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Programmatic Issues

View the list of Programmatic Issues that Council has identified and defined under this Review.

2020 Resident Fish and Sturgeon Project Review

Viewing 4 of 4 Programmatic Issues


AssessmentID		ID	Title	Projects	Description	Recommendation	Date


55		1	Best Management Practices and Jurisdictional Issues for Native and Non-native Fish Management	0	(ISRP Programmatic comment A) The Program supports several projects focused on reducing or eliminating the impacts of non-native fish on focal species. The ISRP provided a number of programmatic comments related to how these projects identify and address technical management issues; how projects ensure communication and coordination among potentially conflicting efforts; and how effectiveness of non-native fish management is being evaluated and refined over time. These include exploring the creation of a task force for specific issues, developing angler reward programs, and enhancing public outreach. The ISRP also provided suggestions for specific scientific and best management practices that could potentially improve the efficacy of the projects through time. It is clear there are critical pieces that will need to be considered as these projects evolve.	1. Project Sponsors and Bonneville Project Managers should review and incorporate where possible the ISRP programmatic comments that support best science and management practices. Projects should develop plans that support efforts to minimize potential adverse impacts. 2. Project sponsors are encouraged to develop and describe plans for coordination among managers implementing both complimentary and potentially conflicting projects. 3. The Council and Bonneville should provide organizational support as needed for collaboration at a regional scale and/or among similar projects across geographies, as well as for the development of outreach and education programs.	10/27/2020
56		2	Project Prioritization, Objectives and Adaptive Management	0	ISRP Programmatic comments C&E). The Program envisions an adaptive management approach that includes identifying the highest priority projects and actions, quantifying the expected objectives of those actions, evaluating outcomes from projects, and adjusting implementation as needed. In this review, the ISRP noted the need for development of strategic approaches for prioritizing or weighting protection of high-quality habitats versus restoration of degraded habitats. The ISRP also noted that many projects still lack a developed adaptive management plan or approach. The Council continues to explore ways to support development of project quantitative objectives and implementation of an adaptive management approach. In the 2013 Research, Monitoring and Evaluation and Artificial Production Project Review, 2019 Mainstem and Program Support Project Review, and in this review Council staff have been working with partners to develop and refine guidance for objectives development for sponsors to use in completing the project review proposal form. Staff also streamlined the objectives section of the proposal form. For this review, Council staff and the ISRP held several workshops with project sponsors to help develop quantitative, measurable objectives for specific projects. Staff will continue to refine the instructions for those proposal sections based on user feedback/experience and ISRP comments. Staff and Bonneville agree that sponsors should have measurable, task-based or biologically based objectives to measure progress in meeting management objectives.	1. Council should continue to refine the proposal form to reflect feedback from project sponsors and the ISRP on project objectives. 2. Council should work with Bonneville to improve connections between the proposal form objectives and the final contract scope of work. 3. Council should work with the ISRP to hold webinars for interested project sponsors on developing objectives and an adaptive management plan.	10/27/2020
57		3	Climate Change	0	(ISRP Programmatic comment D) The Program calls for planning and implementation to include explicit consideration of the possible effects of climate change on the focal habitats and fish and wildlife populations. The ISRP expressed concerns that while it has called for explicit consideration of climate change before committing substantial resources to projects, it has seen little evidence that climate change considerations significantly influence the design or long-term funding of projects. Addressing climate change is challenging for project sponsors given the resources, data and information available. Climate change is an overarching challenge to the Program as well. However, as detailed in Part II of the 2020 Addendum, the Council recognizes the importance of considering and understanding the implications of climate change in all aspects of the Program in order to make the most effective decisions for fish and wildlife.	1. The Council will revise the proposal form to include questions regarding how climate change will impact projects and how climate change was considered in the design and implementation of the project. 2. The Council will work with project sponsors to provide resources and guidance to support efforts to incorporate climate change considerations into project selection, design and implementation, and to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on the project.	10/27/2020
58		4	Communication and Project tracking	0	(ISRP Programmatic comment G) Communication and coordination among project sponsors, Bonneville and the Council is a critical component of the Program. The need for improved communication and coordination was a key issue identified in Part II of the 2020 Addendum, which stated explicitly that “Bonneville shall provide regular public information to the Council on project implementation, so that the Council can understand whether and how implementation differs from the work recommended after project review.” In its review, the ISRP also requested better communication and transparency on how, and to what extent, Bonneville implements the Council’s and ISRP’s project recommendations. The ISRP also discussed the need for communicating information to practitioners and decisionmakers to guide future decisions. The ISRP noted the need for dissemination of information through publications, education and outreach efforts and other processes. As part of that communication effort, the ISRP recommended that groups of related projects develop synthesis documents that integrate multiple projects, analyze collective data, and create conceptual frameworks for future actions. Communication, information sharing, and reporting are ongoing issues that the Council continues to address. Council staff and Bonneville staff have been working together over the last several months to re-establish regular communication protocols. These issues were identified as programmatic issues and recommendations in the 2019 Mainstem and Program Support Review and the 2018 Research Progress Review. These reviews highlighted the importance of supporting regional and sub-regional data management, storage and dissemination of information necessary for program implementation and assessment. They also identified the importance of synthesis documents for specific topic areas as a critical component of a program-scale research, monitoring and evaluation strategy.	1. Council and Bonneville should continue to work together to re-establish a systematic approach and process for implementing Council recommendations, including project reviews and implementation. 2. Bonneville should support dissemination of project results through publications, workshops, trainings, and other forms of communication among practitioners. 3. The Council should explore ways to support development of synthesis documents and reports that will help advance the state of the science on specific topic areas.	10/27/2020