In response to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s request on March 17, 2026, the ISRP completed a follow-up review regarding the Spokane Tribe of Indians (STOI) new project, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (BPA project #2024-004-00). This ISRP follow-up review evaluates a point-by-point response and supporting appendices provided by the STOI in response to eleven points raised by the ISRP during its 2025 review of the project’s original proposal (ISRP document 2025-1). Based on the ISRP’s 2025 review, the Council supported the project for implementation conditioned on the STOI addressing the ISRP’s eleven points (see the Council’s August 14, 2025 letter).
This new project is called for in a Ten-year Memorandum of Agreement between the STOI and Bonneville Power Administration. The project’s purpose is to inform management needs for historically and culturally significant wildlife and plant species through prioritization of research, management, restoration, and land acquisition activities on and around the Spokane Tribe of Indian's reservation. The project has two primary elements. One element assesses current big game populations (mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose) and habitat conditions by using regionally standardized data collection methodologies, with an ultimate goal of managing ungulate species at sustainable population and herd composition levels to allow for subsistence hunting by tribal members. A second project element focuses on the reintroduction of the culturally important Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, an upland bird species. The project intends to improve and restore sharp-tailed grouse habitat and enhance connectivity within their historical range in preparation for tribal reintroduction and population supplementation efforts.
The ISRP appreciates and commends the effort the proponents put into the review. Overall, the response was comprehensive and addressed many of the issues the ISRP identified. The response provided revised goals, objectives, and subobjectives, which included the formulation of SMART objectives, providing much clearer desired outcomes for all project elements. The expanded data collection and analytical methods for habitat assessment for all species addressed the weaknesses in the proposal. Responses were particularly attentive to the ISRP’s queries about the management of habitat restoration and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse reintroduction. A comprehensive stepwise process and timeline were provided for assessing habitat conditions and developing a translocation management plan for sharp-tailed grouse. Aspects of ungulate population sustainability and harvest objectives were much improved. The response included some information about ungulate monitoring and harvest management, but ungulate objectives, methods, and analytical frameworks could be better aligned. A more comprehensive and clearer description of the adaptive management process for project adjustments and management decisions was an important addition to the project description. Further clarity on the procedures for adaptive decision-making will benefit the program and help achieve short- and long-term program objectives.
Based on the original proposal, response comments, appendices, and expanded monitoring resources documentation, the ISRP concludes that the proposed project meets scientific review criteria,and the ISRP offers several additional recommendations to improve the project’s methods and documentation.
