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United States Forest R-6 

 Department of Service 

 Agriculture 



Reply to: 2610/2670 Date: February 16, 1993 



Subject: Section 7 Consultation Process for Anadromous Fish 



To: National Marine Fisheries Service, Environmental Technical Services 

 Division 

 Forest Supervisors: Bitterroot, Clearwater, Nez Perce, Boise, Salmon, 

 Challis, Payette. Sawtooth, Umatilla, and Wallowa -Whitman NF's 



This letter supersedes our January 19, 2610/2670 letter. This letter reflects 

 needed clarification and changes that became apparent after implementation of 

 -he previous process. Forest Service (FS), Regions 1, 4, and 6, and National 

 Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) staffs met in Boise on February 9 to discuss 

 the previous process and to resolve the problems encountered with the Section 7 

 consultation process . Minor changes were also made in the January 14 , revision 

 _o the December 10, 1992 Biological Evaluation/Assessment outline (enclosed). 



Please act immediately to implement the following Section 7 process: 



1 . Documentation : 



a. Forests will compile existing consultation documents for ongoing 

 and proposed 1993 actions. 



ongoing - actions that have been implemented or that have 

 contracts awarded. 



proposed - actions that are not ongoing, but are planned for 

 implementation in 1993 . 



b. The Columbia River Basin Coordinator will provide to NMFS by 

 February 19, a final copy of the map of the Snake River Basin Forests 

 delineating the watershed analysis units. 



c. Forests will determine which ongoing and proposed 1993 actions 

 have no effect on Snake River salmon. These projects will not be submitted to 

 NMFS for consultation. 



d. Forests will group ongoing and proposed 1993 actions that may 

 affect listed Snake River salmon by geographic area (watershed) and resource 



(i.e., range, timber, minerals, recreation, etc.). 



e. The FS and NMFS (in cooperation with Bureau of Land Management 

 staff) have agreed to the enclosed Biological Evaluation/Assessment outline 

 (BE/A outline) . Forests will utilize this outline to reshape their 

 consultation packages by watershed and resource. 



