• This meeting is both in-person and via webinar. The meeting will be conducted in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The public is welcome to join our meeting that will run from 9:30 to 11:30 on Monday and from 8:30 to 12:30 on Tuesday (all Pacific Time).
  • Committee meeting notes: The Power committee meeting on March 8 was cancelled, and the Fish and Wildlife Committee meeting has been moved to March 18.
  • Council members will be in the field on Monday afternoon inspecting fish and wildlife projects implementing the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The Council meeting will also be available via webinar.

Monday, March 14

Council Meeting – 9:30am (PDT) / 10:30am (MDT) – Bay 2 Meeting Room and Virtual (see coronavirus policy)

General ATTENDEES should use the GoToWebinar link must register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Questions? See how to join a Webinar or contact ITHelps.

1.

9:30 – 10:30am Discussion on Idaho power issues: Will Hart, Executive Director, Idaho Consumers Owned Utilities Association (ICUA); Jim Robbins, President ICUA, Director Kootenai Electric. Max Beach, General Manager, Idaho County Light & Power; Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights, Inc. and Doug Elliott, General Manager, Kootenai Electric.

2.

10:30 – 11:30am Discussion on Idaho fish and wildlife issues: Ed Schriever, Director, Idaho Fish and Game (see presentation), and Shawn Young, Director, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Fish & Wildlife (see presentation).

Council members will be in the field on Monday afternoon inspecting fish and wildlife projects implementing the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. 

Tuesday, March 15

Council Meeting – 8:30am (PDT) / 9:30am (MDT) – Bay 2 Meeting Room and Virtual

General ATTENDEES should use the GoToWebinar link must register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Questions? See how to join a Webinar or contact ITHelps.

  8:30 – 8:35am Report from committee chair: Louie Pitt, Jr., chair, public affairs committee.
3. 8:35 – 9:05am Briefing on ocean observations and outlooks for salmon returns: Brian Burke, Supervisory Research Fish Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
4. 9:05 – 10:05am Briefing on Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead returns for 2021 and forecasts for 2022: Tim Sippel, TAC member and Charlene Hurst, Columbia River Management Unit Lead Fish Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; Art Martin, Columbia River Coordination Section Manager, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (presentation) and John Powell, ESA Program Coordinator, Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
5. 10:05 – 10:20am THIS ITEM POSTPONED TO A FUTURE COUNCIL MEETING - First Year Implementation Report on Increased Mitigation Efforts in the Blocked Areas above Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams: Chad McCrea, Natural Resources Director and Brent Nichols, Division Director Fisheries and Water Resources, Spokane Tribe of Indians.
  10:20 - 10:35am Break
6. 10:35 – 11:35am Scope of work on potential Lower Snake River Dam Analysis (replacement power options) and Future Power Plan Work: Ben Kujala, Director of Power Planning and John Ollis, Manager of Planning and Analysis.
7. 11:35am Council Business:
    Public comment on any issue before the Council Note: Please sign up prior to the Council Meeting to provide comment by sending an email to the Council at meetingorganizer@nwcouncil.org with your name. Any person participating in the meeting should review and abide by the Code of Conduct expected of all who participate in the Council’s public forums.