for Council approval all land and 

 water acquisitions from the dedi- 

 cated budget. The Council will 

 make all linal recommendations 

 and decisions regarding land and 

 water acquisitions from the fund 



• Specific procedures and criteria 

 for the board to use in identifying, 

 reviewing, and deciding whether 

 to recommend proposals for land 

 and water acquisitions. These cri- 

 teria will be reviewed by the hide- 

 pendent Scientific Re\ iew Panel, 

 but specific land and water acqui- 

 sitions would not require Inde- 

 pendent Scientific Review Panel 

 review. An element of these cri- 

 teria will be a preference for 

 proposed actions that 1 ) address 

 imminent risks to the survival 



of one or more species listed 

 under the Endangered Species Act 

 and 2) are broadly recognized 

 as achieving direct fish and wild- 

 life benefits. The criteria should 

 emphasize consistency w ith the 

 program's biological objectives 

 and subbasin plans 



• Standardized terms for imple- 

 menting acquisitions, including 

 matters of contracting, manage- 

 ment, crediting, operation and 

 maintenance costs, and monitor- 

 ing and evaluation requirements 



• Accountability provisions for 

 reporting on monies spent, prop- 

 erties acquired, biological gain, 

 and consistency with program 

 and subbasin objectives. The 

 program as a whole will receive 

 periodic Independent Scientific 

 Review Panel review 



The Council will work with Bonn- 

 eville and other mterested parties to 

 establish the details of the acquisition 

 fund and have it ready for acquisitions 

 by Januaiy 1 , 2001 . All aciiuisilions 

 must be on a willing buyer, willing 

 seller basis, consistent with state water 

 law, and consistent with the other 

 provisions of this program. Council 

 members will be notified of all acqui- 

 sition proposals under consideration 



"The Council reco 



that Bonneville 



establish a funding 



agreement for land 



and water acquisitions." 



by the advisoty board. The fund will 

 not be used for a proposed acquisition 

 if both Council members from that 

 state object to the acquisition. 



The fiind will not take title to 

 acquisitions except on an interim basis, 

 but will, for each transaction, identify 

 an appropriate entity to hold the inter- 

 est acquired. The fund will work in 

 cooperation with other efforts that are 

 already underway to benefit fish and 

 wildlife through acquisitions of land 

 and may provide cost sharing or full 

 funding for transactions that have been 

 aiTanged by others. In appropriate cir- 

 cumstances, the fund may provide for 

 the continuing payment of local taxes 

 and fees on an acquisition. 



B. Independent 

 Scientific Review 



An projects funded under this pro- 

 gram are required by law to 

 undergo review by an independent sci- 

 ence panel. In addition, the program 

 uses a second, related panel of scien- 

 tists to provide advice to the region on 

 key scientific issues. 



Independent scientific review is 

 an established tradition in research 

 and development programs in the 

 United States and much of the 

 world. Independent scientific review 

 can help decision-makers separate sci- 

 entitic variables from other consider- 

 ations (political, economic, cultural, 

 etc.) and help ensure that eiivH\)nmen- 

 tal decision-making reflects the best 

 scientific knowledge of the day. In Ihe 

 Columbia River Basin, the magnitude 

 of scientific research undertaken and 

 uncertainties that remain are stagger- 

 ing. Independent scientific review can 



identify strengths and weaknesses of 

 scientific programs and critical infor- 

 mation gaps that are most relevant to 

 management and policy decisions. 



Independent scientific review for 

 the fish and wildlife program is imple- 

 mented by two grt)ups: the Inde- 

 pendent Scientific Review Panel and 

 the Independent Scientific Advisory 

 Board. Each group provides unique 

 services to the program. The indepen- 

 dent Scientific Review Panel reviews 

 individual projects in the context of 

 the program and makes recommen- 

 dations on matters related to those 

 projects. The Independent Scientific 

 Advisory Board provides an on-call 

 scientific body for peer review of vari- 

 ous reports, projects, and issues atTect- 

 ing Columbia River Basin fish and 

 wildlife. 



The Independent Scientific Review 

 Panel was created after the last 

 Council program amendment, and 

 the Independent Scientific Advisory 

 Board's role was expanded from 

 the 1 994- 1 995 Program to meet the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service's 

 needs. This program amendment for- 

 malizes, distinguishes, and specifies 

 the roles, responsibilities, and proce- 

 dures of the two groups while main- 

 taining a strong link between the 

 groups. The background and respon- 

 sibilities for each group, and a descrip- 

 tion of the shared administrative pro- 

 cedures for both groups follows. 



Fast Fact 



(^oliiinbia River Basin rcsi- 

 deut fish, which spend their 

 entire life cycle in freshwater, 

 include: warm-water species, 

 hass and walleve: and cold- 

 water species, cutthroat, hull 

 trout and kokanee. 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife Program 



49 



