Tag – Fish-and-wildlife-program

Long-term, consistent operations that will support juvenile migration in spring and summer and keep water temperatures cooler in the Columbia and Snake Rivers are included in a new draft of the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Other top priorities include maintaining critical assets like hatcheries and fish screens and continuing to invest in habitat restoration projects.

Over the next two months, Council Power Division staff will be analyzing a set of hydro operations for the upcoming processes of amending the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program and preparing to develop the cost-effective resource strategy for the Ninth Power Plan.

At July’s Council meeting, Power Planning Director Jennifer Light explained the upcoming process for developing the Ninth Power Plan this summer and fall, as well as the early portion of 2026. The Council is also in the process of amending its Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program with the goal of having a draft ready this fall and a final verison adopted in spring 2026.

This new tool is designed to help evaluate the performance of the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The Program Tracker compiles and displays data and information on Strategy Performance Indicators to track the status of ecological and biological conditions.

At the September Fish and Wildlife Committee meeting, staff completed their presentation on part one of a five-part retrospective on how the Fish and Wildlife Program has performed over the last 40 years.

The Council’s Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program represents a 40-year effort to mitigate the effects of the hydropower system on fish and wildlife in the basin.

The Council has received 51 sets of recommendations in response to its request for revisions to its Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The request was issued last May and the submittal deadline was in mid-December.

Scientists say the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program has 'many strengths' but also important weaknesses. The Council is getting ready to begin the next program revision.