FY07-09 proposal 200704000
Jump to Reviews and Recommendations
Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Upper Columbia Landowner Incentive Program |
| Proposal ID | 200704000 |
| Organization | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) |
| Short description | A new, competitive, incentive-based grant program, adiminstered by WDFW, will be developed to provide financial assistance to private landowners for implementation of priority objectives and strategies of the Upper Columbia Subbasin Plan. |
| Information transfer | Multi-media outlets (including WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/) will be used to provide outreach to a diverse audience, including agencies, organizations, tribes, and private landonwers. |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator | |
Contacts
| Contact | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Form submitter | ||
| Sandy Dotts | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | [email protected] |
| All assigned contacts | ||
| Sandy Dotts | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife | [email protected] |
Section 2. Locations
Province / subbasin: Intermountain / Columbia Upper
| Latitude | Longitude | Waterbody | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Columbia Subbasin of the Intermountain Province - includes Water Resource Inventory Areas 53, 58, 59, 60, and 61. |
Section 3. Focal species
primary: Resident Fishsecondary: All Wildlife
Section 4. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishments |
|---|
Section 5. Relationships to other projects
| Funding source | Related ID | Related title | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other: state and federal | NA | State and federal incentive programs for habitat improvement | Currently, several state and federal incentive programs are available for private landowners wishing to improve fish and wildlife habitat in Washington State. Many programs, such as the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (administered by Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation), Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups (administered by WDFW), Landowner Incentive Program (administered by WDFW), Private Stewardship Grant Program (administered by USFWS), and Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (administered by USFWS), are focused on recovery of threatened and endangered species, such as anadromous salmon, or other species-at-risk. Given that the Upper Columbia Subbasin is located in the “blocked area” upstream of Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, funding and programs focused on resident fish habitat improvement is extremely limited. The federal Farm Bill has great potential to fund fish and wildlife habitat improvement on private lands but, within the Upper Columbia Subbasin, Farm Bill programs are focused on threatened and endangered species and at-risk habitats and are often unable to fund projects that require detailed design and engineering (e.g., fish passage, diversion screening, in-channel work) because of funding caps (e.g., $30,000 local cap on fish passage projects). The Farm Bill also does not fund terrestrial habitat improvements, such as noxious weed control and mule deer habitat improvements, that are not part of a broad landscape-scale conservation practice (e.g., Forest Management Plan). A definite need exists to compliment these and other existing programs by providing private landowners with incentives to implement projects not typically addressed by these broader and larger-scale conservation efforts. |
Section 6. Biological objectives
| Biological objectives | Full description | Associated subbasin plan | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Restore connectivity of salmonid habitat, as appropriate, by 2015. | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B1 - Strategy c: Remove artificial migration barriers as to allow fish passage where prudent to increase habitat quantity for migratory species. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Begin implementation of habitat strategies for addressing identified limiting factors for all focal species and native fishes by 2005 (Priority 1) | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B2 - Strategy a: Conduct riparian habitat restoration, reduce fine sediment inputs, and increase channel complexity to address known limting factors for salmonids. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Begin implementation of habitat strategies for addressing identified limiting factors for all focal species and native fishes by 2005 (Priority 1). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B2 - Strategy f: Removal artificial migration barriers to allow fish passage where prudent to increase habitat quantity for migratory fish species. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Maintain and/or acheive stream temperatures below 18 C for all streams that support salmonid populations (Priority 12). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B3 - Strategy a: Conduct riparian habitat restoration, reduce fine sediment inputs, and increase channel complexity to address known limiting factors for salmonid species. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Maintain and/or acheive stream temperatures below 18 C for all streams that support salmonid populations. | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B3 - Strategy e: Restore sinuosity to channelized streams. Strategy f: Remove small dams as appropriate. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Improve or maintain streambed embeddedness between 20 and 30 percent in all streams with known salmonid populations (Priority 11). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B5 - Strategy a: Conduct riparian restoration, reduce fine sediment input, and increase channel complexity to address known limiting factors for salmonid species. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Improve or maintain streambed embeddedness between 20 and 30 perent in all streams with known salmonid populations (Priority 11). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B5 - Strategy c: Decommission roads wherever possible and develop road abandonment plans to reduce road densitites and meet water quality standards. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Enhance, conserve, and protect riparian habitats to the extent that 80 percent of each stream's riparian areas remain intact and functional (Priority 9). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B6 - Strategy a: Conduct riparian habitat restoration, reduce fine sediment input, and increase channel complexity to address known limiting factors for salmonid species. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Enhance, conserve, and protect riparian habitats to the extent that 80 percent of each stream's riparian areas remain intact and functional (Priority 9). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B6 - Strategy e: Decommission roads wherever possible and develop road adandonment plans to reduce road densities and meet water quality standards. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Reduce width to depth ratios to <10 for all streams within the Subbasin, as appropriate (Priority 18). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B7 - Strategy a: Reduce stream bank disturbances from agriculture and recreational practices. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Reduce width to depth ratios to <10 for all streams with the Subbasin, as appropriate. | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B7 - Strategy c: Limit livestock from riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Identify, maintain, restore and enhance priority habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, upland forests, steppe and shrub-steppe, cliffs and rock outcrops, caves, grasslands, and other priority habitats) within the Upper Columbia Subbasin, including their structural attributes, ecological functions, and distribution and connectivity across the landscape to optimize conditions required to increase overall wildlife productivity of desired species assemblages. | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy a: Protect, restore, and provide connectivity of riparian habitat and cottonwood galleries. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Identify, maintain, restore and enhance priority habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, upland forests, steppe and shrub-steppe, cliffs and rock outcrops, caves, grasslands, and other priority habitats) within the Upper Columbia Subbasin, including their structural attributes, ecological functions, and distribution and connectivity across the landscape to optimize conditions required to increase overall wildlife productivity of desired species assemblages. | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy c: Eliminate or reduce undesirable invasive vegetation. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Increase quality and quantity of mule deer habitats, particularly winter and spring ranges. | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B2 - Strategy a: Secure, protect, and enhance winter and spring ranges. Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B2- Strategy b: Restore grasses and forbs where noxious weeds have impacted mule deer habitat. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Increase quality and quantity of mule deer habitats, particularly winter and spring ranges | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B2 Strategy c: Manage forests for a variety of successional stages to meet mule deer habitat needs on a site-specific basis; use fire and forest management to increase quality and quantity of shrubs and mature forest cover |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Begin implementation of habitat strategies for addressing identified limiting factors for all focal species and native fishes by 2005 (Priority 1) | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B2 - Strategy e: Limit livestock in riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Begin implementation of habitat strategies for addressing identified limiting factors for all focal species and native fishes by 2005 (Priority 1) | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B2 - Strategy g: Decommission roads wherever possible and develop road abandonment plans for federal, state, and Tribal lands to reduce road densitities and meet appropriate water quality standards. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Maintain and/or acheive stream temperatures below 18 C for all streams that support salmonid populations (Priority 12). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B3 - Strategy c: Limit livestock in riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Improve or maintain streambed embeddedness between 20 and 30 percent in all streams with known salmonid populations (Priority 11). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B5 - Strategy b: Limit livestock in riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Enhance, conserve, and protect riparian habitats to the extent that 80 percent of each stream's riparian areas remain intact and functional (Priority 9). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B6 - Strategy b: Limit livestock in riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Reduce width to depth ratios to <10 for all streams within the Subbasin, as appropriate (Priority 18). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B7 - Strategy b: Conduct riparian habitat restoration, reduce fine sediment inputs, and increase channel complexity to address known limiting factors for salmonid populations. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Reduce width to depth ratios to <10 for all streams within the Subbasin, as appropriate (Priority 18). | Intermountain | Aquatic Subbasin Objective 1B7 - Strategy g: Decommission roads whereever possible and develop road abandonment plans for federal, state, and Tribal lands to reduce road densitites and meet appropriate water quality standards. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Identify, maintain, restore and enhance priority habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, upland forests, steppe and shrub-steppe, cliffs and rock outcrops, caves, grasslands, and other priority habitats) within the Upper Columbia Subbasin, including their structural attributes, ecological functions, and distribution and connectivity across the landscape to optimize conditions required to increase overall wildlife productivity of desired species assemblages. | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy b: Utilize prescribed fire, forest management, or other applicable techniques to enhance, restore, and/or maintain large blocks of mature stands of Ponderosa Pine and western larch. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Identify, maintain, restore and enhance priority habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, upland forests, steppe and shrub-steppe, cliffs and rock outcrops, caves, grasslands, and other priority habitats) within the Upper Columbia Subbasin, including their structural attributes, ecological functions, and distribution and connectivity across the landscape to optimize conditions required to increase overall wildlife productivity of desired species assemblages | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy f: Limit livestock in riparian areas and replant native riparian plants where needed. |
| Develop & implement a landowner incentive program | Increase quality and quantity of mule deer habitats, particularly winter and spring ranges. | Intermountain | Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy e: Increase the area of aspen stands Terrestrial Subbasin Objective 2B1 - Strategy f: Manage motorized traffic in critical mule deer spring and winter ranges. |
Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)
| Work element name | Work element title | Description | Start date | End date | Est budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce Environmental Compliance Documentation | Produce Environmental Compliance Documents | WDFW will prepare all documents necessary to obtain environmental compliance from BPA (e.g., NEPA checklists, Biological Assessments, cultural resource assessments) and will work with private landowners to secure all other necessary federal, state and local permits/permissions (e.g., Hydraulic Project Approvals, Shorelines Permit, etc.). As WDFW does not employee a cultural resource specialist, all work required for cultural resource assessment will be subcontracted. | 3/1/2007 | 9/1/2009 | $41,044 |
|
Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Coordination | Coordination | WDFW will coordinate with private landowners within the Upper Columbia Subbasin to develop and successfully implement aquatic and terrestrial habitat restoration projects. WDFW will enter into cooperative agreements with landowners to complete UC-LIP funded projects. Landowner agreements will be submitted to BPA. WDFW will provide annual communication of coordination activities to BPA (e.g., landowners contacted, agreements signed, etc.). WDFW will coordinate with other entities, which implement habitat restoration on private lands (e.g., conservation districts, weed boards, WDNR, NRCS, USFWS), to ensure that projects compliment, and do not conflict with, other restoration work occurring in the subbasin. | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $24,025 |
|
Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Identify and Select Projects | Identify and Select Projects | WDFW will solicit project applications for projects in March 2007, September 2007, and September 2008. Projects will be prioritized for funding and funding decisions made by May 2007, November 2007, and November 2008, respectively. WDFW will utilize a science review panel to assist with project prioritization. The panel will consult with WDFW chief scientists and be composed of multi-disciplinary biological staff (fish, wildlife, and habitat specialists and environmental engineers) who work in, and are familiar with, the Upper Columbia Subbasin. The panel will be tasked with scoring applications based on an overall measure of science behind the project, including the project’s significance to NPCC Fish and Wildlife Program and Intermountain Province/Upper Columbia Subbasin Plan goals and objectives, likelihood of successful implementation, and short-term vs. long-term benefits to fish and wildlife. Projects will be funded in order from highest to lowest priority until program funds ($250 K) are obligated each year. | 3/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $49,395 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Manage and Administer Projects | Manage and Administer Project | WDFW will fund ($250K per year) and provide technical assistance to private landowners for designing, permitting, and implementing (i.e., construction management, subcontractor management) aquatic and terrestrial habitat improvement projects prioritized for funding through the UC-LIP. WDFW will administer project contract with BPA and support programmatic requirements such as metric reporting, financial reporting, etc. For contracts with private landowners, WDFW will modify the Landowner Incentive Program Agreement form (Appendix A) that has been successfully used to establish cooperative agreements with private landowners across the state. All projects will be tracked using WDFW’s computerized Contracts and Projects System database. | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $1,068,597 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Outreach and Education | Outreach and Education | WDFW’s Public Affair office will disseminate information about the availability of UC-LIP funds via WDFW’s website (http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/), news releases, media advisories, newsletters, e-mail distribution lists, special publications, broadcast public service announcements, monthly cable television show, and other communication tools. WDFW will also interact with landowners through local citizen advisory groups, public meetings, open houses, workshops, and other public gatherings. All of these venues provide avenues to inform the public about the importance of fish and wildlife habitat improvement on private lands and the opportunity for technical and financial assistance that the UC-LIP will provide. Additionally, WDFW staff are aware of numerous opportunities across the Upper Columbia Subbasin where both landowner willingness and an excellent opportunity to meet the strategies of the subbasin plan exist, but funding to accomplish objectives is lacking. WDFW staff will encourage landowners in these situations to apply for UC-LIP funds. | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $24,026 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Provide Technical Review | Technical Review | Experienced WDFW fish, wildlife, and habitat biologists and environmental engineers assigned to WDFW’s Northeast District (i.e., Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties) will provide technical review of all projects awarded funding. Technical details of projects will be reviewed including engineering plans, restoration plans, etc. and technical assistance will be provided to project proponents to ensure that all projects are designed and implemented using best available science. For aquatic habitat restoration projects, WDFW will rely on the Aquatic Habitat Guidelines, which include the Integrated Streambank Protection Guidelines (WDFW, WSDOT, and WSDOE 2003), Stream Habitat Protection Guidelines (WDFW, USFWS, and WSDOE 2004), and Design of Road Culverts for Fish Passage manual (WDFW 2003). For terrestrial habitat restoration projects we will rely on Management Recommendations for Washington’s Priority Species (WDFW 1991-2004). | 5/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $143,594 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Monitoring and Evaluation | WDFW will develop a monitoring plan for each project funded. Because each project is unique, type and duration of monitoring will likely be different for each situation. Monitoring data will either be collected by WDFW, the landowner or sponsor (e.g., conservation district), or through a collaborative effort of all partners involved. Again, this will be unique to each individual project. WDFW will take responsibility for data summary, interpretation, and dissemination. Based on agreement with the Intermountain Province Oversight Committee, additional funding will not be sought to fund this work element. We will revise the budget to “absorb” additional costs of monitoring or this work will be conducted by WDFW as in-kind match. | 5/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $0 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics Focal Area: by project type |
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| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | Monitoring and Evaluation | WDFW will develop a monitoring plan for each project funded. Because each project is unique, type and duration of monitoring will likely be different for each situation. Monitoring data will either be collected by WDFW, the landowner or sponsor (e.g., conservation district), or through a collaborative effort of all partners involved. Again, this will be unique to each individual project. WDFW will take responsibility for data summary, interpretation, and dissemination. Based on agreement with the Intermountain Province Oversight Committee, additional funding will not be sought to fund this work element. We will revise the budget to “absorb” additional costs of monitoring or this work will be conducted by WDFW as in-kind match. | 5/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $0 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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| Disseminate Raw/Summary Data and Results | Monitoring and Evaluation | WDFW will develop a monitoring plan for each project funded. Because each project is unique, type and duration of monitoring will likely be different for each situation. Monitoring data will either be collected by WDFW, the landowner or sponsor (e.g., conservation district), or through a collaborative effort of all partners involved. Again, this will be unique to each individual project. WDFW will take responsibility for data summary, interpretation, and dissemination. Based on agreement with the Intermountain Province Oversight Committee, additional funding will not be sought to fund this work element. We will revise the budget to “absorb” additional costs of monitoring or this work will be conducted by WDFW as in-kind match. | 5/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $0 |
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Biological objectives Develop & implement a landowner incentive program |
Metrics |
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Section 8. Budgets
Itemized estimated budget
| Item | Note | FY07 | FY08 | FY09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | [blank] | $68,469 | $68,469 | $68,469 |
| Fringe Benefits | [blank] | $21,027 | $21,027 | $21,027 |
| Supplies | includes office rental, vehicle lease, computer lease | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Travel | [blank] | $4,815 | $4,815 | $4,815 |
| Overhead | WDFW overhead rate is 28.89% | $100,916 | $100,916 | $100,916 |
| Other | Funds awarded to project sponsors | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Totals | $450,227 | $450,227 | $450,227 | |
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
| Total itemized budget: | $1,350,681 |
| Total work element budget: | $1,350,681 |
Cost sharing
| Funding source/org | Item or service provided | FY 07 est value ($) | FY 08 est value ($) | FY 09 est value ($) | Cash or in-kind? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [organization left blank] | labor, materials, equipment | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 | Cash | Confirmed |
| [organization left blank] | labor, materials, equipment | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
| Federal grants | labor, materials, equipment | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 | Cash | Under Development |
| Local grants | labor, materials, equipment | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 | Cash | Under Development |
| State grants | labor, materials, equipment | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 | Cash | Under Development |
| Totals | $37,500 | $37,500 | $37,500 | |||
Section 9. Project future
|
FY 2010 estimated budget: $500,000 FY 2011 estimated budget: $500,000 |
Comments: If there is still a need for habitat restoration in the Upper Columbia Subbasin that can be accomplished through this proposed program, WDFW may request funding in 2010 and 2011 to continue the program |
Future O&M costs:
Termination date: undetermined
Comments: Termination would be based on need
Final deliverables: Final deliverables would include documentation of all projects completed under the program.
Section 10. Narrative and other documents
| Revised narrative | Jul 2006 |
| Response to ISRP | Jul 2006 |
Reviews and recommendations
| FY07 budget | FY08 budget | FY09 budget | Total budget | Type | Category | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Expense | ProvinceExpense | Fund Pending Available Funds |
| NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ProvinceExpense | ||
ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)
Recommendation: Response requested
NPCC comments: A response is needed on M&E or oversight for this proposal. A response should describe how sponsors plan to work with local conservation districts to develop, implement, and enforce this proposal. Conservation districts have great relationships with landowners to develop and monitor this program. This is being done in other parts of Washington. Collaboration with the local conservation districts is recommended. They might consider using a selection panel, beyond agency personnel, to prioritize projects. Selection panels for similar efforts include a citizen representative and outside reviewers. Perhaps someone from an NGO, local conservation districts, extension service (with technical capabilities), etc. could serve on a selection panel for this project. This proposal raises a policy question about cost share. Specifically is funding from the Farm Bill available for this proposal?
ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable
NPCC comments: Sponsor has dealt with ISRP comments and revised the proposal satisfactorily and included broader representation on the science review panel. This project has solid biological objectives and envisaged methods. The sponsor (WDFW) explains that, because this is essentially a project for developing many separate on-the-ground projects, M&E design must await development of the individual projects and will be tailored to each one. Therefore, the M&E aspect of this proposal would have to be taken on faith that WDFW will do it right. Furthermore, the added M&E will be accomplished at no added expense. WDFW certainly has the capability to design and undertake suitable M&E, if they bring the right personnel to bear on the matter.