LAST WEEK'S STORIESHISTORY
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Methow Valley News June 6, 2001 Endangered Species Publisher's Comment by Lee Hicks Chinook salmon return approaching peak Skyline canal shutting off after short run More power for upper Columbia salmon board on agenda Publisher's Comment ~ by Lee Hicks Regional fish board has merits Last week the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board (UCSRB) held a forum in Wenatchee that brought together major players in endangered fish programs and their funding. The board was established in part by efforts of the late Chelan County commissioner Esther Stefaniw. From most accounts of those who knew her, Stefaniw was someone who had a way of getting things done. In that spirit, the UCSRB—with incoming chairman Joe Peone of the Colville Tribes replacing Stefaniw—told the governor’s top resource advisor and various key agency heads that something needs to be done to streamline a tangled process. Peone used an exaggerated (or maybe it wasn’t) organizational chart to illustrate the uncertainty, fragmentation and duplication that plagues salmon recovery. Arrows on the chart shot off in all directions, some of them heading off the page into two-dimensional outer space. To summarize Peone’s presentation—it’s time to straighten out the process to provide some certainty for salmon, for those in charge of helping them and for the people of North Central Washington who bear the economic burden. Apart from the overlapping process, however, there was a sense that those directing recovery efforts don’t have a clear idea of what will be enough to insure long-term fish survival. Attending the meeting was the chairman of the Northwest Power Planning Council, which determines how considerable federal funds are spent to help fish who must navigate dams. Just a few days before the Wenatchee meeting, a top manager with the Power Council’s fish and wildlife program freely acknowledged the difficulty facing his agency. It’s reasonably clear, he said, what part of dam operations leads to "debits" under National Marine Fisheries Service’s 2000 biological opinion for federal dams on the Snake and Columbia. But, as to what qualifies for "credits," the Power Council manager observed: "The heart of it is that NMFS simply isn’t telling us what is enough...how much is enough. It’s still unanswered." That’s enough to make anyone in the process nervous. One concern expressed at the Wenatchee forum is the danger that more power—for programs and funding decisions—by a new regional salmon board could create yet another layer of bureaucracy. But with broad "stakeholder" representation, and a commitment to state watershed planning, it might also give the region more power in dealing with federal agencies. And this could be especially so if state agency directors and the governor’s office back the effort, as they say they will. It’s worth taking another step in that direction. Chinook salmon return approaching peak By John Hanron Guy Wiest drops to his knees and pulls the boards from the buried metal framework. He bends down and eyeballs the shadowy water flowing through the concrete chasm below, "There’s something in there," he pronounces, and kicks off his sneakers to don the well-used pair of wades lying nearby. Wiest, the hatchery manager at the Methow State Hatchery on Wolf Creek Road leads a group of three fisheries technicians who are responsible this year for collecting all of the spring Chinook salmon that will be used as broodstock for the Methow River basin. As the spring run approaches its peak in the Methow, Chewuch and Twisp rivers, Wiest and his employees David Dinsmore and Larry Stillwaugh, will be increasingly busy as they gather the mighty fish from the traps on the three rivers for the breeding program. Following a politically heated summer last year that saw protests against the state and federal salmon policy that included wasting undesirable salmon stock in order to keep more "wild" strains pure, fisheries agencies this year have implemented a program that they hope will be politically benign and biologically successful. Rather than allowing the predominantly hatchery-bred salmon to return to the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery, just downstream from the state facility, Wiest and his team will collect the expectant adult salmon from diversion traps on both of the major tributaries of the Methow as well as from the outflow channel off the mainstem. In these places, technicians are more likely to find a higher percentage of the wilder Methow composite stock (of the Methow and Chewuch) and the relatively pure Twisp stock. Keeping the hatchery-bred Carson stock, which the National Marine Fisheries Service wants to phase out of the river system, out of their intended breeding grounds is a wier, blocking passage to the national hatchery and forcing the Carson fish to find other places to construct their redds. "They’re banging at the door," exclaimed Wiest. "They want in." But even as the near-record numbers of returning fish that cross Wells Dam on their way to the Methow continue to rise beyond initial forecasts, the hatchery programs will collect just 1,000 fish for broodstock. The rest will breed in the wild, letting natural selection do its thing. As of late last week, more than 9,100 adult salmon have crossed the dam. That’s nearly double the 5,250 forecast to venture this far up the Columbia River system. In order to increase the percentage of composite stock for the breeding program, hatchery workers are expecting to collect as many as 600 from the Chewuch River and 70 from the Twisp River, where stocks have remained relatively pure over the years. Just 330 are slated to come from the hatchery outfall on the Methow, Wiest said, where Carson stock fish tend to make up as much as 15 percent of the population. Wiest expects to supply about 400 fish for the National Fish Hatchery, which usually sees many of its own broodstock return willingly up Spring Creek. There, Wiest said, 85 percent tend to be hatchery-bred stock. So far, most of the fish gathered have been from the Methow, where 250 adults and three jacks—immature returnees that will spawn—have been taken. Collection there has been slowed until the other traps start producing more. The Chewuch has landed 45 adults and the trap on the Twisp River 16. Hatchery workers won’t know until the spawning process begins—usually in early August—how many of the fish are of Carson stock and how many are of Methow composite or Twisp River stock. Typically, 75 percent of the run hits the Methow and its tributaries in June, Wiest pointed out. "We’re getting fish back," he said, "and they’re going to be spawning out there." by Lee Hicks Okanogan County has decided to move ahead with a lawsuit claiming federal agencies have overstepped in actions related to endangered fish in the Methow Basin. At midday Tuesday (June 5), the commissioners emerged from an executive session to announce the suit would move ahead. A required 60-day"notice of intent" was filed in early February as required by the Endangered Species Act. The suit claims that decisions by National Marine Fisheries Service, the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have exceeded federal authority and preempted state water law. Also named along with the county as potential plaintiffs are Early Winters Ditch Co.; Don Lundgren, of the Lundgren Limited Family Partnership; and Ron VanderYacht. Those irrigators are all affected by streamflow restrictions imposed by the Forest Service under biological opinions of NMFS and USFWS. Section 7 of the ESA requires the Forest Service to consult with the fisheries agencies regarding impacts to threatened and endangered fish. A key argument is that much-debated "target flows" set in the biological opinions have resulted in de facto appropriation of a federal instream water right. The notice also maintains the Forest Service exceeded its authority in restricting water use on affected ditches rather than portions that operate on federal land; questions the scientific basis for the biological opinions; and claims that the decisions were given legal standing without going through administrative requirements for public hearing and comment. Similar to a recent federal suit involving the National Association of Home Builders and the Tice Ranch, the suit also argues that agencies imprecisely over-designated critical habitat for listed fish. Some irrigators and members of the Methow Basin Watershed Planning Unit have expressed concern that the county litigation could harm efforts to obtain funding to aid fish with such measures as installation of improved fish screens and headgates, and better passage systems. State officials have said the lawsuit would not affect project funding in the basin if the the planning unit, county and irrigators continue working on solutions to aid fish. More power for upper Columbia salmon board on agenda by Lee Hicks Unless you know where you’re going, it’s tough to know when you’ve arrived. That could be one way to describe a key issue at the table last Wednesday (May 30) as regional, state and local officials gathered to air strategies for salmon recovery in the upper Columbia basin. The apparent consensus in the non-voting session was that finding answers will require balancing a complex mix of challenges—better definition of goals, coordinating the work of many agencies and groups, gaining community support and breaking through process gridlock to achieve short-term measurable results on the way to long-term successes. The "regional forum" was sponsored by the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board along with a Joint Natural Resources Cabinet comprised of state and regional agencies including the Northwest Power Planning Council. As incoming chairman of the board, Colville Tribes representative Joe Peone opened the session with a chart showing the various agencies and groups involved in salmon issues. The exaggerated illustration was crisscrossed by numerous arrows. In the upper left was a box labeled "salmon habitat criteria" followed by question marks, and an arrow heading off the page to no clear connection. "I think everyone agrees we want to get away from this," Peone said. Dennis Beich, regional director for state Fish and Wildlife, said the recovery board wants to look at various overlapping functions and "see where we can start combining things." "If we don’t, we’re going to continue to have these arrows (in the chart) going every which way." Beich left his post as Okanogan County water resources director to take the state post last year. Curt Smitch, special assistant to Gov. Locke for resource issues, said the governor would likely support a board for the upper Columbia salmon effort similar to one operating for the lower part of the river and its tributaries. At present, the board—including counties, tribes, utilities, conservation districts and some city officials—serves mostly in an advisory role. The board could become a entity to streamline review and funding of fish recovery projects. But there was also concern that an expanded role could create the perception of another layer of bureaucracy in fish funding. Many of the panelists, including Okanogan County commissioner Bob Hirst, emphasized a commitment to basin watershed planning, established through state legislation, as the best way to gain results with public support. Notably absent from the discussion were any officials of National Marine Fisheries Service or U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the agencies that have listed fish under the Endangered Species Act. Smitch emphasized that what ESA enforcement action the federal agencies may take remains uncertain. Smitch said the state has urged federal agencies to use "discretion" in ESA enforcement "if we’re moving in some rational effort toward salmon recovery. But," he added, "they don’t always agree with that." The difficulty in coordinating salmon recovery, state Department of Ecology director Tom Fitzsimmons said, is that, "they (agencies and other groups) all have their own independent authority. The job is to get them aligned, but you’re not going to govern them." Sen. Linda Parlette, R-12th, of Wenatchee, was among several speakers who wanted a better definition of what efforts qualify under federal recovery guidelines. "I’m always wondering where are the goal posts," she said. She pointed to success by the Colvilles and others in the Okanogan basin to improve habitat and passage for salmon in Salmon Creek. That is an example of "on-ground" successes that are clear and go beyond process, she said. The long-running attempt to find solutions for fish and water issues in the Methow basin was cited as a cautionary example of what lies ahead for fish recovery efforts. Fitzsimmons said that, "Coming from the experience we had in the Methow, the board has some fundamental choices to make." Fitzsimmons said agencies involved in the Methow had a "target on our back" and the result was a local reaction to "keep them (agencies) at bay." "You have to continue to communicate with the community or risk having local residents adopt a ‘protection mode,’" he said. Ecology and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife were the key state agencies that have tried to negotiate a memorandum of agreement on endangered fish and water issues with Okanogan County, National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. NMFS listed spring Chinook and steelhead as endangered in the basin, and USFWS listed bull trout as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. State Sen. Bob Morton, R-7th, of Orient, an often vocal critic of salmon spending, repeated his concerns. "We need to get our arms around this to know just where it is going," Morton said. "We’ve reached a point, we’re past that point, where we need to know just what we’re spending on salmon recovery." Morton said a study by his staff concluded that about $965 million was spent in one recent year on salmon programs, $345 million of that in federal funds. The present upper Columbia board includes representatives of Okanogan, Chelan and Douglas counties; the Colville and Yakama tribes; and Chelan and Douglas public utility districts. Also on the panel were Larry Cassidy, president of the Northwest Power Planning Council; Jeff Koenigs, director of state Fish & Wildlife; and Doug Sutherland, commissioner of public lands. Skyline canal shutting off after short run by Lee Hicks After less than two weeks of operation, the Skyline ditch has begun to "ramp down" as flows in the Chewuch River drop below those required by the federal biological opinion for endangered fish. "It’s over," was planning consultant Chris Johnson’s succinct summary of the Skyline’s brief irrigation season. Last week, the Forest Service notified Skyline members that the ditch would need to begin ramping down as required when flows flirt with the minimum 425 cubic feet per second required in the biological opinion. The Forest Service essentially administers provisions of the opinion, which was developed by National Marine Fisheries Service for endangered steelhead and spring Chinook salmon. But the ditch’s short season has served to highlight problems that need to be fixed in the lower three miles of unlined ditch, Johnson said. The lower part of the ditch failed, he said, partly because of two years of inactivity and loss of viable root structure to reinforce the channel. As a result, Skyline will likely seek funds to complete piping that section. The upper three miles or so has already been piped. A new headgate and fish screen has also been installed. Meanwhile, Skyline continues to negotiate with NMFS and USFWS to develop a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that would provide some assurances for future operation by complying with provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Skyline has joined with the Chewuch and Fulton ditches to form the Chewuch Basin Council. The Forest Service, while not a member, participates in council discussions. The non-profit council could apply for grants to make habitat improvements in the Chewuch drainage, Johnson said. "The purpose is to be...a funding tool, a negotiating tool," Johnson explained. An application has been submitted for funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, part of a grant that initially was to be handled through Okanogan County. Johnson met with county commissioners last week and said his view is that, "They’re supportive..." Skyline is set to meet again this week with NMFS, USFWS and the Forest Service to continue HCP talks. Opinion | Sports | Local Interest |