will they be permanently stored, should NHI serve in a "tier 2 data analysis" capacity to derive and disseminate High-Level Indicators and GIS data layers based on non-spatial and spatial data that reside within agencies and organizations, and what non-spatial information should be acquired?

1. Purpose: Significance to Regional Programs, Technical Background, and Objectives

We support the proposal to present a more comprehensive and integrated wildlife approach in the Fish and Wildlife Program. The project as proposed will continue to support subbasin planning and will now include other work objectives to develop wildlife high-level indicator information and integrate habitat inventories and evaluations. 

2. History: Accomplishments, Results, and Adaptive Management (ISRP Review of Results)

IBIS is an information system providing service to the region on terrestrial wildlife and habitat issues. The project has started producing GIS map based products for the Basin and has made major accomplishments, particularly in helping with development of subbasin plans and production of wildlife habitat maps. 

3. Project Relationships, Emerging Limiting Factors, and Tailored Questions for Type of Work (hatchery, RME, tagging)

This project is to merge the Habitat Evaluation Project (200600600) with the IBIS project, as well as to take steps to integrate with the CHaMP program (201100600).

The proposal identified four emerging limiting factors for the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program that if addressed would better inform subbasin planning, high-level indicators, and other monitoring projects.

4. Deliverables, Work Elements, Metrics, and Methods

Deliverables 1, 3, and 4 meet scientific review criteria.

Deliverable 2 (Implement a GIS spatial library and repository for habitat data) and parts of Deliverable 5 (Continue to Acquire Other Regional Data Appropriate to Subbasin Planning and High-Level Indicators) appear to be in conflict with the objectives and deliverables of other proposals which meet scientific review criteria, namely StreamNet and other fish and fish habitat data storage projects. Long-term storage of terrestrial wildlife and habitat data, including GIS data layers, may be more appropriate in a distributed network in cooperation with projects dealing with long term storage and retrieval of fish and fish habitat data.

Deliverable 5 needs specific details that can be specified during contacting, namely what other data sets should be acquired and where will they be permanently stored, should NHI serve in a “tier 2 data analysis” capacity to derive and disseminate High-Level Indicators and GIS data layers based on non-spatial and spatial data that reside within agencies and organizations, and what non-spatial information should be acquired?

4a. Specific comments on protocols and methods described in MonitoringMethods.org

The wildlife habitat monitoring protocols, both at a fine and coarse scale, can be found in MonitoringMethods.org.

Modified by Dal Marsters on 4/17/2012 2:47:25 PM.

The principal goal of this phase of the project is to continue development of common data sets and methods to inventory, monitor, and evaluate habitats for fish and wildlife. Among other uses, this information would be used in future subbasin planning efforts. This product was used during subbasin planning in all subbasins. Regular updating is necessary to ensure current data are easily available to users. With advances in small scale mapping and data storage, the product may be useful for monitoring of noxious weeds.

In the future, the ISRP recommends that more formal efforts be used to document use of the products produced by the project as well as to evaluate user satisfaction with services provided.

The principal goal of this phase of the project is to continue development of common data sets and methods to inventory, monitor, and evaluate habitats for fish and wildlife. Among other uses this information would be in future subbasin planning efforts. This product was used during subbasin planning in all subbasins. Regular updating is necessary to ensure current data are easily available to users. With advances in small scale mapping and data storage the product may be useful for monitoring of noxious weeds. In the future ISRP recommends that more formal efforts be used to document use of the products produced by the project as well as to evaluate user satisfaction with services provided.

This is a detailed and thorough proposal for a big project. Among the database proposals, this is among the best justified. It includes an excellent recounting of the history of this effort, but little is said about how results have guided work in the Columbia River Basin, or how they solicit and utilize regular feedback on their products. Are all the users happy with the way habitats are quantified and displayed? As an example consider the following comment from the ISRP's review of the Flathead and Kootenai Subbasin Plans: "Planners used a biome approach informed by IBIS to assess wildlife. Specifically, they developed the Terrestrial Biome Assessment (TBA) tool to get to a finer level of analysis than that provided by IBIS, which is limited to qualitative measurements. The Terrestrial Biome Assessment includes both quantitative and qualitative data fields." www.nwcouncil.org/library/isrp/isrp2004-7.pdf. IBIS has likely progressed and can get to finer scales.

The rationale and significance to subbasin plans and regional programs is clearly and exhaustively described. Data developed by this proposal relate to the Fish and Wildlife Program, BiOp, and the ISRP retrospective report. This project provides data to, or works directly with, a wide range of projects. The proposal provides a good description of connections to many projects, BPA funded and otherwise.

The objectives and work elements are clearly described. The sponsors propose new decision support tools using data from the RME process: ELVIS (to provide guidance on wetland vegetation planning and monitoring protocols). Project effectiveness monitoring is proposed, as are quality control checks and data refinements.

Information transfer includes a website to disseminate habitat and biodiversity information and performance tools to support decision making, presentations at meetings, professional material development, peer reviewed publications, and an education outreach effort in a habitat assessment course offered at PSU.