Climate Change Assessment and Policy Development III

This project allowed CRITFC staff to continue to collaborate with regional and tribal staff in the development of cohesive strategies to prepare for, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. CRITFC staff participated and ensured that tribal concerns were integrated in policy and technical climate change decisions through forums such as the Columbia River Treaty process, the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, the NW Climate Science Center and the Climate Impacts Research Consortium. Staff was able to do the following tasks in collaboration with the tribes:

(1) Tracked legislation related to climate change and energy policy and potential revenue streams to address these issues and update tribes frequently;
(2) Performed outreach to present findings and recommendations and policy coordination to our tribes and others via presentations, reports, and digital products on our website;
(3) Complemented activities with the BPA MOA Climate Change tribal/CRITFC projects on the likely impacts of climate change on our member tribes natural and cultural resources via CRITFC research and analysis, literature review, and participation in regional and national forums and other venues;
(4) Developed strategies and coordinate policy to assist our member tribes in mitigating and adapting to climate change (i.e. Adoption of specific response measures to address water resource changes within specific tribal watersheds);
(5) Tracked, and if appropriate in close coordination with member tribes, coordinated and participated in other important technical climate change forums such as the Western Climate Initiative and other state and Congressional climate change venues.
(6) Through modeling and collaboration with federal and state agencies and universities, assessed climate change impacts to the mainstem Columbia and Snake Rivers in association with other regional efforts
(7) Through modeling and collaboration with federal and state agencies and universities, developed and utilized predictive tools to provide mitigation/adaptation alternatives for these changes.

The target species are Chinook, Coho, Steelhead, Sockeye, Bull Trout, Pacific Lamprey, and White Sturgeon. Work conducted under this project will contribute to the protection, recovery, and enhancement of these species in the Columbia Basin, as well as communication and public outreach about the potential effects from climate change on these species and strategies for the mitigation of these effects. The technical mainstem component of this project will, in coordination with the work of other agencies, assist in establishing mitigation and adaptation tools for tribes and agencies to project and address climate change impacts to salmon throughout the Columbia River Basin. These tools, such as flow and water quality management support systems, could be essential in preventing future extirpation of salmon stocks, particularly in the upper portion of the Columbia and Snake River basins. Development of these issues is described as a reasonable and prudent measure in the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion and expanded in the 2009 NOAA Fisheries FCRPS Adaptive Management Implementation Plan.