At the Council’s July 31 request the ISRP began a review of the Columbia River Fish Accord proposal, Yakama Nation Status and Trend Annual Report (STAR) (#2009-002-00). According to the proposal, "The long-term goal of the Status and Trend Annual Report project is to support mitigation described in the 2008 FCRPS Biological Opinion and the obligations of the NPCC Fish and Wildlife Program by annually reporting progress towards salmon recovery efforts relevant to the Columbia Cascade Province and within the Ceded Lands of the Yakama Nation. This work will be in coordination with, and will support other local and regional efforts including but not limited to Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, the State of Washington, NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, BPA and the NPCC Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program."
On August 28, 2009, the ISRP released a preliminary review, asking for a response (ISRP 2009-38). In general, the ISRP stated that production of an annual report on RM&E is a very worthwhile endeavor, and the use of a coordinator dedicated to producing this report annually may be a very reasonable approach. However, the ISRP recommended that the Yakama Nation develop a revised proposal. On November 24, the Council provided the ISRP with the Yakama Nation’s response.
The ISRP finds the proposal and response Meets Scientific Review Criteria (Qualified).
Qualification(s): As a component of contracting the proponents should: 1) establish timelines to complete tasks and work-elements; 2) include an objective and methods to document stakeholder agreement; 3) establish procedures for ongoing coordination with other RME organizations, and solicitation of stakeholder input. An organized and documented process for solicitation of input from the target audience for STAR needs to be included as a work element. This project and resulting products, including the STAR template, should be reviewed after completion of the first contract period. Indications of support and cooperation by RME agencies and organizations and associated stakeholders in the STAR process should be provided as a product of the first contract period.
