Walla Walla Basin Habitat Conservation Process

Find Meeting Agendas and Minutes

HCP Site hosted by Walla Walla County

Habitat Conservation Planning: Evaluating the Thermal Impacts of Streamflow and Irrigation Bypass in the Walla Walla River

WHAT IS AN HCP?  A Habitat Conservation Plan (known as an HCP), under section 10(a)(2)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, is a planning document that is a mandatory component of an Incidental Take Permit application.  An HCP must ensure that the effects of the authorized incidental take will be adequately minimized and mitigated to the maximum extent practicable.  An HCP contains: an assessment of impacts likely to result from the proposed taking of one or more Federally listed or unlisted species; measures the applicant will undertake to monitor, mitigate and minimize the impact on wildlife; funding sources that will be available to implement the plan; procedures to deal with unforeseen circumstances; and alternative actions that the applicant analyzed and the reasons why the applicant did not adopt such alternatives.  Additional measures, if deemed necessary or appropriate, may be required. 

HCP BENEFITS  An HCP is an opportunity to address conservation issues on a landscape or ecosystem level, benefiting not only endangered and threatened species but other species that share the same habitat.  They help conserve biological diversity and may even help keep some species off the endangered list by protecting their habitat and preventing their decline.  For the community, an HCP provides a way to plan economic development and to avoid having development stalled for years by costly court battles.  It can help improve the overall environmental quality of a community and may even help attract new residents and businesses by creating a more healthy and beautiful community.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WALLA WALLA BASIN?  A Bi-State Coordinating Committee has been formed involving landowners, cities, counties, tribes, and state and federal agencies in Oregon and Washington to develop an HCP for the Walla Walla Basin.  It is hoped that the plan will improve conditions for fish and other wildlife, provide economic stability, and certainty regarding what will be expected of irrigators, the rest of the farming community, cities and counties.  The Coordinating Committee meets every month or every two months, alternating between Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater meeting locations.  Although it is expected that it will take three to four years to finalize the plan, efforts are already underway to make improvements such as screening irrigation diversions and increasing flows to allow fish passage and improve habitat.  A story about the issues and activities in the Walla Walla Basin can be found in the Land Letter (Natural Resources Weekly Report) (1/4/02)  A copy of the letter sent out from NMFS and USFWS regarding the efforts of the Walla Walla Bi-State HCP Coordinating Committee can be found by clicking here.

WHEN IS THE NEXT MEETING?  Please contact one of the following people for details: Brian Wolcott [WWBWC (541) 938-2170], or Cathy Schaeffer (WWWPU (509) 527-3285].  Previous minutes can be examined by visiting the meeting minutes page or visiting the HCP page hosted by Walla Walla County.

FUNDING  The Bi-State Coordinating Committee has secured $500,000 in funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the process of creating an HCP.  The Budget Committee has contracted Economic and Engineering Services, Inc. (EES) to facilitate and prepare the documentation.  The cooperators are working to bring other funding to the table, especially for the implementation of on-the-ground projects.

WHO ARE THE COOPERATORS?   Umatilla County, Columbia County, Walla Walla County, Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, Walla Walla River Irrigation  District, Gardena Farms Irrigation District, Hudson Bay District Improvement Co., Blue Mountain Horticulture Society, Walla Walla Watershed Alliance, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Columbia County Conservation District, Walla Walla Conservation District, Umatilla County Conservation District, City of Milton-Freewater, City of Walla Walla, City of College Place, City of Dayton, City of Waitsburg, Kooskooskie Commons, Oregon Water Watch, Washington Water Trust, Center for Environmental Law and Policy, American Rivers, Oregon Trout, Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Private Landowners, Farmers, and Irrigators.  Links to these entities can be found on the Useful Links page of this website.

For more detailed information about the requirements of the HCP process, please see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Habitat Conservation Planning Handbook.