1. Mitigation priorities
a) Bonneville and wildlife agencies and tribes
Ensure that wildlife mitigation projects implemented in fulfillment of this program consider the basinwide implementation priorities described in Tables C-1, C-2 and C-3, below. The Council adopted these habitat types and species priorities for wildlife mitigation in the 1994 amendments to the program. The Council recognizes that the mitigation priorities of the relevant agencies and tribes in specific areas may have shifted since the mid-1990s. The Council requests the Wildlife Advisory Committee revisit and update the priorities, if necessary, and report to the Council. Wildlife mitigation projects and settlement agreements should address the losses identified in the program (see the next section) and address the following priorities or any changed priorities resulting from advice by the Wildlife Advisory Committee and Council action.
Table C-1. Lower Columbia Wildlife Mitigation Priorities
| Habitat Types—Target Species | Priority |
| Riparian/Riverine | High |
| Old Growth Forest | High |
Wetlands- Great Blue Heron
- Band-tailed Pigeon
- Western Pond Turtle
| High |
Coniferous Forest- Ruffed Grouse
- Elk
- American Black Bear/Cougar
| Medium |
Table C-2. Upper Columbia Wildlife Mitigation Priorities
| Habitat Types—Target Species | Priority |
Riparian/River- Bald Eagle (breeding)
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Peregrine Falcon
| High |
Shrub-Steppe- Sharp-tailed Grouse
- Pygmy Rabbit
- Sage Grouse
- Mule Deer
| High |
| Wetlands | High |
| Islands | Medium |
Agricultural Lands- Swainson’s Hawk
- Ring-necked Pheasant
| Low |
Table C-3. Snake River Wildlife Mitigation Priorities
| Habitat Type—Target Species | Priority |
Riparian/Riverine- Bald Eagle (breeding)
- Bald Eagle (wintering)
- River Otter
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Peregrine Falcon
- Ruffed Grouse
| High |
| Wetlands | High |
Native Grasslands and Shrubs- Mule Deer/Elk
- White-tailed Deer
- Sharp-tailed Grouse
| Medium |
| Coniferous Forest | Medium |
| Old Growth Forest | Medium |
| Lowland Forest | Low |
1. Mitigation for wildlife losses due to hydropower construction and inundation
The following tables represent the wildlife losses associated with the construction and inundation of the Columbia River hydrosystem, assessed in terms of lost units of habitat. The Council identified and adopted these losses into the program in the late 1980s and 1990s, assessed in terms of lost units of habitat.
From its inception, the fish and wildlife program’s wildlife mitigation strategy has endorsed and encouraged the use of long-term agreements between wildlife managers and the Bonneville Power Administration as a primary mechanism to address identified wildlife losses. Several such agreements have been developed to mitigate for some or all of the wildlife losses associated with hydroelectric projects in the state of Montana, the Willamette Basin in Oregon and for Dworshak Dam in Idaho.
While the program originally identified the losses in habitat units, the Council recognizes that wildlife mitigation agreements may use a different metric for mitigation. Thus while the losses below are identified in habitat units, in settlement agreements for Dworshak, the Willamette, and Southern Idaho the parties have quantified and mitigated for those losses in acres of land.
Table C-4. Estimated Losses and Gains Due to Hydropower Construction and Inundation (losses are preceded by a “-”, gains by a “+”)
| Species | Total Habitat Units |
| Albeni Falls |
| -5,985 |
| -4,699 |
| -3,379 |
| -4,508 |
| -4,365 |
| -2,286 |
| -1,680 |
| -1,756 |
| +171 |
| Lower Snake Projects | |
| -364.9 |
| -287.6 |
| -927.0 |
| -20,508.0 |
| -2,646.8 |
| -2,039.8 |
| Anderson Ranch | |
| -1,048 |
| -1,732 |
| -361 |
| -890 |
| -919 |
| -1,980 |
| -2,689 |
| -1,222 acres* |
| * Acres of riparian habitat lost. Does not require purchase of any lands. |
| Black Canyon | |
| -270 |
| -652 |
| -214 |
| -260 |
| -532 |
| -242 |
| +8 |
| +68 |
| Deadwood | |
| -2080 |
| -987 |
| -1411 |
| -309 |
| Palisades | |
| -5,941 breeding |
| -18,565 wintering |
| -718 scrub-shrub |
| -1,358 forested |
| -2,454 |
- Waterfowl and Aquatic Furbearers
| -5,703 |
| -2,331 |
| -1,677 acres of forested wetland |
| -832 acres of scrub-shrub |
| +68 acres of emergent wetland |
| * Acres of riparian habitat lost. Does not require purchase of any lands. |
| Willamette Basin Projects | |
| -17,254 |
| -15,295 |
| -4,814 |
| -3,853 |
| -4,477 |
| -2,408 |
| -2,418 |
| -2,590 |
| -11,145 |
| -2,986 |
| -1,986 |
| -3,487 |
| -1,947 |
| -551 |
| -1,947 |
| -5,711 |
| -8,690 |
| -954 |
| -2,355 |
| +1,042 |
| +820 |
| +423 |
| +5,693 |
| +6,159 |
| Grand Coulee | |
| -2,746 |
| -32,723 |
| -16,502 |
| -9,316 |
| -27,133 |
| -21,362 |
| -1,632 |
| -27 |
| -74 |
| McNary | |
| + 13,744 |
| -6,959 |
| -3,469 |
| -3,484 |
| -1,363 |
| -329 |
| -377 |
| -1,250 |
| -6,314 |
| John Day | |
| +14,398 |
| -3,186 |
| -8,010 |
| -3,186 |
| -1,085 |
| -869 |
| -5,059 |
| -6,324 |
| -7,399 |
| -1,437 |
| The Dalles | |
| +2,068 |
| -427 |
| -439 |
| -534 |
| -170 |
| -183 |
| -247 |
- Mink Black-capped Chickadee
| -330 |
| Bonneville | |
| +2,671 |
| -4,300 |
| -2,443 |
| -2,767 |
| -163 |
| -1,022 |
| -1,622 |
| Dworshak | |
| -16 |
| -91 |
| -4,312 |
| -3,524 |
| -11,603 |
| -8,906 |
| +323 |
| +2,678 |
| +1,674 |
| +119 |
| Minidoka | |
| +174 |
| +4,475 |
| +273 |
| +207 |
| -342 |
| -2,993 |
| -3,413 |
| -3,755 |
| Chief Joseph | |
| +1,440 |
| -2,290 |
| -1,992 |
| -1,255 |
| -1,179 |
| -920 |
| -401 |
| -286 |
| -239 |
| -213 |
| -58 |
