Habitat Mitigation Tracking System

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Habitat Mitigation Tracking System
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Project Need and Purpose

• Facilitate monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
  of the implementation status and effectiveness of
  off-site mitigation projects, as called for by
  RPA 183 in the 2000 FCRPS Biological Opinion.
• Provide BPA and the other federal action agencies
  with a means of tracking, coordinating, and
  refining their habitat restoration efforts.

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Why is there a need for the HMTS?
To Meet Their Mitigation Obligations

• BiOp emphasizes habitat protection and
  restoration
• Significant resources are spent on off-site
  mitigation projects need to be cost-effective
  and contribute towards recovery
• Currently, there is no mechanism for tracking the
  effectiveness of habitat mitigation projects and
  making this information available to decision
  makers

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What will the HMT System Do?
It will provide the means to

• Quantify the effects of habitat restoration
  projects on listed species
• Provide a basis for assigning agency
  accountability and credit
• Facilitate program/project evaluation
  redirection

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Habitat Mitigation Action Categories

1. Screen irrigation diversions
2. Remove blockages
3. Reduce sediment
4. Improve water quality
5. Enhance nutrients
6. Restore instream flows
7. Restore riparian function
8. Restore stream complexity

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What are the Primary HMT Activities?
Work with key stakeholders to

• Develop an overarching framework and
  implementation strategy
• Develop performance measures (indicators) for
  monitoring project status and impacts
• Design and implement a prototype database and
  information retrieval/reporting system
• Monitor and evaluate project effects on habitat
  conditions and listed salmonids

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How will These Objectives be Met?

• Objective 1. Identify basic information
  requirements, infrastructure, per-formance
  measures, and reporting protocols.
• Objective 2. Identify indicators and metrics for
  measuring the response of habitat and fish to
  individual and grouped projects at appropriate
  scales

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Project Objectives (continued)

• Objective 3 Develop and test a prototype
  tracking and reporting HMT system for
  representative subbasins and projects (Year 1).
• Objective 4 Develop and implement a
  performance-based mechanism for crediting
  agencies for successful mitigation actions.

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Objective 1. Design HMT System
Work with stakeholders to
Develop conceptual model
Identify information needs
Identify database structure
Establish data protocols
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Objective 2. Identify habitat and fish
performance measures
Work with stakeholders to identify
Effectiveness monitoring needs
Project-specific indicators
Monitoring and evaluation protocols
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Objective 3. Develop and test prototype HMT System
Select representative subbasin
Identify and classify projects
Test and refine HMT System
Expand to other subbasins/projects
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How Will the HMT System Work?

• DATA INPUTS
• Habitat Project Information
• Financial Information
• Biological Indicators
• Habitat Indicators

• CUSTOMIZED REPORTS (OUTPUTS)
• Quarterly Project Status Reports
• Annual Implementation Plan Progress
  Reports
• Regulatory Agency Reports in 2003, 2005, 2008
• Crediting Report

Customized, Secure User Interface(s) for Data
Input

• DATA SERVER
• Secure Storage of System Data
• Permits Data Entry and Report Generation via
  Standard Internet Browsers

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Objective 4. Develop performance-based crediting
system
Work with stakeholders to
Identify criteria and protocols
Create crediting database
Design crediting reports
Develop action plan
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Positive, Measurable Contribution Towards Salmon
Recovery
Through the HIT Database

• Quantify individual and combined effects of
  off-site habitat mitigation projects on listed
  species
• Document data results
• Link to decision making accountability
• Simplify internal external reporting
• Design implement a crediting system
• Refine the tracking system habitat mitigation
  strategy through adaptive management

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Thank You!
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What are the Key Deliverables?
Working group meetings
Conceptual framework strategy
Habitat and fish indicators
Tested and proven tracking system


Implemented crediting system

Annual and check-in reports