Draft Recovery Plan for Snake River Salmon in Southeast Washington Now Available for Public Review

The draft Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan for Southeast Washington covers portions of three evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of salmon Snake River spring/summer-run Chinook salmon, Snake River fall-run Chinook salmon, and Snake River sockeye salmon and two distinct population segments (DPS) of steelhead Middle Columbia River steelhead and Snake River steelhead. The plan includes an 18-month implementation plan containing actions that have been developed by multiple agencies and groups within the recovery region. A supplement to the draft plan, prepared by NOAA Fisheries Service, assesses the plan's relationship to Endangered Species Act requirements for recovery plans.

All interested parties are invited to review and comment on both documents (available online - see links below). In particular, NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking comments in the following areas: (1) the analysis of limiting factors and threats; (2) the recovery strategies and measures; (3) the criteria for removing the ESUs and DPS from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; and (4) meeting the ESA requirement for estimates of time and cost to implement recovery actions by soliciting implementation schedules. A description of previous public and scientific review, including scientific peer review, can be found in the supplement.

All comments must be received by 5pm Pacific Daylight Time on May 15. 
Comments may be sent to: WashingtonSnakePlan.nwr@noaa.gov

For more information, read the notice or contact Lynn.Hatcher@noaa.gov

Update 2/24/06:

The initial draft of the Oregon side Mid-Columbia Steelhead Recovery Plan can be downloaded and reviewed from this website: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/Draft-Plans.cfm

The link directly to the actual document is: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/upload/mid-C-stlhd-recov-draft.pdf

Warning, this is a large file, +11 MB. The Walla Walla section begins on page 161.

Brian Wolcott - Director
Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council
PO Box 68 Milton-Freewater, OR 97862
Phone and Fax: 541-938-2170
http://www.wwbwc.org

brian.wolcott@wwbwc.org