the mainslem plan and the subbasin 

 plans. The process for developing 

 the plan and associated budgets will 

 ensure independent scientific review, 

 input from fish and w ildlife agencies 

 and tribes, independent scientists, 

 and other interested parties ui the 

 region. 



Open Access to Results 



All completed research fianded by 

 Bonneville will be made readily 

 available to all interested parties 

 through the Internet and a library 

 open to the public. This includes 

 abstracts and information about 

 how to obtain the full te.\t of 

 any report. Research projects 

 will be required to submit all 

 necessary infomiation. including 

 abstracts, within six months after 

 research is conducted. 



"State of the Science" Review 



The Council will implement proj- 

 ects to re\ iew the current state of 

 the science in key research areas. 

 This effort may include the use of 

 reports, surveys, conferences, and 

 journals. In particular, the Council 

 will work with the Independent Sci- 

 entific Advisory Board to develop 

 a series of reports to surxey past 

 research and summarize the state of 

 the science in key areas. 



Monitoring and E> aluation 



Guidelines for Collectinj; Data and 

 Reporting Results 



The Council will initiate a process 

 involving all interested parties in the 

 region to establish guidelines appro- 

 priate for the collection and report- 

 ing of data in the Columbia Ri\er 

 Basin. 



Project Standards for Monitoring 

 and Evaluation 



Except where these criteria are 

 clearly inapplicable, each project 

 proposed for funding under this pro- 

 gram must satisfy the following 

 nionilorinu anti c\aluation criteria: 



• The jirojecl must have mea- 

 surable, quantitative biological 

 objectives. (Related projects 

 may rely on a single set of bio- 

 logical objectives.) 



• The project must either collect 



or identify data that are appropri- 

 ate for measuring the biological 

 outcomes identified in the objec- 

 tives. 



• Projects that collect their own data 

 for e\aluation must make this 

 data and accompanying metadata 

 available to the region in elec- 

 tronic form. Data and reports 

 developed with Bonne\ ille funds 

 should be considered in the 

 public domain. Data and meta- 

 data must be submitted within six 

 months of their collection. 



• The methods and protocols used 

 in data collection must be consis- 

 tent with guidelines approved by 

 the Council. 



Bonneville, in its contracting pro- 

 cess, should ensure that each project 

 satisfies these four criteria. 



Standards for Monitoring and 

 Evaluation of Subbasin Plans 



Subbasin plans will contain biolog- 

 ical objectives as well as a plan for 

 monitoring and evaluation to assess 

 whether the projects implemented 

 under the subbasin plan are achiev- 

 nig the objectives. The monitoring 

 and evaluation portion of a subbasin 

 plan should I ) identify the monitor- 

 ing and e\aluation tasks related to 

 the objectives; 2) identify who will 

 do the evaluation and on what sched- 

 ule; 3) explain what kind of mdepen- 

 dent review will be incorporated if 

 the main part of the monitoring and 

 e\aluation w ill be done by a main 

 participant in the plan implementa- 

 tion; and 4) pro\ ide a budget for 

 the monitormg and evaluation work. 

 The project-specific monitoring and 

 evaluation described abo\e should 

 feed mformation into the subbasin 

 level evaluation. 



Standards for Determining 

 whether ()bjecti\es of the Pro- 

 gram as a whole at the Basin 

 and Province Levels are Being 

 Achieved 



Program implementation must also 

 include as a systemwide project a 

 program to evaluate whether the 

 individual actions in the various sub- 

 basins are achieving the objectives 

 of the program stated at the basin 

 and province levels. The Council 

 will work with other relevant parties 

 in the basin to design this program 

 -level monitoring and evaluation 

 program, including describing the 

 evaluation tasks, who will do the 

 work, the possible budget, and the 

 possible use of the independent sci- 

 ence panels in assisting w ith this 

 evaluation effoil. The goal should 

 be for the Council to produce an 

 annua! evaluation report of the suc- 

 cess of the program in meeting its 

 objectives. 



Data Management 

 Data Gaps 



The Council vv ill initiate a process 

 for identifying data needs in the 

 basin, surveying available data, and 

 filling any data gaps. 



Dissemination of Data Via the 

 Internet 



The Council will initiate a process 

 for establishing an Internet-based 

 system for the efficient dissemi- 

 nation of data for the Columbia 

 Basin. This system will be based 

 on a network of data sites, such as 

 Streamnet, Northwest Habitat Insti- 

 tute, Fish Passage Center, Columbia 

 River Data Access in Real Time 

 (DART), and others, linked by Inter- 

 net technology. The functions of 

 each data site, or module, will be 

 clearlv articulated and defined. 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife Program 



33 



