CBFWA Fish Passage Technical Services proposal 200732100

FY07-09 proposal 200732100

Section 1. Administrative

Proposal title	CBFWA Fish Passage Technical Services
Proposal ID	200732100
Organization	Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Authority (CBFWA)
Short description	This project will collect, analyze, manage, store & disseminate data on the passage characteristics of juvenile & adult salmonids within the FCRPS & provide a central staff analytical group to provide technical support to state & federal fishery managers.
Information transfer	Information will be provided through an interactive web site, weekly and annual reports, briefing reports to fish and wildlife and hyro system managers and public managers.
Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Contacts

Contact	Organization	Email
Form submitter
Brian Lipscomb	Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Authority	[email protected]
All assigned contacts
Brian Lipscomb	Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Authority	[email protected]
Kathie Titzler	Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Authority	[email protected]
Dona Watson	Fish Passage Center	[email protected]

Section 2. Locations

Province / subbasin: Mainstem/Systemwide / Systemwide

Latitude	Longitude	Waterbody	Description
			Our office is convienently located in Portland; however, our efforts will benefit the entire Columbia River Basin

Section 3. Focal species

primary: All
secondary: Anadromous Fish
secondary: Resident Fish

Section 4. Past accomplishments

Year	Accomplishments

Section 5. Relationships to other projects

Funding source	Related ID	Related title	Relationship
BPA	198712700	Smolt Monitoring By Non-Feder	Data obtained from SMP on status of annual smolt migration through the hydrosystem is used in making in-season recommendation of hydrosystem operations.
BPA	199602000	Pit Tagging Spring/Summer Chin	Estimates generated by CSS of in-river reach survival rates and smolt-to-adult survival rates for transported and in-river migrants are used in making future recommendations on hydrosystem operations and transportation as a recovery tool.
BPA	200303600	CBFWA Monitor/Eval Program	Data and results from studies conducted under the monitoring and evaluation studies within CSMEP (including the SMP and CSS and other research) will be used in making recommendations on mitigation options to aid in recovery of listed salmonids.

Section 6. Biological objectives

Biological objectives	Full description	Associated subbasin plan	Strategy
Technical Services	Support and facilitate successful fish passage through the FCRPS. Provide technical assistance, and information to fish and wildlife agencies and tribes in particular and the public in general on matters related to juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead passage through the mainstem.	None	[Strategy left blank]

Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)

Work element name	Work element title	Description	Start date	End date	Est budget
Create/Manage/Maintain Database	Maintain Regional Website	CBFWA will maintain the existing FPC website and will rename the website The Columbia River System Monitoring Site. The access to all data and analysis will remain public. All data and analyses will remain in the public domain to avoid disruption in meeting needs of state and tribal managers and the public. Develop, maintain software and hardware at FPTS to maintain and manage SMP data. Develop software and analytical tools necessary for analysis and reporting of data from SMP and CSS. Maintain a consistent long-term database of daily and annual migration characteristics, hydrologic data, hydrosystem operations data, reservoir operations, water quality, hatchery releases, mark recapture information and other information utilized in hydrosystem operation requests for fish passage and to support operations analysis. Project staff will provide internet access to all data stored in the SQL server, raw files, and metadata documentation, via HTTP or FTP protocols. Project staff will provide routine archiving and data backup on tape, of the entire SQL data base and web site, source codes. Tape back up will occur daily and weekly. Tapes will be stored off site. Mirror servers will be maintained to avoid catastrophic loss. The Project will report other data as requested, including resident fish data such as Bull Trout passage data, lamprey data or other specific data, smolt survival and smolt to adult return data. Provide coordination, web assembly and maintenance of a hatchery database. This requires weekly contact with the hatchery personnel throughout the basin to discuss production and release plans, modifications and updates and entering these data into the web interface database. These data will be provided to river and fish managers to aid real-time river management.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$168,000
Biological objectives			Metrics
Submit/Acquire Data	Maintain long term data base in support of analysis/data requests	The FPTS will acquire the smolt monitoring data from the traps and dams via electronic transmission and will develop, maintain, and modify remote data entry requirements for the SMP sites as necessary. The FPTS project will develop software needed to implement the program and will update annually the data collection and reporting manual for remote sites. Monitoring data from SMP remote sites is immediately displayed on the FPTS website.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$133,141
Biological objectives			Metrics
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data	CSS and SMP Site data	Information on the status of the Columbia Basin salmonid smolt migration is collected each year through the Smolt Monitoring Program (SMP) to aid the Fishery Agencies and Tribes in making management recommendations to smolts as they migrate from natal streams through the hydro system to the ocean. SMP data is used to determine relative fish abundance at dams, fish migration timing at traps and dams, fish travel time between monitoring sites, and fish survival from traps and dams to downstream monitoring sites. All of this data is collected for the purpose of in-season management of flows and spills and the post-season evaluation of the effect of that year’s management actions on migrating salmonids. This information is obtained from eleven monitoring sites in the Columbia River basin. These monitoring sites include four traps in tributaries above Lower Granite Dam, three dams on the lower Snake River, one dam in the mid-Columbia River reach, and three dams on the lower Columbia River. During periods of monitoring, the daily collection information from each of these sites is transmitted to the FPTS, where it is stored and compiled into data summaries for distribution to interested parties in the region. These sampling data include fin clips and other marks. This data is posted daily on the FPTS’s web page. Details of the sampling at the traps and dams may be found in the individual reports prepared by the respective monitoring organizations. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports on sampling at Lower Granite, Lower Monumental, Rock Island, and McNary dams. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) reports on sampling at Little Goose Dam and the Grande Ronde River trap. Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) reports on sampling at the traps on the Salmon and Snake rivers. Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) reports on the sampling at the Imnaha River trap. Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) reports on the sampling at John Day and Bonneville dams. Coordinate marking and sampling activities among all sites and other activities and programs at the sampling sites. Provide mark release information to remote site personnel, for releases upstream of each site. Provide assistance to remote site personnel. Maintain SMP data, validation and error checking process throughout the season. Send error reports to SMP project leaders. Obtain required ESA (Section 10) and state permits for SMP and GBT tagging and sampling by all SMP participants. Data auditing procedures will be implemented using procedures outlined in the Fish Passage Center’s September 17, 1997 memorandum describing the data auditing tasks. This will assure continuity and consistency with past procedures and historical data documentation.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$332,354
Biological objectives			Metrics
Disseminate Raw/Summary Data and Results	Provide internet access to data	Maintain FPTS web site for regional data distribution including daily updates of smolt monitoring data. Provide web-based queries and reports of smolt passage indices. Maintain the web based presentation and distribution of the Smolt Monitoring Program by species in the present daily format with daily automatic updates to the SQL data system concurrently with presentation on the web utilizing the data protocols described in the FPC32 Smolt Monitoring Program Remote Sites Data Entry Program. Provide web-based queries and reports of GBT sampling results. Provide web-based queries and reports of water conditions. Water condition, flow, temperature, spill and dissolved gas, ie. river condition data, will be made available in web based format in the same methods identified for all other SQL based data. Daily and historical data will be made available utilizing SQL based queries, including passage index and flow data. Downloadable csv and excel files will be provided based upon SQL web queries. Consolidate, summarize and distribute fish passage, reservoir and other data as directed by the fishery agencies and tribes. Track river conditions and FCRPS operations. Provide weekly update summaries of reservoir operations, reservoir elevations, flow and spill, consistent with the F&W Program requirements. Provide web site support for real time coordination, consolidation and web publication of spawning ground survey data for chum, fall Chinook and other salmon species for Ives and Pierce Islands, Hamilton Creek, Hardy Creek, lower Columbia River Washington tributaries and Multnomah Falls, data collected and provided by US Fish and Wildlife Service, and PSMFC. Provide daily and historical web publication of Adult Dam Count data summaries. Provide real time and historical data and analysis to the agencies and tribes to provide technical support in their development of System Operations Requests, including analyses of alternative hydrosystem operations. The FPTS will provide information as requested to inform entities developing system operation requests, but will not coordinate or facilitate the development of system operation requests. Respond to data requests from state and federal agencies, tribes, private and public utilities, interests groups, and the public-at-large. Prepare and distribute a weekly report providing real time weekly summary of passage conditions, river conditions, stream flow, spill, precipitation, smolt transportation, adult passage counts, past and future bi-weekly hatchery release reports, dissolved gas, smolt monitoring, and daily passage indices by species and site. Weekly reports are provided to any entity making a request. Provide technical assistance, analysis, and data as requested for ESA processes, F&W Program issues and processes, the state water quality agencies relative to mainstem fish passage. These include the System Configuration Team (SCT) the Technical Management Team (TMT), and the Implementation Team (IT). Maintain a Fish Passage Technical Services Project Internet site. Prepare data summaries and annual reports for SMP and CSS.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$199,712
Biological objectives			Metrics
Submit/Acquire Data	Support hatchery database	Provide coordination, web assembly and maintenance of the hatchery database. This requires weekly contact with the hatchery personnel throughout the basin to discuss production and release plans, modifications, and updates and entering these data into the web interface database. These numbers can be provided to river and fish managers to aid real-time management.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$68,550
Biological objectives			Metrics
Coordination	Regional Coordination	Participate in committees, meetings and presentations as requested by the agencies and tribes, including the ESA regional processes. Provide assistance in the Regional RME program. Facilitate the coordination of the SMP and CSS with the Regional RME program. Coordinate Fish Passage Advisory Committee communications and discussions. Facilitate FPAC meetings. Participate in FPAC conference call discussions. Attend FPAC meetings, TMT and IT meetings, Water Quality Team meetings, Water Temperature Modeling meetings and COE ADEP process meetings. Attend other interagency meetings as requested by the agencies and tribes. Project staff will coordinate with the state, tribal and federal fishery managers, COE and other project operators to assure that onsite SMP sampling activities and concurrent research activities are properly implemented.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$225,700
Biological objectives			Metrics
Analyze/Interpret Data	Analyses of fish passage and other data	Under the auspices of the Comparative Survival Study Oversight Committee, continue statistical analysis, development of analytical tools, maintain responsibility for planning, implementing, data management, analysis and reporting for the Comparative Survival Study (CSS) as directed by the CSS Oversight Committee of the fishery management agencies and tribes. Review research proposals, analysis and results applicable to fish passage management issues as requested by the agencies and tribes. Advise agencies and tribes regarding the relationship and application of research to fish passage management issues. Maintain current knowledge of proposed and on-going studies and their results and applications to fish passage management and hydrosytem operation issues. Provide technical services on water quality. Consistent with the present FPC work statement, attend and provide technical assistance to the agencies and tribes in the water quality technical committee, including the annual water quality report for NOAA, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the state water quality agencies. Provide technical support to sovereigns as necessary for the collaborative development and implementation of a new FCRPS BiOp. The framework and schedule for development of a new FCRPS BiOp require rigorous and uninterrupted technical support to the state and tribal sovereigns for effective collaboration with their federal partners. The states and tribes do not have the technical resources to meet these demands internally, and have relied on the FPC for this type of technical support in the past and these services need to be provided without interruption or fragmentation, particularly during the critical period of the ongoing FCRPS BiOp remand. State and tribal technical support functions necessary to support ongoing collaboration on the new FCRPS BiOp include, but are not limited to: analysis of juvenile and adult migration timing, composition and survival by route of dam passage; proportion of inriver and transported smolts under various FCRPS operations; effects of various FCRPS operations on water temperature, flow and fish migration and survival; and the statistical rigor of potential experimental designs associated with research, monitoring and evaluation necessary for adaptive management.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$690,450
Biological objectives			Metrics
Disseminate Raw/Summary Data and Results	Response to requests for information from agencies, tribes and the public at large	Provide technical support and information for use by agencies, tribes and other entities in other forums to inform annual and in-season system operation requests.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$133,141
Biological objectives			Metrics
Produce Annual Report	Annual Reports	The FPTS will produce four annual reports; the CSS Annual Status Report, summarizing the adult returns, survivals , smolt to adult returns from CSS mark groups; the FPTS Annual Report summarizing river operations, migration characteristics and the juvenile and adult migration, hatchery production and adult returns; the Juvenile and Adult Passage Facilities Annual Report, and the Dissolved Gas Water Quality Report.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$332,854
Biological objectives			Metrics
Coordination	Coordinate Implementation of the Smolt Monitoring Program	Working with the fishery managers and all active participants, implement the sampling plan as described in available manuals and provide training on data collection parameters and protocols, and provide capabilities for daily data uploads from remote monitoring sites.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$332,854
Biological objectives			Metrics
Coordination	Coordinate logistics for CSS study	Coordinate marking and logistics for the joint collaborative agencies and tribes Comparative Survival Study.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$199,712
Biological objectives			Metrics
Produce Plan	Work Plans for CSS and SMP	Work with CSS Oversight Committee to develop an annual plan, study design, marking requirements and resulting budget requirements.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$332,854
Biological objectives			Metrics
Coordination	Fishway Inspections	Implement the Adult and Juvenile Fish Facilities Inspection Program. Coordinate, train and schedule individual agencies inspectors. Develop an inspection and reporting schedule. Accompany inspectors from time-to-time. Review and consolidate monthly reports. Discuss problems, pursue resolution with the project operators. Prepare annual budget, coordinate agencies funding and work statement. Prepare and distribute an annual report. The Fish Facility Inspection Program is funded by the state and federal fishery agencies.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$6,000
Biological objectives			Metrics
Produce Environmental Compliance Documentation	CSS and SMP Environmental permitting and reporting	Develop and apply for Section 10 ESA permit for the SMP, implementing the SMP according to ESA permit requirements and complete the reporting requirements for the permit.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$66,570
Biological objectives			Metrics
Provide Technical Review	Provide technical support and review for agencies and tribes and other regional parties.	As requested will provide technical reviews of research designs, research results, reports and proposed actions, by any regional party. This includes reviewing research proposals, analysis and results applicable to fish passage management issues and providing technical assistance, analysis, and data as requested by the agencies and tribes. This also includes answering specific questions regarding fish passage, alternative operations scenarios, the impacts of alternative reservoir operations, historical and real time analysis, coordinate comments recommendations and discussions and will facilitate the discussions of the technical basis and justification of operations requests. As specifically stated in the F&W Program CBFWA will provide technical information as requested for use by the fish and wildlife agencies and tribes and others in developing and evaluating in-season flow and spill requests. Provide technical assistance for the agencies and tribes for development and review of the annual water quality report for NOAA, USACE, and the state water quality agencies.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$460,150
Biological objectives			Metrics
Manage and Administer Projects	Management & Administration of fish and system operations monitoring tasks	Provide project administrative support. Consistent with the F&W Program and the FPC (FPTS) statement of work, provide administrative support including development of SMP work statements, study design, budgets and submittals through the project selection process. Include compliance with all BPA Pisces reporting and system maintenance requirements for the Smolt Monitoring Program and the Comparative Survival Study. Coordinate within CBFWA in the mainstem/systemwide review process and prepare the annual funding proposals and submit to BPA. Prepare the annual Fish Passage Technical Services Project budget and submit to CBFWA. Coordinate with CBFWA regarding all accounting and budgeting pertaining to the FPTS contract; review the monthly budget status reports provided by CBFWA for accuracy and to make sure expenditures are within the approved budget numbers. Submit purchase orders to CBFWA for all purchases, maintenance work, leases, and contracts. Provide liaison between American Property Management and CBFWA regarding leasing and maintenance of FPTS office space, other building maintenance and safety issues, and parking. Coordinate with CBFWA regarding FPTS personnel, such as hiring, grading of positions, pay schedules, benefits, personnel concerns, performance evaluations, time schedules and timesheets, travel arrangements and any other personnel issues as needed. Coordinate travel and training of staff as necessary. Maintain comprehensive filing system for correspondence, reports, budgets, historical data, personnel and benefit information and forms, data collection. Maintain & update FPTS procedural manuals. Maintain FPTS library including subscription to periodicals for data management system, such as training manuals and technical references and resource materials specifically related to FPTS work.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$579,349
Biological objectives			Metrics
Develop RM&E Methods and Designs	Design Development for CSS and SMP	Develop the design for the SMP and the CSS study. This will include determinatin of mark group sizes, coordination of fish availability with the managing agency or tribe. Past data, prevailing management questions and comments and reviews by the agencies and tribes, the region and the ISAB and ISRP will be incorporated into the designs for 2007/09. CSMEP and subbasin plan initiatives and benefit evaluations will also be incorporated. Individual sampling site requirements will be reviewed; data collection and software for data acquisition and transmittal will be modified if required. Develop annual smolt monitoring plan with the Fish Passage Advisory Committee of CBFWA. Coordinate with other research and monitoring at mainstem projects. Develop work statements, budgets, and proposals with the SMP project leaders. Develop Comparative Survival Study (CSS) annual study design, marking requirements and resulting budget requirements. Prepare annual proposal submittal. The SMP design is developed through scientific review and collaboration. The development of methods and designs by the FPTS project is based upon input and agreement of state, federal and tribal fishery managers. In addition, the implementation of monitoring programs that take place at hydroelectric projects require coordination; collaboration and agreement of project operators. Since these monitoring programs affect ESA listed stocks ESA section 10 permit requirements for application implementation and reporting must be met. A preliminary draft design is developed based upon the management needs identified by the NOAA Biological Opinion and input from fishery managers. The fishery managers review the draft in terms of data generated, application of data, continuity and consistency to maintain the historical data time series and management needs. Annual monitoring designs by necessity must incorporate and address project facilities, operation changes and concurrent research, which can affect sampling. In addition available funding on an annual basis has a real affect on the design of the monitoring program.	12/1/2006	11/30/2009	$332,854
Biological objectives			Metrics

Section 8. Budgets

Itemized estimated budget

Item	Note	FY07	FY08	FY09
Personnel	12 FTE	$844,500	$844,500	$844,500
Fringe Benefits	45.5%	$384,250	$384,250	$384,250
Supplies	Other Direct Costs	$44,150	$44,150	$44,150
Travel	Staff travel	$13,400	$13,400	$13,400
Overhead	Indirect-14.43%	$193,115	$193,115	$193,115
Other	Office Rent and Utilities	$52,000	$52,000	$52,000
Totals		$1,531,415	$1,531,415	$1,531,415

Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets

Total itemized budget:	$4,594,245
Total work element budget:	$4,594,245

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
Totals		$0	$0	$0

Section 9. Project future

FY 2010 estimated budget: $1,592,671
FY 2011 estimated budget: $1,592,671

Comments: A 4% COLA has been added for each year following 2009.

Future O&M costs: Future costs of the project are expected to remain stable with cost increases reflecting general economic indicators of inflation as reflected in cost of living adjustments.

Termination date: Unknown
Comments: The project is expected to continue to fill a long term management need for analyses and data related to salmon life cycle monitoring and fish passage management.

Final deliverables: Unknown

Section 10. Narrative and other documents

Revised Narrative	Jul 2006
ISRP Reponse document	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	Basinwide	Under Review
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs]
$0	$0	$0	$0		Basinwide

ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)

Recommendation: Response requested

NPCC comments: This is a proposal to replace most of the functions of the current Fish Passage Center (FPC), which is a required element in the Fish and Wildlife Program. The ISRP found this proposal lacking sufficient technical detail for an adequate technical review and requests a response. This project is very similar in organization, language, objectives, and methodology to Project Proposals # 200730000 and # 200732600. In general, these three proposals recommend a return to the same organization and staff of the present FPC which may be dissolved in November 2006. The ISRP recommends close coordination among these four proposals' proponents (CRITFC, ODFW, CBFWA, and WDFW) to develop one well-organized proposal with sufficient technical detail to address ISRP comments/recommendations. A response should address the comments and suggestions made within each of the following sections of the proposal: Technical and scientific background: Only general statements are given describing the need for the technical support that this project has provided to the state, tribal, and federal fishery managers. This section does not indicate the kinds of technical services to be provided (i.e. daily juvenile and adult fish passage data, passage timing, duration, survival, etc.), their importance, or do anything to help justify this project. Rationale and significance to subbasin plans and regional programs: The Council’s Mainstem Amendments (2003) are cited as requiring this project to provide technical support to the state, tribal, and federal fishery managers, and key functions of the FPC are listed. The proposal needs to make a better case of how the project will meet those requirements. The Project History section was stated as not applicable. However, for such a long-running project there have been a number of important accomplishments and completed documents that need to be listed. At least a one-page summary should be included. Objectives: The seven objectives proposed by CBFWA in the Abstract are not followed through in the Objectives section of the proposal (only four are given). The clarity and organization of the proposal would be improved if the proposal was consistent. One missing objective is Objective 5 in the Abstract "to gather, organize, analyze, house and make widely available monitoring and research information related to anadromous fish passage (adult and juvenile) and resident fish impacts due to implementation of the water management and passage measures that are part of the Council's Program." This is one function of the FPC that must be included and stated explicitly. Also, some of the most important work elements in this proposal (e.g. passage index, relative abundance, migration timing, travel time, and survival estimates) are not included in the work element methods. The function of Objective 4 is to maintain a regionally accepted oversight group and while the concept appears to have merit, the details provided are insufficient to determine how this group would function. Tasks (work elements) and methods: Too often the reviewer is referred to FPC documents or memos for details that should be included in the proposal. Examples are: pg. 5 - "Project staff will utilize all of the methods and procedures outlined in FPC32 Smolt Monitoring Program Remote Site Data Entry Program protocols"; pg. 7 - "The procedures outlined in the September 17, 1997, memorandum describing the data auditing tasks performed by the FPC will be implemented"; pg. 9 - "This is consistent with the present FPC work statement and consistent with the intent of the report language and the Council’s Program tasks providing technical services to the agencies and tribes"; and pg. 10 - "Provide technical services on water quality. Consistent with the present FPC work statement, attend and provide technical assistance to the agencies and tribes in the water quality technical committee, including the annual water quality report for NOAA Fisheries, the COE, and the state water quality agencies." The methodology for some of the most important work elements in this proposal (e.g. passage index, relative abundance, migration timing, travel time, and survival estimates) is not included in the work element methods. The methods for each of these work elements needs to be included and clearly detailed. Monitoring and evaluation: The major functions of the FPC are M&E. However, the proposal includes nothing regarding the broader monitoring aspects such as coordinating or participating with other regional RM&E programs such as CSMEP. The proposal needs to provide some detail of how they will develop this broader monitoring plan and give details of how they will coordinate and participate with other regional RM&E programs. Facilities, equipment, and personnel: A good description of facilities and equipment is provided. However, only a list of summarized position descriptions needed for the project is provided. This is inadequate for reviewers to be able determine if the important functions of the project will have a reasonable chance of being accomplished. Either much more detailed position descriptions with necessary qualifications or a list of potential project personnel with resumes needs to be included.

ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)

Recommendation: Fundable

NPCC comments: The major comment by the ISRP in their preliminary review bears repeating: "This project is very similar in organization, language, objectives, and methodology to Project Proposals # 200730000 and # 200732600. In general, these three proposals recommend a return to the same organization and staff of the present FPC that may be dissolved in November 2006. The ISRP recommends close coordination among these [three] proposals' proponents (CRITFC, ODFW, CBFWA, and WDFW) to develop one well-organized proposal with sufficient technical detail to address ISRP comments/recommendations." The sponsors of this proposal (200732100) and proposals 200730000 and 200732600 have now consolidated their proposals into this one, sponsored by CBFWA. The ISRP appreciates the efforts by all sponsors to produce a much improved, more comprehensive proposal narrative with technical detail added addressing ISRP comments and concerns. The response document was also very well done and provided point-by-point detailed responses to each of the ISRP’s comments and recommendations. The proposal sponsors have dropped Objective 4 from the revised narrative. This objective, in the original proposal is stated as follows: "Objective 4: Maintain Regionally Accepted Oversight Group - The FY06 RFP required a well-defined process for objective oversight and direction of the analysis and reporting to provide transparency, objectivity, and accountability. The development of an oversight group will occur during the implementation of the 2006 field season. With CBFWA Members approval, the CBFWA will implement the plans and decision framework that is established during that timeframe. If an oversight group has not been formed, the CBFWA will develop a regionally accepted oversight and governance structure under this proposal using an independent contractor." In their review, the ISRP found this objective to have merit in concept, but it lacked enough detailed description to understand what the function of this group would be. Did project sponsors agree that this function was no longer needed or that this function would be performed by project # 200728700 (PNNL)? If the later, this project would need to be closely coordinated with the PNNL project, to avoid overlap and duplication of effort.