Fish Passage Center Oversight Board: Nominate board members

Nominate FPCOB board members

April 26, 2007

The Council is seeking nominations of individuals to serve as members of the Fish Passage Center Oversight Board. The Council's Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Program calls for the Oversight Board "to ensure that the [Fish Passage] Center carries out its functions in a way that assures regional accountability and compatibility with the regional data management system." The Oversight Board's responsibilities include "conducting an annual review of the performance of the Center and developing a goal-oriented plan for next year's operation."

The Council decided to reconstitute the membership of the Oversight Board. The Council has already designated a Council member to be the Council's representative on the Oversight Board and the Board's Chair, Bruce Measure of Montana. The Council is seeking nominations for the other members of the Board in the following categories:

one member representing the upper Columbia River Basin tribes
one member representing the lower Columbia River Basin tribes
two members representing the state fish and wildlife agencies, one from the upper Columbia River Basin (ID/MT) and one from the lower Columbia River Basin (OR/WA)
two members from the scientific community, one of whom is to represent NOAA Fisheries.

The Council is interested in appointing members who have a scientific or technical background in disciplines related to functions which the Center performs. The Council will evaluate nominees for all positions on that basis.

The Council's Program describes those functions of the Fish Passage Center as follows:

"The primary purpose of the Center is to 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 hydrosystem. This information relates to the implementation of the water management measures in the Council's fish and wildlife program. In performing this function, the Center shall:

Plan and implement the annual smolt monitoring program;
Gather, organize, analyze, house, and make widely available monitoring and research information related to juvenile and adult passage, and to the implementation of the water management and passage measures that are part of the Council's program;
Provide technical information necessary to assist the agencies and tribes in formulating in-season flow and spill requests that implement the water management measures in the Council's program, while also assisting the agencies and tribes in making sure that operating criteria for storage reservoirs are satisfied; and
In general, provide the technical assistance necessary to coordinate recommendations for storage reservoir and river operations that, to the extent possible, avoid potential conflicts between anadromous and resident fish."

The Council will choose the members of the Oversight Board from the nominations. Appointments will be for one year. Members of the Oversight Board do not receive compensation for their services on the Board.

The Oversight Board has an annual meeting and such other regular and special meetings as the Board determines to be necessary. Meetings of the Board are called by the Chair or by a majority of members. Meetings of the Board usually take place in Portland, Oregon, unless otherwise determined by the Board.

Please submit your nominations to Jim Ruff of the Council's Fish and Wildlife Division by May 23, 2007, by email to or by mail at 851 S.W. Sixth Avenue, Suite 1100, Portland, Oregon 97204. The Council plans to select these other members of the Oversight Board at the Council's June meeting in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on June 12-14, 2007.

Sincerely,

Stephen L. Crow
Executive Director