CTUIR Ceded Area Subbasin Priority Natural Resource Acquisitions V

This proposal includes securing fee title acquisition or conservation easement opportunities for land, water, grazing or timber rights benefiting ESA-listed fish and tribal First Foods. The project applies to the CTUIR ceded area subbasins (Umatilla, Walla Walla, Tucannon, Grande Ronde & John Day) focusing on water, land, and resource acquisitions to protect and/or restore ecological and physical processes important to aquatic Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed species and other native aquatic species important to CTUIR. Priority stream acquisition and conservation reaches will be selected based largely on past planning (NPCC Subbasin Plans, ESA Recovery Plans, etc) and consistent with the CTUIR River Vision which emphasizes natural floodplain function. This proposal is not for the acquisition of a specific property per se, but rather to help defray the costs associated with the acquisition of properties that become available and meet all six criteria (see infra) for fisheries restoration and the protection of reserved tribal treaty rights within the subbasins of CTUIR’s ceded area.

For example, Umatilla Basin high priority areas would include:
1. mid-mainstem (16 miles) and lower (62 miles) Umatilla River;
2. lower 15 miles of Meacham Creek (a major tributary to the upper Umatilla River):
3. 24,200 acre Isquulktpe Creek watershed (a tributary to the Upper Umatilla); and
4. Birch and McKay Creek watersheds.

Project Objective: Achieve benefit for Threatened summer steelhead, Threatened bull trout, reintroduced Chinook and coho salmon and other tribal First Foods through conservation of land, water and natural resource management rights:

1) Purchase permanent fee title or conservation easement of critical stronghold or high restoration potential habitats;

2) Lease or permanent acquisition of critical instream water rights;

3) Purchase grazing or forest management rights providing watershed conservation benefits.

Project Approach: Pursue permanent protection of high value habitats to protect and/or to enhance physical and ecological processes and leverage other cost share funding.

Actions will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Provides significant conservation and/or restoration benefits for sustaining CTUIR First foods;
2. Consistency with subbasin plan priorities, NOAA Recovery Plans, Comprehensive State Wildlife Conservation Strategies, and CTUIR River Vision;
3. Multiple fish species and/or life stage benefits;
4. High degree of defensibility relative to size/configuration of acquisition tract and adjacent threats;
5. Direct enhancement of connectivity between conservation areas; and
6. Enhancement of administrative or logistics associated with management of existing adjacent areas.

All acquisitions will be completed in accordance with the CTUIR Land Acquisition Strategy Plan. The Tribe will acquire land at or below Fair Market Value based on current Federal Yellow Book standard appraisals. Land may be purchased with water rights if the land/water package scores high as per above criteria.

PCSRF Priority Intended to Achieve: Priority #1 - Factors limiting the productivity of ESA-listed Pacific salmonids, as described in habitat objectives and restoration strategies in the 2004 NPCC Subbasin Plans, and the Mid-C Steelhead and Snake River ESA Recovery Plans.

Project Rationale, Justification, Measurable Outcomes and Benefits: Land use patterns on floodplains and prior floodplain and channel development have reduced natural floodplain area and function as per CTUIR River Mission-based goals. An initial benefit of acquiring stronghold habitats is that it allows for habitat restoration work to be done. The ultimate outcome is to have naturally functioning and self-sustaining streams and floodplains which will continue to provide quality habitat for aquatic First Foods.

Benefits will be achieved through the protection and restoration of natural physical and ecological processes and resulting habitat and water quality improvements. Impacts from development and resource extraction actions that might degrade aquatic habitats and limit fish production will be eliminated. ESA species: summer steelhead and bull trout; other species: spring Chinook, coho salmon, pacific lamprey, freshwater mussels, and other miscellaneous resident fish.