Upper Willamette River Recovery Planning WITHIN OUR REACH New Partnerships for a Healthier Willamette December

Thanks to: Doug, Pam, Meyer Memorial Trust, Tom and OWEB, “W O R” planning team 2

What’s New for Willamette Recovery? The Public Review Draft of Oregon and NOAA’s Upper Willamette River Conservation and Recovery plan for Chinook salmon and steelhead has been completed and is out for public comment until December 21. Prospect of a Willamette Recovery Implementation Team Consultations beginning with FEMA on building in flood plains in Oregon. Legislation in Washington and brake pads Exciting new development from North of the Falls! ! ! 3

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NOAA Fisheries has a great team working on the Upper Willamette … and one new development regarding our recovery efforts … (careful what you ask for) 5

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West Coast and PNW Context for ESA - listed salmon and steelhead 7

The Endangered Species Act and salmon Congress enacted the ESA in 1973 SEC. 2. PURPOSE (a) FINDINGS- … species of fish, wildlife, threatened with extinction … are of aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people; (b) PURPOSES-…The purposes of this Act are to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species, 8

Sections 4,7,9 4. List species, develop recovery plans, implement recovery plans, delist 7. Federal actions avoid jeopardy and avoid adverse modification of critical habitat 9. Prohibits unauthorized take of listed species (regulation vs. voluntary implementation) 9

Spawning habitat blocked by dams … 10

ESA – listed Salmon and Steelhead West Coast Puget Sound  Puget Sound Chinook - Threatened  Hood Canal Summer-run Chum - Threatened  Lake Ozette Sockeye – Threatened  Puget Sound Steelhead - Threatened Willamette/Lower Columbia  Lower Columbia Chinook - Threatened  Lower Columbia Steelhead - Threatened  Lower Columbia Coho - Candidate  Columbia River Chum - Threatened  Upper Willamette Chinook - Threatened  Upper Willamette Steelhead - Threatened Interior Columbia Basin  Snake River Sockeye – Endangered  Upper Columbia Spring Chinook - Endangered  Snake River Fall Chinook - Threatened  Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook - Threatened  Snake River Steelhead – Threatened  Upper Columbia Steelhead - Threatened  Mid-Columbia Steelhead - Threatened Oregon Coast Coho  Oregon Coast Coho – Threatened Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal Coho  Southern OR/Northern CA Coasts Coho - Threatened 11

Other recovery efforts in the PNW… 12

Presentation Outline Problem Statement Background – Status of ESU – Limiting Factors & Threats- All “H’s” Chinook Reintroductions – History, Goals, Issues, Needs – Critical Questions to be Answered Discussion – how is SWR proceedings with these issues? 13

Q: What Constitutes “Success” under the ESA? Short answer: About half the Populations are “Viable” and “threats” have been reduced. 14

TRT Viability Criteria Pop Attributes Pop Status Major Population Group Status ESU Status ESU MPG 1 MPG 2MPG 3 Abundance, Productivity, Spatial Structure, Diversity 15

Numbers of fish and risk trendvarianceabundance time N 16

Abundance & Productivity: Viability Curves All points on this line yield a 5% risk of extinction 17

ESA-Listed Fish in the Willamette NOAA Fisheries/NMFS jurisdiction Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon Upper Willamette River winter steelhead 18

Upper Willamette Recovery Plan – My Unofficial review of key steps… Each one has already been discussed Each is necessary, but not sufficient by themselves, to get to success: 19

1.Re-establish natural production above flood control dams 20

2.Protect and restore spawning and rearing habitat below the dams 21

Land and Water ~70% Oregon’s population resides in the Willamette Basin. Urban and Rural Development Lowland Valley Agriculture Forestry All the associated impacts on salmon and their habitat. Water quality... 22

3.Manage harvest and hatcheries 23

Status of the “Stronghold” Populations (2 out of 7 total) 24

Hatcheries Approximately 75% of existing hatchery production funded as mitigation for dams. Hatchery fish spawning widespread throughout every population. Lowest proportion of hatchery fish in the Clackamas, McKenzie. In most populations, hatchery fish are supplementing natural spawning below and above impassable dams (intentional or unintentional). 25

4.Reduce the dramatically high pre- spawning mortality for Chinook 26

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5.Anticipate and take steps to manage impacts of climate change and continued human development in the Willamette Basin 28

ALL THESE ARE NECESSARY… BUT NONE ALONE ARE SUFFICIENT … 29

What can the final recovery plan do for you? We’d like it to provide practical guidance, priorities, etc. for grantors and grantees and others to use in your work – Ensure linkages between actions and limiting factors when appropriate. 30

What can you do to help recover salmon and steelhead at this point? Keep up the good work! Provide comments on how the plan can be used and useful in your work: - Have we identified key strategies and types of actions? - Are there gaps in the plan that need to be filled? - How can we strengthen the Proposed Plan? 31

Questions ? 32

Current StatusDesired Status Clackamas Molalla N. Santiam S. Santiam Calapooia McKenzie MF Willamette 33

Current StatusDesired Status Molalla N. Santiam S. Santiam Calapooia 34

What’s Proposed in the Plan for Chinook? 35

The Willamette Spring Chinook ESU is currently at “high risk” Seven populations identified 36

Historic Habitat Blocked by Impassable Dams (high head federal dams) 37

Floodcontrol/Hydropower Dams Primary/secondary limiting factor in the majority of spring Chinook populations. Blocked major areas of historic habitat in the most critical spring Chinook areas. Downstream effects on remaining habitat – Temperature alterations – Floods – Etc. 38

Status of the ESU 0 50, , , , , , , 's Decade Number of Fish Natural FishHatchery Fish 39

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