A Comparison and Evaluation of Existing Land Management Plans Affecting Spawning and Rearing Habitat of Snake River Basin Salmon Species Listed Under the Endangered Species Act
Abstract
This report summarizes and evaluates the major provisions of seven land management approaches for their likely effectiveness in protecting and restoring vital attributes of habitat for Snake River Basin salmon species listed as ‘endangered’ under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The following plans were selected for comparison and evaluation: a) the South Fork Salmon River ‘STEP’ Plan (Payette National Forest, 1988); the Boise National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Boise National Forest, 1990); the Upper Grande Ronde River Anadromous Fish Habitat Protection, Restoration and Monitoring Plan (Anderson et al., 1992; 1993); Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl (USFS and USBLM, 1994); the Interim Protection for Late-Successional Forests, Fisheries, and Watersheds in National Forests East of the Cascade Crest, Oregon and Washington (Henjum et al., 1994); A Coarse Screening Process for Evaluation of the Effect of Management Activities on Salmon Rearing and Spawning Habitat in ESA Consultations (Rhodes et al., 1994); and ‘PACFISH’-Interim Strategies for Managing Anadromous Fish-producing Watersheds in Eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, and Portions of California (USFS and USBLM, 1995). These plans were selected for evaluation because they: a) are detailed enough to evaluate; b) have been adopted or proffered for implementation; c) are based on comprehensive assessments; and, d) in aggregate, represent a spectrum of approaches to land management and habitat protection.
The plan provisions summarized and evaluated include: riparian protection measures; the use of standards for habitat attributes in adaptive land management; constraints on logging, grazing, mining, roads, and water withdrawal; cumulative effects strategies; management direction for watersheds where aquatic resources are emphasized; roadless area management; monitoring requirements; and restoration direction. Accountability associated with each plan provision was factored into evaluations of long term effectiveness in protecting and restoring channel morphology, substrate, cover, water quantity, and water temperature and the ecological processes and elements that shape these core attributes of salmon habitat.
Authors
Citation
Rhodes, J.J. 1995. A comparison and evaluation of existing land management plans affecting spawning and rearing habitat of Snake River Basin salmon species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Technical Report 95-4, Portland, Oregon. 115p.