In 2011, the UCSRB and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) initiated the Upper Columbia (UC) Programmatic Habitat Project (“Programmatic”; BPA Project No. 2010-001-00) to help direct technical and funding resources to partners working to help restore stream habitat for ESA-listed spring Chinook and summer steelhead populations of the region.
As co-sponsor to the Programmatic, the UCSRB collaborates with BPA to ensure regional project selection criteria remain aligned with Action Agency stream (tributary) habitat mitigation obligations for the Columbia River System Biological Opinion (BiOp; NOAA 2020). The UCSRB and BPA also adaptively manage the Programmatic to help address recommendations in the Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan (Recovery Plan; UCSRB 2007) and associated Biological Strategy (UCRTT 2019), and to maintain alignment with the UC strategic Habitat Action Prioritization framework.
Currently, the annual Programmatic proposal period opens October 1 and concludes in the following April. During this “rolling” intake, sponsors are invited to connect with UCSRB staff to discuss concepts that may be a good fit for Programmatic funds and any next steps for development/ submittal of a complete proposal. Ongoing coordination among the UCSRB, BPA, sponsors, the Action Agencies, land managers, other funders, and technical experts during project development and implementation remains key to ensuring Programmatic investments are complementary to other programs and activities, and result in the highest possible biologic benefit and level of BiOp metric credit for BPA.
For more information about the UC Programmatic, contact Sarah Walker at [email protected]
