Council staff, in discussions with the regional resource managers and BPA, developed the following recommendations regarding the future of the Regional HEP Team understanding that Paul Ashley and John Andrews, the two permanent HEP Team staff and leads, will retire by December 2014.
While the region has Ashley and Andrews available, the WFW/WCF wants to employ them in tasks that their successors would likely not be as capable of performing. In particular, the WFW/WCF would like them to concentrate on the HEP related tasks that may inform future policy discussions highlighted in the Council’s Wildlife Crediting Forum Report on Forum Deliberations (2011).
Wildlife Advisory Committee
The WFW/WCF recommends that the Council reconvene the Wildlife Advisory Committee (WAC) to facilitate discussions between resource managers, BPA, the Council, and other interested parties to plan the future for Regional HEP Team needs. The outcome of such discussions could be a joint recommendation to the Council in the forthcoming program amendment process. This forum is the appropriate group to make recommendations and guide the Regional HEP Team into the future where work on operational losses will create a need for employment of new methods and technologies supported by the managers, BPA, and the ISRP.
Due to the forthcoming Fish and Wildlife Program amendment process that will begin in April 2013, the WFW/WAC makes specific suggestions for the first two years, with out-year suggestions guided by the following general principles.
The need for additional HEP reports should drive future HEP Team funding.
The need for HEP on new acquisitions will diminish as BPA completes C&I mitigation.
Currently, BPA and the regional resource managers need some follow up HEP capacity to track project agreement compliance on many properties. That need may be influenced by two things.
First, long term settlements for operation and maintenance.
Second, technology advances may allow the region to more cost effectively track changes in habitat conditions using remote sensing or other techniques.
The WFW/WAC does not expect the region to employ HEP to assess operational losses on fish or wildlife since the ISRP does not currently support expanded use of HEP, other pilot projects are already underway to explore how best to fulfill that specific need.
Depending upon results from ongoing pilot projects and the Council’s recommendations, it may be appropriate to task the Team to perform the technical testing and evaluation of operational loss models and methodologies, or other alternative habitat evaluation methods.
Regional HEP Team
FY 2013: Maintain current RHT staffing and structure by keeping the current contract in place.
Employ Wildlife Crediting Forum standard operating procedures that address variation and species stacking
Complete HEP reports for projects where data has been gathered already
Conduct baseline surveys and complete HEP reports for new 2012-2013 acquisitions
Complete Wildlife Crediting Forum Tier 1 fish habitat project HEP reports
Conduct follow-up HEPs on established projects with contested past HEP results
Aid BPA as needed in updating ledger with new information from new reports
Provide technical support for sub-regional wildlife settlement negotiations. Not all areas can be addressed in FY 2013.
Lower four Columbia River dams
Southern Idaho
Northern Idaho
Lower Snake
Develop and propose a plan for securely storing historic HEP reports, matrixes, models, and data for as many projects as feasible
Develop succession/transition plan for change in RHT leadership
Hire potential HEP Team leader replacement in spring of 2013 to allow two field seasons of training.
FY 2014: Maintain current RHT staffing and structure with new staff transitioning into leadership roles
Complete HEP reports for projects where data has been gathered already
Conduct baseline surveys and complete HEP reports for new 2013-2014 acquisitions
Complete WAC Tier 2 fish habitat project HEP reports based on list of projects prioritized by the WAC
Conduct follow-up HEPs on established projects with contested past HEP results
Aid BPA in updating ledger with new information from new reports
Continue providing technical support for wildlife settlement negotiations.
Implement the plan for securely storing historic HEP reports, matrixes, models, and data for as many projects as feasible
Complete succession training for new RHT leadership
2015 and beyond: Team constitution and duties commensurate with regional need for ongoing HEP surveys or other habitat analyses as assessed through the forthcoming program amendment process. Settlements may likely eliminate the need to rely on HEP extensively and new technology may enable compliance monitoring with a reduced need for on-the-ground follow-up surveys.