Upper Willamette River Recovery PlanningWITHIN OUR REACH

New Partnerships for a Healthier WillametteDecember 7-8 2010

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Thanks to:

Doug, Pam, Meyer Memorial Trust, Tom and OWEB,

“W O R” planning team

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What’s New for Willamette Recovery?

• The Public Review Draft of Oregon and NOAA’s Upper Willamette River Conservation and Recovery plan for Chinook salmon and steelhead has been completed and is out for public comment until December 21.

• Prospect of a Willamette Recovery Implementation Team

• Consultations beginning with FEMA on building in flood plains in Oregon.

• Legislation in Washington and California @ brake pads

• Exciting new development from North of the Falls! ! !

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• NOAA Fisheries has a great team working on the Upper Willamette …

• and one new development regarding our recovery efforts …

(careful what you ask for)

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West Coast and PNW Context

for ESA - listed salmon and steelhead

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The Endangered Species Act and salmon

• Congress enacted the ESA in 1973

• SEC. 2. PURPOSE(a) FINDINGS- … species of fish, wildlife, threatened with extinction … are of aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people;

(b) PURPOSES-…The purposes of this Act are to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species,

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Sections 4,7,9

4. List species, develop recovery plans, implement recovery plans, delist

7. Federal actions avoid jeopardy and avoid adverse modification of critical habitat

9. Prohibits unauthorized take of listed species (regulation vs. voluntary implementation)

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Spawning habitat blocked by dams …

ESA – listed Salmon and Steelhead West Coast

Puget SoundPuget Sound Chinook - ThreatenedHood Canal Summer-run Chum - ThreatenedLake Ozette Sockeye – ThreatenedPuget Sound Steelhead - Threatened

Willamette/Lower ColumbiaLower Columbia Chinook - ThreatenedLower Columbia Steelhead - ThreatenedLower Columbia Coho - CandidateColumbia River Chum - ThreatenedUpper Willamette Chinook - ThreatenedUpper Willamette Steelhead - Threatened

Interior Columbia BasinSnake River Sockeye – EndangeredUpper Columbia Spring Chinook - EndangeredSnake River Fall Chinook - ThreatenedSnake River Spring/Summer Chinook - ThreatenedSnake River Steelhead – ThreatenedUpper Columbia Steelhead - ThreatenedMid-Columbia Steelhead - Threatened

Oregon Coast Coho Oregon Coast Coho – Threatened

Southern Oregon/NorthernCalifornia Coastal Coho

Southern OR/Northern CA Coasts Coho - Threatened

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Other recovery efforts in the PNW…

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Presentation Outline

• Problem Statement• Background

– Status of ESU– Limiting Factors & Threats- All “H’s”

• Chinook Reintroductions– History, Goals, Issues, Needs– Critical Questions to be Answered

• Discussion – how is SWR proceedings with these issues?

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Q: What Constitutes “Success” under the ESA?

Short answer:

About half the Populations are “Viable” and “threats” have been reduced.

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TRT Viability Criteria

Pop Attributes

Pop Status

Major Population Group Status

ESU Status ESU

MPG 1 MPG 2 MPG 3

Abundance, Productivity, Spatial Structure, Diversity

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Numbers of fish and risk

trend variance abundance

time

N

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Abundance & Productivity: Viability Curves

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

1 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04Intrinsic Productivity

Abu

ndan

ce

All points on this line yield a 5% risk of

extinction

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ESA-Listed Fish in the Willamette NOAA Fisheries/NMFS jurisdiction

Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon

Upper Willamette River winter steelhead

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Upper Willamette Recovery Plan –

My Unofficial review of key steps…

Each one has already been discussedEach is

necessary, but not sufficient by themselves,to get to success:

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1. Re-establish natural production above flood control dams

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2. Protect and restore spawning and rearing habitat below the dams

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Land and Water

• ~70% Oregon’s population resides in the Willamette Basin.

• Urban and Rural Development• Lowland Valley Agriculture• Forestry• All the associated impacts on salmon and their

habitat.• Water quality . . .

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3. Manage harvest and hatcheries

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Hatcheries• Approximately 75% of existing hatchery

production funded as mitigation for dams.• Hatchery fish spawning widespread throughout

every population. Lowest proportion of hatchery fish in the Clackamas, McKenzie.

• In most populations, hatchery fish are supplementing natural spawning below and above impassable dams (intentional or unintentional).

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4. Reduce the dramatically high pre-spawning mortality for Chinook

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5. Anticipate and take steps to manage impacts of climate change and continued human development in the Willamette Basin

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ALL THESE ARE NECESSARY…

BUT NONE ALONE ARE SUFFICIENT …

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What can the final recovery plan do for you?

We’d like it to provide practical guidance, priorities, etc. for grantors and grantees and

others to use in your work –Ensure linkages between actions and limiting

factors when appropriate.

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What can you do to help recover salmon and steelhead at this point?

• Keep up the good work!• Provide comments on how the plan can be used and

useful in your work:- Have we identified key strategies and types of actions?

- Are there gaps in the plan that need to be filled?- How can we strengthen the Proposed Plan?

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Questions ?

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Extinction RiskVery High

High

Moderate

Low

Very Low

Current Status Desired Status

ClackamasMolalla

N. Santiam

S. SantiamCalapooia

McKenzie

MF Willamette

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Extinction RiskVery High

High

Moderate

Low

Very Low

Current Status Desired Status

Molalla

N. Santiam

S. SantiamCalapooia

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What’s Proposed in the Plan for Chinook?

Clackamas Molalla North Santiam South Santiam Calapooia McKenzie Middle Fork0

1

2

3

4

Willamette Chinook - ESU ScenarioCurrent status

high

risk

m

oder

ate

low

risk

improvement needed

desired status

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The Willamette Spring Chinook ESU is currently at “high risk”

Seven populations identified

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Historic Habitat Blocked by Impassable Dams(high head federal dams)

0102030405060708090

100

Perc

ent h

abita

t bl

ocke

d

Population

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Floodcontrol/Hydropower Dams

• Primary/secondary limiting factor in the majority of spring Chinook populations.

• Blocked major areas of historic habitat in the most critical spring Chinook areas.

• Downstream effects on remaining habitat– Temperature alterations– Floods– Etc.

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Status of the ESU

050,000

100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000

1800's1900

19101920

19301940

19501960

19701980

19902000

Decade

Num

ber o

f Fis

h

Natural Fish Hatchery Fish