What is the Tucannon River Habitat Programmatic?

The Tucannon River Habitat Programmatic was established under management of the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board (SRSRB) in 2011, to aid Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)  in the restoration of habitat limiting factors identified under the Federal Columbia River Power System 2008 BiOp.  The purpose of the Programmatic is to improve Snake River ESU spring Chinook habitat in the Tucannon River by 17% over the life of the BiOp.  The SRSRB manages the implementation of the programmatic as a restoration program funding restoration projects identified and prioritized in the  Conceptual Restoration Plan, Reach 6 to 10 Tucannon R Phase II_November 2011 (Anchor QEA 2011).

Project implementation is conducted by the program partners  including the Columbia Conservation District (CCD), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), Tri-State Steelheaders (TSS), Umatilla National Forest (UNF) & Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).

The restoration priority restoration reach extends from ~river mile 20 upstream to river mile 50, as illustrated in the map of the watershed (Figure 4, left). The restoration goals & objectives are based in sciences and  are supported by the Tucannon River Geomorphic Assessment and Habitat Restoration Study (Anchor April 2011).  The geomorphic assessment (Anchor April 2011), completed by the CCD and the SRSRB Regional Technical Team (RTT) worked to revisit the habitat  limiting factors and life stage most impacting the Tucannon spring Chinook.

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