BPA Fish and Wildlife FY 1997 Proposal

Section 1. Administrative
Section 2. Narrative
Section 3. Budget

see CBFWA and BPA funding recommendations

Section 1. Administrative

Title of project
Conservation Easement Purchase, Lower Yakima River

BPA project number   5512200

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Yakama Indian Nation

Sponsor type   WA-Tribe

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

BPA technical contact   ,

Biological opinion ID   

NWPPC Program number   

Short description
Juvenile rearing and adult migration is not possible in the lower Yakima River for much of the summer due to extreme high temperatures. Purchasing development rights would lead to restoration and protection of critical riparian habitat, which in turn would improve water quality and spawning/rearing habitat by ensuring riparian function is maintained.

Project start year   1997    End year   2000

Start of operation and/or maintenance   

Project development phase   Implementation

Section 2. Narrative

Related projects

Project history

Biological results achieved

Annual reports and technical papers

Management implications

Specific measureable objectives
Pre- and post- project implementation riparian canopy closure would be quantified.

Testable hypothesis
Improving riparian canopy closure will increase rearing habitat function and improve water quality.

Underlying assumptions or critical constraints

Methods
Changes in riparian canopy will be determined with a densiometer.

Brief schedule of activities
The project would begin by notifying landowners of the program by fliers distribution. Meetings with interested landowners would occur. A rating system would be used to determine priority properties for purchase. Conservation easement language would be drafted with the assistance of an attorney. Easements would begin to be secured in year two. Further promotion of the project would occur through additional mailings. In year three, the time allocated to the project would be decreased to 0.25 FTE. The project would conclude after year five.

Biological need
From past research fish managers know that summer maximum temperatures in the lower Yakima River are too high to support salmonids. This effectively truncates the out migration of zero-age spring chinook, and prevents the reintroduction of stocks that require this reach during the critical season. This project would redress rearing habitat function through increasing riparian canopy closure, reducing sedimentation, increasing in-channel habitat complexity and improving water reducing substrate embeddedness.

Critical uncertainties
The lower 100 miles of the mainstem Yakima River cannot support anadromous fish because of lethal temperatures.

Summary of expected outcome
Native riparian vegetation density will increase. In turn, water quality will improve because canopy closure will improve. Ultimately, summer maximum temperatures will decrease. Ultimately the project will be used as a local demonstration area to encourage additional landowners to protect and restore streams.

Dependencies/opportunities for cooperation
Conservation easement purchase would be coordinated with the county assessors office, and the Yakima Greenway Foundation.

Risks

Monitoring activity
Canopy closure would be monitored over time.

Section 3. Budget

* For most projects, Authorized is the amount recommended by CBFWA and the Council. Planned is amount currently allocated. Contracted is the amount obligated to date of printout.

Funding recommendations

CBFWA funding review group   Bonneville Dam - Priest Rapids Dam

Recommendation    Tier 2 - fund when funds available

Recommended funding level   $9,671,031