Bonneville Environmental Foundation Model Watershed Program

1
Bonneville Environmental Foundation Model
Watershed Program

• Presentation to the Pacific Northwest
• Monitoring Practitioners Workshop
• March 16, 2006

2
Bonneville Environmental Foundation

• Founded 1998 to support renewable energy and
  watershed restoration efforts
• Independent, self-supporting from non-profit
  renewable energy business ventures
• Board Watershed Committee
• Jim Lichatowich
• Bill Towey
• Jamie Pinkham
• Walt Pollock
• Staff Todd Reeve
• Angus Duncan

3
A Functional History of Watershed Restoration

• Pre-1990 regulatory and technical interventions
  little community engagement
• Post-1990 community-based watershed councils w/
  good intentions
• Today community science watershed councils
  guided by biological assessments
• Next accountability, adaptive management,
  monitoring, evaluation, feedback loops

4
BEF Model Watershed History

• 1999-2003 Conventional Watershed Restoration
  Project funding (MT, ID, OR, WA)
• 2003-2005 Model Watershed Approach
  (Kootenai, Chinook Programs)
• 2005 Coeur DAlene Model Watershed Added
• 2006 Pending Programs in Upper Columbia,
  Deschutes, mid Columbia,
• To date 1.6 MM Committed to PNW Watersheds

5
The Role of Science

• Assess conditions, identify limiting factors
• Establish threshold requirements for watershed
  health
• Guide restoration with priorities and information
  feedback loops provide choices to
  decision-makers
• Direct scarce resources to critical needs
• Provide a neutral intermediator

6
The Role of Communities

• Bring stakeholders and community groups together,
  facilitate landscape-scale solutions
• Understand and apply the science
• Develop, apply innovative local solutions
• Reconcile consumptive activities with watershed
  health thresholds

7
BEF Model Watershed Program

• Multi-stakeholder, community-based program
• Monitoring-intensive, 10-year approach
• Feedback loops to refine watershed strategies
• 10-year funding for essential ME
• Independent Peer Review
• Continuity 10-year institutional oversight,
  fundraising assistance/coordination

8
BEFs Model Watershed Goals

• 10-12 Model Watersheds (OR, WA, ID, MT)
• Varied PNW ecosystem types
• Partner with local watershed councils, tribes,
  funders
• Minimum 10-year mutual commitments
• Regular peer review reporting
• Program results documented, disseminated

9
Setting Restoration ObjectivesMeasuring
Progress, Learning Lessons

• For Each Restoration Objective . . .
• State Hypothesis (e.g., statistical downward
  trend in water temperature to approved
  TMDL.)
• Set Actions by Year
• Establish Metrics
• Establish Quantifiable Objectives
• Identify Limiting Factors
• Design, Adopt Strategies
• Apply Implementing Tools
• Schedule Peer Review

10
Regional Watershed Monitoring and EvaluationA
Comparison of Approaches
11
Comparison of Approaches (Continued)
12
Complementary Monitoring and Evaluation
Coordinating Approaches
13
Priority Watersheds - Distribution
Emap/IMW
Shared
BEF
14
Opportunities for Collaboration

• Coordinate data collection, evaluation, lessons
  learned especially in IMW, BEF focus watersheds
• Tie regional priority support to community
  watershed programs with long-term, peer-reviewed
  ME
• Consistency between sub-basin and community
  programs in selecting watershed health
  indicators, language, protocols more
  cost-effective ME