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Previous Announcements September 7, 2001 - The action agencies - - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bonneville Power Administration - - received several requests to extend the comment period for the initial draft 5-year Implementation Plan. We are extending the comment period and will accept electronic (preferred) or written comments until Friday, September 28. Please send your e-mail comments to federalcaucus@bpa.gov and written comments to: Action Agencies Draft Implementation Plan, c/o BPA-P, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208. See July 31st announcement below for additional information. August 20, 2001 - Five documents are now available from the August 1st meeting of Regional Executives from the federal agencies, four states and Columbia Basin Tribes: 1) Unofficial notes from Facilitator Donna Silverberg (PDF, 16 kb); 2) Handout - Table of Key Federal Documents (PDF, 16 kb); 3) Handout - Roadmap of Federal Documents (PDF, 15 kb); 4) Handout - Forums for Addressing Action Agency Implementation Plan Issues (PDF, 6 kb); and 5) Recovery Actions Triangle (PDF, 8 kb) graphic displaying how federal, state, Tribal and other efforts fit together for salmon recovery. Meeting minutes will be posted in the next few weeks. August 8, 2001 - Today, the Bonneville Power Administration signed its "Decision Document" (PDF, 53 pages, 261 kb, posted here on August 10) recording its decision to implement the 2000 NMFS and EWS Biological Opinions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed its decision document in May 2001. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation signed its decision document on August 7, 2001 (PDF, 38 pages, 97 kb, posted on the USBR web site on August 14, 2001).
July 31, 2001 - Today, the Federal Action Agencies released the Draft Endangered Species Act Implementation Plan for the Federal Columbia River Power System and a Citizen Update entitled, "Conservation of Columbia Basin Fish" (PDF, 391 kb), which provides an executive summary of the draft Implementation Plan. The three Action Agencies are the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The draft Implementation Plan builds on and addresses the actions required in the National Marine Fisheries (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) 2000 FCRPS Biological Opinions. It is a five-year blueprint that organizes the agencies' collective actions to achieve FCRPS performance standards for fish recovery established in the NMFS and FWS 2000 Biological Opinions. The Action Agencies are seeking input to the Plan and a public comment period is open beginning August 1 through
Send comments by e-mail (preferred) to federalcaucus@bpa.gov July 18, 2001 - Notes from the Columbia River Regional Executive meeting held on June 29th are now available. The meeting notes (PDF, 16 kb) cover the summer spill discussion and a discussion of possible alternatives to summer spill that provide biological benefits to fish. July 6, 2001 - Notes from four Columbia River Regional Executive meetings now available. The notes are from meetings held on May 11 (PDF, 21 kb), May 25 (PDF, 13 kb), June 1 (PDF, 12 kb) and June 15 (PDF, 13 kb) and cover a range of topics including the spring and summer spill discussions. June 29, 2001, 5 PM - Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), in consultation with other federal agencies, has decided it cannot provide summer spill for migrating salmon. See today's BPA News Release (PDF, 2 pages, 16 kb) for additional information. June 29, 2001 - An updated reliability analysis (PDF, 7 pages, 30 kb) is now available. This analysis includes the July earlybird volume forecast and is an update to the materials presented to the Council on June 27. June 27, 2001, 2 PM [Updated at 6 PM] - In preparation for the Federal Regional Executive meeting with States and Tribes on Friday, June 29th, we are providing material that will serve to guide the discussion about summer spill:
If the discussion leads to a consensus about summer spill, the decision could be made on Friday. This is a complex issue, with complicated analyses. If the discussion and feedback during the meeting does not lead to consensus, the federal agencies will consider the input made during the meeting and make the decision at a later date. June 27, 2001 - Federal Executives held a meeting with the States and Tribes on April 27th for the purpose of sharing comments received on the draft FCRPS 2001 Hydro Operations Plan. Meeting notes (PDF, 12 pages, 46 kb) from that meeting are now available. June 20, 2001 - BPA has posted an updated Cash Flow Analysis Methodology and Assumptions (PDF, 4 pages, 23 kb) used in the Financial Analyses for the FCRPS 2001 Hydro Operations Plan. [Note: This document is the same as the one posted here on June 18th, except there is an additional assumption listed at the bottom of page 3 (blue-colored text).] June 14, 2001 - Request for comments on updated technical analyses: The Federal Agencies released today updates to the reliability and financial analyses (PDF, 4 pages, 26 kb, page 2 updated on June 15th at 1 p.m. PST) and the biological analysis (PDF, 8 pages, 32 kb) which are part of the FCRPS 2001 Hydro Operations Plan (see May 25th announcement below). These analyses have potential implications for summer spill operations. The Federal Agencies are seeking input on the following questions:
[Note: These questions were last revised on June 15th at 1 p.m. (PST) and are different than the ones previously posted.]
Please send comments by e-mail to sbcooper@bpa.gov. If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Cooper at 503-230-5077. Comments are due by Friday, June 22, 2001. On June 29, 2001, state, tribal, and Federal executives will meet to consider comments received on these questions and to further discuss summer spill options. May 25, 2001 - Final 2001 Hydro Operations Plan: The Federal Agencies released today the final 2001 Operations Plan (PDF, 33 pages, 219 kb) which was initially released in draft on April 13, 2001 for public comment. The plan may be updated as new information becomes available. Any updates will be posted to this website. May 11, 2001 - Revised Draft 2001 Hydro Operations Plan: The Federal Agencies issued today a revised draft 2001 hydro operations plan (PDF, 36 pages, 240 kb) which was initially released on April 13, 2001 for public comment. The target date for finalizing the plan is May 17. April 27, 2001 - The sixth of a series of newsletters from the Federal Caucus has been released. Citizen Update #6 (PDF, 7 pages, 275 kb) provides an explanation of hydro operations during the 2001 drought and provides a status report on implementation of the Biological Opinion. Watch for Citizens Update #7 in mid-May for a fuller description of the Biological Opinion, including a posting of the draft Implementation Plan. April 26, 2001 - Highlights (meeting notes) from Federal/Tribal/State Regional Executive Meetings: These notes cover the bi-weekly meetings the Federal Executives are having with the States and Tribes to gather input on how the hydro system should be operated in the 2001 drought. Future notes will be posted approximately one week after the meetings. - March 16, 2001 meeting notes (PDF, 10 pages, 40 kb) April 13, 2001 - Draft Spring-Summer 2001 Hydro Operation Plan: The year 200l is one of the lowest waters years on record. Given these low water conditions and the unprecendented increases in power costs caused by a electric resource shortage, BPA called a power emergency and delayed spring fish spill in early April. A set of operating principles (PDF, 15 kb) on how to operate the Columbia River system have been established with input from fish managers and executives from States and Tribes to assist the Federal Agencies make decisions on river operation decisions during the drought this spring and summer. The power emergency was called using these principles and now a draft hydro operation plan (PDF, 197 kb) is being shared with the region to gather input on how to balance fish recovery and power relibility. Comment is being taken thru Friday, April 20 and a final plan will be available by the end of April. Please send comments to Suzanne Cooper at BPA (sbcooper@bpa.gov) by April 20. If you are submitting comments on behalf of an organization, please identify the organization. March 5, 2001 - Six regional federal agencies have drafted a set of proposed principles (4 pages, PDF, 18 kb) that describe the circumstances for declaring emergency FCRPS power operations through 2001 as well as actions that must be taken prior to declaring an emergency. The agencies intend to share this draft with the region and consider regional input in developing a plan for 2001 operations. [Note: This updated document supersedes the version posted on this site on 2/28/01. Click here for previous verson.] The principles were needed because poor water conditions in the Columbia River basin coupled with an extraordinary power market on the West Coast have caused an unprecedented river management situation this year. The following federal agencies have collaborated in developing the proposed principles:
Existing Biological Opinions recognize that water management actions may change due to unforeseeable power system, flood control or other emergencies. The principles recognize that this year, with its unprecedented power market conditions combined with poor water conditions may result in emergency operations of the FCRPS. Comments on these principles can be sent to federalcaucus@bpa.gov. Please forward your comments by March 15.
February 7, 2001 - The 2000 NMFS and FWS Biological Opinions call for the three Action Agencies (the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation) to develop a 5-year plan, with a more detailed annual component, for planning and implementing the actions to achieve the hydrosystem and offsite mitigation (covering habitat, hatcheries and harvest) performance standards. The Action Agencies have begun working together to develop a common outline for the hydrosystem and the off-site mitigation components of the implementation plan. The draft outline (23 pages, PDF, 84 kb) is now available. Also available is a timeline (PDF, 6 kb) showing the key stages for development of the implementation plan. December 21, 2000 (revised at 5 pm PST) - Final Basinwide Salmon Recovery Strategy and Biological Opinions: The nine-agency Federal Caucus today released its final Basinwide "All-H" Recovery Strategy to recover threatened and endangered Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead. Final NMFS and FWS Biological Opinions were also released. Taken together, these strategies establish a comprehensive recovery approach and a rigorous framework for accountability. Release of final documents marks the end of planning and the beginning of implementation.
September 13, 2000 - Testimony at Two Senate Committee Hearings: Information on the September 12th hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Subcommittee on Water and Power -- Sen. Gordon Smith, Chairman) is now available. The purpose of the hearing was to receive testimony on the status of the Biological Opinions of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the operations of the Federal Hydropower System of the Columbia River. Links to the testimony are (or will soon be) available via the Committee's "Hearing Information" web page, or you can use this direct link to the Sept. 12th testimony. Also now available is testimony given during the September 13th hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water -- Sen. Mike Crapo, Chairman). The purpose of the hearing was to examine the Biological Opinion on the Federal Columbia River Power System and the Federal Caucus Draft Basin-wide Salmon Recovery Strategy (draft final All-H Paper). Here is a direct link to the Sept. 13th testimony. September 12, 2000 - Workshop "Innovations in Harvest and Production in the Columbia Basin, Planning for Abundance in 2001: co-sponsored by the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Public Power Council, to be held October 4-5, 2000, at the Sheraton Airport Hotel, Portland, Oregon. For information on the workshop and the agenda (PDF, 9 kb) please contact Tana Klum at (503) 229-0191 or tana@cbfwf.org. August 31, 2000 - The first in a new season of Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) Cumulative Risk Initiative (CRI) workshops will be held on Tuesday, September 19th, 9 AM to 4 PM, at the NOAA Sandpoint Auditorium (Bldg. 9, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE) in Seattle. The workshop, entitled "First Steps of Recovery Planning: CRI Risk Calculations and Assessing Habitat Options", will include a report on both old and new analyses. At least half of the time is allotted for discussion and participant questions. The workshop includes analyses at three stages: (i) methods for estimating risk when the data are corrupted by errors (this represents a methodology that has been tested and widely reviewed by mathematical biologists - the point here it to present something that is "finished", as opposed to "in development"); (ii) preliminary results of habitat analyses (by EDT and by NWFSC); (iii) initial thoughts on linking habitat analyses up with risk calculations and with monitoring and evaluation (looking to future work and seeking input). For more information, see the CRI web site http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/cri, which offers a link to the workshop description, agenda and instructions to register. August 23, 2000 - Comment Deadline is September 25th: After release of the draft All-H Paper, draft NMFS BiOp, and draft USFWS BiOp on July 27 (see announcement below), state and tribal governments have 60 days (until September 25th) to complete a technical review and submit comments to the federal agencies. After considering the comments, the agencies plan to complete the documents and release them in late 2000. The agencies are specifically asking the fish managers of States & Tribes for technical comments. However, technical comment from others will be accepted as well. Comments on the draft final All-H document should be sent to: Federal Caucus, C/O Jenifer Miller, BPA-P-6, PO Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208; comments on the draft NMFS’ BiOp should be sent to: Lynne Krasnow, Hydro Program, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737; and comments on the draft USFWS BiOp should be sent to: Susan Martin, Field Supervisor, Upper Columbia River Basin Office, 11103 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane, WA 99206. July 27, 2000 - Press Conference on Draft Basin-wide Salmon Recovery Strategy: George Frampton of CEQ and Will Stelle of the NMFS discussed the draft final "Basin-wide Salmon Recovery Strategy" (aka All-H Paper) at a press conference this morning. The group talked about the specific performance measures that will be used to measure progress toward recovery. These measures include additional flows throughout the basin, immediate habitat improvements, non-federal project re-licensing, and transportation improvements. The draft final All-H Paper and Biological Opinions are currently under technical review by states and tribes for 60 days. Final documents are expected in the fall.
July 27, 2000 - Frampton and Stelle Testimonies: George T. Frampton, Jr. and Will Stelle were scheduled to testify before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, Water & Power Subcommittee on July 19, 2000. When the hearing was rescheduled, Mr. Frampton and Mr. Stelle shared their testimonies with interested parties.
July 27, 2000 - An updated Cumulative Risk Initiative (CRI) analysis is available on the CRI Documents web page. The analysis - - entitled "A Standardized Quantitative Analysis of Risks Faced by Salmonids in the Columbia River Basin" (Draft, dated July 17, 2000) - - can also be accessed from the Federal Caucus "Products" web page. July 27, 2000 - The fourth of a series of newsletters from the Federal Caucus was mailed this week. Citizen Update #4 (8 pages, PDF, 579 kb) is a publication intended to help Northwest citizens understand various studies being released on recovery of endangered and threatened fish and other aquatic species throughout the Columbia River Basin.
May 15, 2000 - All transcripts and
taped proceedings from the Federal Caucus public meetings held February-March
are now available through the following web page: April 11, 2000 - The anticipated "Extinction Risk Analysis of the Columbia Basin ESUs (Revised 4/10/00)" is now available through the Cumulative Risk Initiative Intranet Site. The purpose of the document is to provide a standardized format for data reporting and analyses, and standardized measures of how well ESUs and populations are doing in respect to extinction risk and population growth. This the revised analysis. Get to it through: http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/cri/ (Note: The actual title of this document is "A Standardized Quantitative Analysis of Risks Faced by Salmonids in the Columbia River Basin (Revised 4/10/00)", as described in the March 27, 2000 announcement below. As of July 17, 2000, this document is no longer available on the CRI web site. It was replaced with the 07/17/00 draft of the document, as described in the July 27, 2000 announcement above.) April 3, 2000 - Public Involvement Summary: The Federal Caucus formal comment period on the All-H Paper closed on March 17, 2000. A total of 15 public meetings were held, more than 9,000 people attended, and approximately 1,500 people provided oral and taped testimony. The Federal Caucus is now analyzing all of the testimony and written comment that was submitted throughout the comment period. Approximately 35,000 postcards, 20,000 e-mails and 3,500 letters were received. The Federal Caucus will issue a public involvement report as an appendix to the Final All-H paper. The report will include summary issues and responses to comments received. March 27, 2000 - A preliminary draft of
"A Standardized Quantitative Analysis of Risks Faced by Salmonids in the Columbia
River Basin" is now available (see link below). The final document will be completed
April 5th and placed on the CRI website for comment. The purpose of the document
is to provide a standardized format for data reporting and analyses, and standardized
measures of how well ESUs and populations are doing in respect to extinction
risk and population growth. This a preliminary analysis that will be revised
to make methods and reasoning clearer. March 21, 2000 - Close of Comment on the All-H paper was March 17th. Watch for "Next Steps" to be posted March 31st. Close of comment on the Draft Lower Snake River Feasibility Study/EIS is March 31st. See web site: www.nww.usace.army.mil March 20, 2000 - Transcripts of public comment sessions are now available for the Portland, Spokane, Clarkston, Astoria and Pasco meetings. Additional transcripts will be posted on the US Army Corp of Engineer's Walla Walla site as they become available. March 14, 2000 - 3 More Days to Comment! The deadline for comment on the All-H Paper is fast approaching. View the March 14th Press Release (PDF, 14 kb) and see why it's so important that we hear from you now. March 10, 2000--Close of Comment on the All-H Paper is March 17th. Comments can be e-mailed to federalcaucus@bpa.gov or sent via mail to: Federal Caucus Comment Record, c/o BPA-PL, 707 W. Main Street, Suite 500, Spokane, WA 99201. Watch for "next steps" to be posted March 31st. (Close of comment on the Draft Lower Snake River Feasibility Study/EIS is March 31st. See web site: www.nww.usace.army.mil) February 28, 2000 (5 PM) - Change in agendas for all remaining public meetings (through March 9th): The first hour of each oral comments session is reserved for elected officials. Revised agendas are now available on the Public Meetings page. February 28, 2000 ( February 24, 2000 - The sign-up time for the afternoon session of the February 29, Seattle, public meeting has been changed to begin at 10:30 a.m. All else remains the same for that meeting with Open House beginning at 12:00 noon (see revised Seattle agenda, PDF, 340 kb). Two new public meetings have been added to the Alaska meetings scheduled for March. The four public meetings will be evening sessions, each beginning at 5:30 p.m. On March 6, a public meeting will be held in Ketchikan, at the Ted Ferry Civic Center; on March 7 in Sitka, at the Westmark Shee Atika; on March 8 in Juneau, at the Centennial Hall Convention Center; and on March 9 in Petersburg, at the City Council Chambers in the Municipal Building. See the Public Meetings page for agendas for each meeting. February 14, 2000 - A change of meeting rooms at the DoubleTree Hotel for the Pasco, Washington, public hearing has been made. The public hearing will be held in the Bronze Room & Olympic/Gold/Silver Rooms. All else remains the same for the public hearing in Pasco, Washington. See revised agenda (PDF, 64 kb). February 8, 2000 - The third issue of the Federal Caucus Citizen Update (PDF, 278 kb) is now available. The update summarizes other reports and studies that pertain to the fish recovery, and provides information on upcoming meetings. A revised agenda is now available for upcoming public meetings (see Public Meetings page). The revised agenda includes a shorter question and answer period in the afternoon sessions, where taking place; a change in the February 10 meeting location from Lewiston, Idaho to Clarkston, Washington; and changes to the sign up times for Clarkston, Pasco, Boise, Seattle, Kalispell, and Missoula. January 28, 2000 - The telephone number on the last page of the All-H Documents and Related Information flyer, dated 1/5/00, has been corrected. The correct 800 number for receiving the John Day Drawdown Phase I Study is 1-888-921-4886. We apologize for the inconvenience the incorrect number may have caused anyone. January 19, 2000 - The February 2nd teleconference has been canceled. Also, the Portland public meeting will take place on February 3rd (only) at the Holiday Inn @ the Airport (new location). The Northwest Power Planning Council's framework will not be presented on February 4th as originally planned, however the Council will have literature on hand for those interested. The February 3rd Portland meeting starts at 1 p.m. An information open house begins at noon. Individuals will be able to sign up for oral comments beginning at 12:00 p.m. Note: One individual per sign up is allowed. For hotel accommodations, please contact the Holiday Inn @ the Airport by calling 256-5000. A special room rate of $72.00 plus tax is available to public meeting participants through January 31st, or until availability permits. An updated public meeting schedule and Portland meeting agenda are available on the Meetings page . . . . The Appendices to the All-H Paper are now available on the Products page. Habitat, Harvest, Hatcheries and Hydropower appendices include in-depth information and additional maps not part of the All-H Paper. The Habitat, Hatcheries and Hydropower appendices are all more than 100 pages long. If you would like a hard copy of one or all of the appendices, please call 1-888-921-4886. We will be glad to assist you . . . . A Summary of the December 15th Public Information Meeting (PDF, 27 pages, 70 kb) is now available. The purpose of the meeting was to give the public a preliminary opportunity to hear about Federal Caucus activities and progress to date. The goals, objectives, evaluation criteria and performance standards in relation to the All-H paper were presented. Additionally, a representative from the Corp of Engineers explained the background of its draft Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report/Environmental Statement; a representative from BPA gave a presentation on the BPA programmatic EIS and the National Environmental Policy Act decision-making process; and a representative from the Northwest Fisheries Science Center at NMFS presented an overview of the biological analyses that will be used to support upcoming decisions. Members of the public had opportunity to ask questions throughout the daylong event . . . . Are you looking for the Biological Assessment on Columbia Basin Bull Trout and Kootenai River White Sturgeon? Look no further! Click on the following link. It will connect you to the June 1999 report (PDF, 168 pages, 914 kb). If you have problems accessing this report, please let us know and we will make arrangements to accommodate you: http://www.efw.bpa.gov/REPORTS/ BAS/BullTroutSturgeon/19990617.bulltrout.BA.pdf January 6, 2000 - The following "flyers" are now available in PDF format: 1) Flyer on the Biological Assessment (similar information as in the December 23rd announcement below); and 2) Flyer on the All-H Document and Related Information (identifies the documents related to fish recovery and shows where they can be accessed). Also, an Updated Public Meeting Schedule and Agendas are now available on the Meetings page. The meetings start on February 3rd and run through March 8th. The meetings will be held in various locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. The agendas include start and stop times, as well as meeting room location information. December 23, 1999 - The December 1999 Multi-Species Biological Assessment of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) (138 pages, PDF, 690 kb) is now available. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration (collectively termed the "Action Agencies") prepared this Biological Assessment (BA) to reinitiate consultation on the FCRPS between the Action Agencies and National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. The BA evaluates the potential effects of the operation of the FCRPS on the continued existence of all species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 that are potentially affected by these operations. In the BA, the Action Agencies are proposing an ongoing Construct for Achieving Survival Improvements that would establish measurable performance standards for the hydro system, prioritize actions, measure results, and provide for experimental management actions to improve understanding of key uncertainties. Printed copies of the BA can be obtained by calling 1-888-921-4886. See the BPA Fish and Wildlife Group's "Reference Documents" page for links to previous Biological Opinions and other information referenced in the BA. December 21, 1999 - A revised copy of the paper "Conservation of Columbia Basin Fish" (All-H Paper) is now available (see "Products" page). This document was edited to add three additional pages of information. Specifically, pages were included to list all of the Federal Caucus agencies who contributed to preparation of this report; contact information and comment procedures; and a note to readers stating the purpose of this paper. For those who have already downloaded and/or printed the earlier (December 17th) version, a separate document is available that contains only the additional three pages (PDF, 61 kb) of information. December 20, 1999 - The complete schedule of Public Meetings (PDF, 78 kb) being planned to discuss the "All-H" paper is now available. [Note: This schedule was updated on January 19, 2000.] The meetings will start in February and run through the end of March. The meetings will be held in various locations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana as well as a meeting in Alaska. Figures 3 - 7 and Maps 1 - 7 in the "All-H" paper are now available on the Products page. [Note: The figures and maps have very large file sizes.] The "Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement" is now available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers web site. December 17, 1999 - The Federal agencies who comprise the Federal Caucus issued a press release (PDF, 11 kb) calling for a regional dialogue on Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead recovery policies. They announced the release of two major documents concerning at-risk salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin: a study of options for improving conditions for salmon and steelhead in the Lower Snake River, and a Basin-wide recovery analysis revealing serious extinction risks for Upper Columbia fish. The Basin-wide salmon and steelhead recovery report entitled "Conservation of Columbia Basin Fish" is also referred to as the "All-H Paper". The text of this report is available on this web site (see "Products" page); however, the file is quite large (over 1 MB) and does not contain some of the figures and maps referenced in the report. Specifically, Figures 3 through 7 on pages 53-57 of the document are not included here. These figures indicate the anadromous fish hatcheries for the various river basins. Maps 1 through 7 in Section 8 have been omitted as well. Paper copies of this report are available by calling 1-888-921-4886. The Lower Snake River study is a draft environmental impact statement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on improving conditions for salmon and steelhead in the Lower Snake River. A link to that report will be available on this web site next week. The second in a series of Citizen Updates (PDF, 358 kb) is also available. [Note: This "corrected" version of the second Citizen Update was posted on January 10th, and replaces the incorrect one posted on December 17th.] The updates are intended to help Northwest citizens understand various studies being released on recovery of endangered and threatened fish and other aquatic species throughout the Columbia River Basin. The purpose of second Citizen Update is to provide a summary of the Federal Caucus All-H Paper and highlight the schedule of public meetings to be held in February and March 2000. A comprehensive list of the upcoming meetings is included in the document. December 13, 1999 - The agenda (PDF, 128 kb) is now available for the upcoming public information meeting in Spokane on December 15th (see November 30th announcement below for more details). The meeting will be held at Double Tree Hotel in Spokane and will begin at 10 a.m. November 30, 1999 - A public information meeting has been scheduled in Spokane, Washington, on Wednesday, December 15, 1999. The purpose of this meeting is to provide a briefing on the Federal Caucus Working Paper and to discuss the upcoming public involvement process that starts in January 2000. See the meeting notice (PDF, 239 kb) for additional details. November 23, 1999 - The first issue of the Federal Caucus Citizen Update is now available in two page-size formats: "Tabloid" (8 pages, PDF, 1243 kb) and 8 1/2" x 11" (15 pages, PDF, 509 kb). This publication entitled "Salmon and Our Future" is intended to help Northwest citizens understand the many studies soon to be released on recovery of endangered and threatened fish and other aquatic species throughout the Columbia River Basin. Approximately 6000 copies of the Citizen Update were recently mailed to interested parties. Additional copies can be obtained by calling 1-888-921-4886. Future editions of the Citizen Update will describe study results and list dates and places of upcoming public meetings. Also, a link to the document entitled "CRI Assessment of Management Actions Aimed at Snake River Salmonids" is now available on the Products page. This document is posted on the Northwest Fisheries Science Center web site at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/FourH/assessment.pdf (64 pages, 213 kb). November 16, 1999: The Four H Working Paper (PDF, 51 kb) entitled "Conservation of Columbia Basin Fish - Building a Conceptual Recovery Plan with the Four Hs" is now available. The purpose of this Working Paper is to outline the fundamental choices that face the Region if salmon recovery is to succeed. The objective is to stimulate an honest and constructive debate among the governments and the people of the Region. The Federal Caucus has also developed two documents that support the Working Paper. The first document provides information on the goals, objectives, and strategies for Columbia Basin Fish Recovery (PDF, 21 kb). The second document is an annotated outline (PDF, 12 kb) of the paper and stresses building a conceptual recovery plan with the "Four Hs"--Habitat, Hatcheries, Harvest, Hydropower. The full paper will be released December 17.
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