1978, the first instream flow reservation was granted by the Board 

 of Natural Resources and Conservation on the Yellowstone River. 



In 1980, Congress passed the Northwest Power Planning and 

 Conservation Act (the Act) which was designed to balance power 

 needs, hydropower development, and natural resources in the 

 Columbia River Basin. The Act called for the formation of the 

 Northwest Power Planning Council (the Council), which was mandated 

 to develop the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The 

 program was aimed at balancing past and future hydropower 

 development in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana 

 through protection, mitigation and enhancement of anadromous and 

 resident fish, and wildlife. The Act also stated that the 

 Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) would bear the financial 

 responsibility for the program measures. 



Although the majority of the program addressed the mitigation 

 and enhancement of anadromous fisheries, the Council's Protected 

 Areas Program, a measure in the 1984 Council's Fish and Wildlife 

 Program, requested a study be conducted to identify stream reaches 

 with critical fish and wildlife habitat that should be protected 

 from future hydroelectric development. 



In the Council's original Draft Fish and Wildlife Program in 

 1982, Montana submitted a list of Class I fishery streams and 

 critical wildlife habitat to be protected from future 

 hydroelectric development. Because many additional streams were 

 recommended from other states in the Columbia River basin during 

 the draft review period, the Council opted for a study rather than 

 prematurely selecting protected area reaches. 



The Pacific Northwest Hydropower Assessment Steering 

 Committee (HASC) was established by the Council to address the 

 study for selection of protected areas in the Columbia River 

 Basin. Its membership consisted of 20 representatives from state 

 fish and wildlife agencies, federal land management agencies, 

 conservation organizations, and power interests. The MDFWP was 

 one of the original members of the HASC. The Pacific Northwest 

 Hydropower Assessment Study Work Plan, developed by the HASC in 

 August 1984, was aimed at providing information to help the 

 Council in designating protected areas, site ranking and energy 

 supply forecasting. 



