328 



Rep. Purse re: Hatchery Reform and Habiua Protection, Mundy and Rhodes Page S 



Recommendations on Habitat Protection Actions 



1. Federal Lands. Lands under United States Forest Service (USPS) ownership provide 

 approximately 50-70% of the remaining spawning and rearing habitat in the Columbia basin 

 (Sedell and Everest, 1990). Therefore, it is critical that the USPS provide adequate protection for 

 these habitats, if salmon populations are to be restored. Unfortunately, Porest Plans for the 

 Columbia basin forests will cause more, not less, habitat degradation. Under every Forest Plan, 

 there will be an increase in road mileage and watershed distuibance that will cause increased 

 sedimentation. Every plan also calls for continued logging, grazing, mining, and road construction 

 in riparian zones. Recent evaluations of some Forest Plans by die USPS's own scientists, at the 

 behest of Congress, indicate that there is a very low likelihood of continued viability of d^>ressed 

 populations of salmon and resident fish if diese Forest Plans are tiilly implemented (Johnson et al . , 

 1991). Our own analysis of the Forest Plans concluded similarly that degradation of fish habitat 

 would be severe under all of the Forest Plans. Accordingly, the memeber tribes of CRTTFC were 

 put in the unfortunate and undesirable position of having to file administrative appeals of IS Forest 

 Plans in the Columbia basin in an effort to improve the protection for fish habitat. 



At least four credible and scientifically developed management scenarios for protecting 

 salmon habitat in the Columbia basin already exist. These are: 1) die South Fork of the Salmon 

 River Step Plan (Payette National Forest, 1987); 2) the components of land management evaluated 

 by Johnson et al. (1991) as necessary for a high likelihood of continued viability of fish 

 populations; 3) the Upper Grande Ronde River, Fish Habitat Protection, Restoration, and 

 Monitoring Plan (UGRRMP); 4) CRTTFC's technical recommendations for ttie management of 

 critical spawning and rearing habitat in the Snake basin (CRITFC, 1991b). Notably, all four 

 habitat management scenarios contain similar components, indicating that there is a great deal of 

 consensus among the scientific community. We strongly recommend that Bureau of Land 

 Management (BLM) and USPS land management plans for the Columbia basin be immediately 

 amended to incorporate the provisions contained in diese four approaches to protecting fish habitat 



The components recommended by Johnson et al. (1991) include: 1) a system of reserve 

 watersheds with high-valued fish production that are not to be roaded and logged; 2) the 

 elimination of riparian zone logging; 3) an aggressive program to remove riparian roads and 

 reduce the road mileage in all watersheds; 4) a program to improve road drainage; 5) the use of 

 low impact logging systems such as helicopter logging; and 6) an iiKrease in the rotation length 

 of timber harvest. Although the report by Johnson et al. (1991) is now almost two years old, die 

 USPS has failed to adopt any of the recommendations. 



Similar to the provisions of Johnson etal. (1991), the UGRRMP calls for complete riparian 

 zone protection, an aggressive program of road obliteration and road improvement, full protection 

 of existing roadless areas, and short term elimination of grazing in degraded riparian zones. The 

 UGRRMP also sets performance standards for fish habitat components; until the standards are met, 

 fiirdier impacts to the watershed are prohibited. The UGRRMP also calls for rigorous monitoring 

 of fish habitat conditions and usage. 



