The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980 authorized the creation of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The Act directed the Council to develop a program to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River and its tributaries affected by the development, operation and management of the Columbia River dams. The Grande Ronde Subbasin Plan was prepared at the direction of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
The goal of the Catherine Creek Tributary
Assessment (CCTA) is to evaluate the overall
status of the entire Catherine Creek watershed in
order to identify and prioritize potential habitat
restoration projects. A project of this scope can
only be accomplished through the efforts of many
people from several different organizations.
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is partnering with the Grande Ronde Model Watershed (GRMW) and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to conduct a watershed-scale assessment (Tributary Assessment) on the mainstem of the Upper Grande Ronde River. The tributary assesment will extend nearly 50 miles upstream of the confluence with Catherine Creek, excluding some sections of private land.
BPA, GRMW and partners are developing an additional tool to focus restoration activities even more on the highest priority geographic areas, which address the most critical limiting factors and implement the most cost-effective activities. The Restoration Atlas will assist basin managers in:
Expert Panel workshops are held every three years to evaluate changes in habitat limiting-factors for
mainstem tributaries. The process includes both evaluating changes in habitat which are a result of
previously completed projects, and estimating the expected change from projects planned for the
next implementation cycle. Panel participants include a range of experienced professionals who are
knowledgeable of local conditions, including the current and potential conditions of limiting factors.
During the 2012 BiOp Expert Panel meetings, local habitat biologists developed a list of anticipated projects for the years 2014-2018. GRMW has used that list to create a suite of projects that we anticipate will be funded in part by GRMW over the next 5 years. This list will be prioritized during the development of the Restoration Atlas.
Union County Projects 2014-2018 Wallowa County Projects 2014-2018