revised and updated approximately 

 ever>' tiircc years, l"or liidsc w lid 

 are unable to parlieipate in tins tnne- 

 frame, and for those topics that can 

 not be addressed as fully as mav be 

 ideal, there will be other opportuni- 

 ties in the near future. 



The Council beliews that subbasin 

 plans must be de\ eloped v\ithin an 

 open public process that provides 

 ample opportunity for participation by 

 a wide range of slate, federal, tribal, 

 and local managers, experts, landown- 

 ers, local governments, and stakehold- 

 ers. The details ol that process will 

 vary from subbasin to subbasin, but 

 there are essentially two stages. 



First, at the local level, interested 

 parties need to work together to 

 de\elop a plan that, as far as possible, 

 embodies the knowledge, policies, 

 and support of the people in that sub- 

 basin. Recognizing that this eftbrt 

 w ill need to be undertaken somewhat 

 differently in each subbasin, the 

 Council w ill work with state, tribal, 

 federal, and local parties to detennine 

 which approach is most likely to suc- 

 ceed in a particular subbasin, and 

 then help support that approach. The 

 Council believes that other entities are 

 better equipped to take the lead in the 

 local effort, and does not intend to 

 become a lead entity at the local level 

 in the subbasin planning process. 



Second, when a subbasin plan 

 is proposed for adoption into the 

 program, the Power Act's program 







amendment standards require a 

 public process with full opportunity 

 for public comment and participation. 

 The Act also requires that, at the end 

 of the process, the Council make a 

 decision based on statutoiy standards. 



It is important to recognize that, 

 while the Council can encourage 

 interested parties to w ork together on 

 a common plan for each subbasin, 

 it cannot preclude any person from 

 submitting a plan. Under the Power 

 Act, the Council is obliged to con- 

 sider and make a decision on each 

 recommendation it receives. 



After the basin and province 

 levels are fixed in the current pro- 

 gram amendment cycle, the Council 

 will: 



• Make subbasin assessments avail- 

 able on its website and through 

 other means to the planners, deci- 

 sion-makers, and the public as 

 soon as they are completed 



• Issue a formal notice and request 

 for recommendations to amend 

 the program. This notice will be 

 limited, and explain that only 

 recommendations at the sublxisin 

 level of the program will be con- 

 sidered 



• Take extra steps to target this 

 subbasin notice at local gov- 

 ernments, stakeholders, planners, 

 watershed groups and land and 

 water managers in each subbasin 



• Organize recommendations it 

 receives subbasin by subbasin, 



for the statutory 

 \ recommenda- 



tion com- 



mm " 



I nicni period. This is intended 

 to facilitate coordination and dis- 

 cussion by those that have made 

 recommendations in any particu- 

 lar subbasin 



• Assist in facilitating the discus- 

 sions in the subbasins aimed at 

 reconciling the recommendations 

 and ensuring that the program 

 standards for plans are met 



• Produce drafts of the subbasin 

 plans that are crafted from the 

 recommendations and the facili- 

 tated discussions for public com- 

 ment 



• Adopt into the program subbasin 

 plans that meet the established 

 standards. Where more time is 

 needed, the Council may adopt 

 placeholders for a subbasin, and 

 establish a longer timeframe for 

 adoption to facilitate continued 

 discussions 



The Act directs the Council to 

 give special consideration to the rec- 

 ommendations of tribal, state and 

 federal fish and wildlife management 

 entities when considering matters 

 related to fish and w ildlitc. There- 

 fore, subbasin plans should be devel- 

 oped with the participation offish 

 and wildlife managers with jurisdic- 

 tion in the subbasin. 



As outlined above, the Council 

 will require that subbasin plans dem- 

 onstrate their relationship to Endan- 

 gered Species Act and Clean Water 

 Act requirements. This should best 

 be achieved by the participation 

 of the applicable regulatorv' entities 

 in the subbasin level amendment. 

 Because the Council cannot compel 

 this participation, the Council hopes 

 these entities will participate volun- 



:-..\'-;v',''V;''''ySV. ■ ■■■.. .. 



42 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife program 



