Introduction

The Northwest Power Act calls upon the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (Council) to develop a fish and wildlife program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife impacted by hydroelectric development in the Columbia Basin. Bonneville uses its fund to implement that Program, integrating its other fish and wildlife obligations such as those required by the Endangered Species Act. The Act charges the Council with the responsibility of making annual recommendations to the Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville) for funding fish and wildlife projects.

The Council has an adopted Program, recently extensively updated with subbasin plans that describe objectives and strategies for fish and wildlife protection and restoration. The subbasin plans will be critical reference and prioritization guides for developing proposals in this solicitation. Bonneville has identified its annual budget for the Program for Fiscal Years 2007 through 2009. With those pieces in place, the Council and Bonneville are now soliciting proposals for projects to implement the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program and address Bonneville's fish and wildlife related responsibilities. The proposals selected for funding will be for Fiscal Years 2007 through 2009. Proposals for all areas (geographic and category) of the Program are requested in this solicitation. You will use a detailed electronic form to describe your proposal.

The purpose of this document is to give prospective proposal sponsors information regarding the requirements; standards, steps and schedule for this proposal development, review, and selection process to assist them in completing the proposal form and participate in the process effectively.

Schedule

Detailed schedule and process information is provided in the full guidance document. You can also see these steps in a timeline graphic. The following is a summary of the schedule and steps for this process:

  • October 17, 2005: Request for proposals
  • November 2005: Provincial review workshops
  • January 10, 2006: All proposals due
  • January 17 - June 16, 2006: Science review and local and basinwide prioritization
  • June 16, 2006: Science review report to the Council
  • July 14, 2006: Responses for prioritized projects due
  • August 31, 2006: Final science review report to the Council
  • October 18, 2006: Council recommendations for funding to Bonneville