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1994 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program |
| Council document 94-55 | |
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1.9 Summary
Those participating in the development of this program included federal and state fish and wildlife agencies, Indian tribes, utilities, federal program implementors (Bonneville, the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), state and local governments, federal and state land and water managers, environmental groups and other interested parties, including private citizens. Through this program, the citizens of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington have an opportunity to share in the decision to protect the Columbia Basin's fish and wildlife resources and to counter the harm caused by decades of hydroelectric development and operations while assuring the region an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply.
If the language of this program is more subdued than the rhetoric of the 1980s? programs, it is at least more clear-eyed. The region knows a lot more. It understands more. It has better tools and, despite continuing controversy, broader cooperation. The enormous scope of the recovery effort is clearer. It will take a lot longer and a lot more effort to rebuild healthy and diverse populations of salmon, steelhead and other fish and wildlife throughout the Columbia Basin. In fact, it will take a persistent effort into the next century just to save some of the fish runs.
This is not a grim assessment. It is a realistic one. The program is not a panacea, but a valuable foundation for the effort that is yet to be completed. At the same time, the region cannot lose sight of the fact that multipurpose development of the Columbia River system has produced huge benefits. These benefits need not be lost if all beneficiaries of the basin's waterways approach this rebuilding effort with a willingness to contribute. Balance is a key word. The Council's overall intent is to have balance so that all uses of the river remain viable.
Table 1-1 lists shorthand terms that are used throughout this program for various government agencies, Indian tribes and other entities. See the Glossary for definitions of other terms used in the program.
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Table 1-1. Terms Used in the Program |
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Abbreviation |
Full Name |
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Bonneville |
Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy |
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Bureau of Reclamation |
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation |
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Corps |
U.S. Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers |
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Federal land managers |
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Federal project regulators |
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FERC |
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Energy |
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Fish and wildlife management agencies |
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State land managers |
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State water managers |
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Columbia Basin Indian Tribes |
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