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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

“About this place in different directions Capt. C. [Captain Clark] saw a great number ofsmall canoes lying scattered on the bank. these small canoes are employed by the womenin collecting wappetoe; with one of these a woman enters a pond where the SagitariaSagittifolia grows frequently to her breast in water and by means of her toes and feetbreakes the bulb of this plant loos from the parent radicle and disincumbering it from themud it immediately rises to the surface of the water when she seizes it and throws it intoher canoe which she always keeps convenient to her. they will remain in the water forhours together in surch of this bulb in middle of winter. ” From the Journals of Meriwether Lewis on the Columbia River, April 6, 1806

Introduction

The Columbia River has figuredprominently in the history of the UnitedStates. Native American peoples have livedand traded along its shores for thousands ofyears. For those who lived at the confluenceof the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, thebroad floodplain provided an abundance ofwapato, a highly valued food plant. Thiswetland plant not only provided the bulk oftheir food calories, but represented animportant trade item. Not long after the firstEuropean-Americans arrived at the mouth ofthe Columbia River, Meriwether Lewis andCaptain William Clark journeyed down theriver, leading a scientific and geographicexpedition that would link the United Statesto the Pacific Ocean. On April 6, 1806,Lewis and Clark established a camp near thefuture site of Steigerwald Lake NationalWildlife Refuge. While spending a week atthis site, gathering supplies for the triphome, Lewis wrote about Captain Clark’svisit to the nearby village of Ne-er-cho-ki-oo (current location of the PortlandInternational Airport). The people wholived at this site were from a village further

up the river, near the future site of PierceNational Wildlife Refuge; they came here inwinter to harvest wapato. Resuming theirupstream journey, Lewis remarked on thenumerous houses along the northern shore,including a village near a prominent rockwhich they named Beacon Rock. Yearslater, this 848-foot column of basalt casts itsshadow over Pierce Refuge.

The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discoverypioneered a route to the Pacific Ocean, ushering in a new era of exploration andintense commerce. As this countrycommemorates the bicentennial of the Lewisand Clark expedition, it is particularly fittingfor the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(Service) to be planning for the future ofSteigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, and PierceNational Wildlife Refuges; hereaftercollectively called the Gorge Refuges. Thisdocument is a draft ComprehensiveConservation Plan and EnvironmentalAssessment (draft CCP/EA) for the GorgeRefuges. The final CCP will guidemanagement of the Gorge Refuges for thenext 15 years.

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The Gorge Refuges are situated within theColumbia River Gorge, on the Washingtonshore of the Columbia River downstream ofBonneville Dam (Figure 1-1). Theheadquarters office is at Steigerwald LakeRefuge. The Gorge Refuges are part of theRidgefield National Wildlife RefugeComplex, which has an administrative officein Ridgefield, Washington. For thepurposes of this management plan, the threeGorge Refuges are treated together as oneplanning unit because they are located closeto each another in the Columbia Riverfloodplain, they share many of the sameissues and management opportunities, andthey are part of the same lower ColumbiaRiver ecosystem. Moreover, one RefugeManager oversees all three Refuges.

Proposed Action

This Draft CCP/EA evaluates and comparesthree alternatives and their effects on keyphysical, biological, social, and culturalresources. The Service has selectedAlternative B as its proposed action becauseit best achieves Refuge purposes, vision, andgoals; contributes to the National WildlifeRefuge System mission; addresses thesignificant issues and relevant mandates;and is consistent with sound principles offish and wildlife management.

The proposed action is preliminary. Thealternative ultimately selected and describedin the final CCP will be determined, in part,by the comments received on the draftCCP/EA. The proposed action in the finalCCP may or may not modify the proposedaction presented in this draft CCP/EA. TheService’s Regional Director in Portland,

Oregon, is the responsible official forapproving the final CCP/EA.

Purpose and Need for Action

The Gorge Refuges do not have an approvedmanagement plan. The purpose of the CCPis to provide the Refuge Manager with a 15-year management plan, consistent withpolicies and legal mandates, that willachieve the five goals proposed in chapter 3(see Figure 1-2).

The CCP is needed to correct or mitigatesignificant problems that have beenidentified through the planning process asadversely affecting the populations andhabitats of fish, wildlife, and plants withinthe Gorge Refuges. Specifically, thefollowing problems need to be addressed inthe CCP.

• Nonnative plants and animals threatenlong-term viability of native fish,wildlife, and plants.

• Riparian and oak communities occur assmall, isolated patches with inadequateregeneration and understory vegetation.

• Inventory, monitoring, and researchwithin the Gorge Refuges are inadequateto support management activities.

• Steigerwald Lake is detached from itshistoric sources of water which supporteda mosaic of wetland habitats.

• Man-made in-stream barriers restrict orprevent anadromous fish access tohistoric spawning and rearing habitat.

• At high flows, Gibbons Creek transportsfederally-listed fish into SteigerwaldLake basin where they have little chancefor survival.

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The purpose of the CCP is to provide the Refuge Manager with a 15-yearmanagement plan, consistent with Service policies and legal mandates,that will achieve the following five goals. See Chapter 3 for more details.

Goal 1. Protect, restore, and enhance the natural diversity of floodplain,upland forest, and grassland habitats representative of the lowerColumbia River ecosystem.

Goal 2. Protect and enhance populations of native flora and fauna with anemphasis on State- and federally-listed threatened andendangered species, species of conservation concern, and theirhabitats.

Goal 3. Reduce the impacts of nonnative and invasive species on nativeflora and fauna.

Goal 4. Provide management-based research opportunities and conductRefuge studies to investigate ecosystem dynamics, wildlife andhabitat relationships, habitat use patterns, and human impacts.

Goal 5. Develop and encourage public understanding of and support forthe purposes and visions of Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, andPierce National Wildlife Refuges.

• Land use practices within the GibbonsCreek watershed are impacting waterquality on Steigerwald Lake Refuge.

In addition, these Refuges are not officiallyopen to the public. The CCP is needed toevaluate and support opportunities for the

public to engage in high-quality wildlife-dependent uses of the Gorge Refugesconsistent with achieving refuge purposesand fulfilling the mission of the NationalWildlife Refuge System and other legalmandates.

Figure 1-2. Goals of the Gorge Refuges’ CCP.

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The mission of the Service is “working withothers, to conserve, protect and enhance fishand wildlife and their habitats for thecontinuing benefit of the American people.” National resources entrusted to the Servicefor conservation and protection includemigratory birds, endangered and threatenedspecies, interjurisdictional fish, wetlands,and certain marine mammals. The Servicealso manages national fish hatcheries,enforces federal wildlife laws andinternational treaties on importing andexporting wildlife, assists with state fish andwildlife programs, and helps other countriesdevelop wildlife conservation programs.

National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System(Refuge System) is the world’s largestnetwork of public lands and waters set asidespecifically for conserving wildlife andprotecting ecosystems. From its inception in1903, the Refuge System has grown toencompass 542 national wildlife refuges inall 50 states, and waterfowl production areasin 10 states, covering more than 96 millionacres of public lands. More than 34 millionvisitors annually hunt, fish, observe andphotograph wildlife, or participate inenvironmental education and interpretiveactivities on these national wildlife refuges.

Refuge System Mission and Goals

The mission of the Refuge System, as statedin the National Wildlife Refuge SystemImprovement Act of 1997, is “to administera national network of lands and waters forthe conservation, management, and where

appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife,and plant resources and their habitats withinthe United States for the benefit of presentand future generations of Americans.” Thefundamental mission of the Refuge Systemis wildlife conservation. Director’s Order132 established the following goals for theRefuge System:

• Fulfill our statutory duty to achieverefuge purpose(s) and further the RefugeSystem mission.

• Conserve, restore where appropriate, andenhance all species of fish, wildlife, andplants that are endangered or threatenedwith becoming endangered.

• Perpetuate migratory bird,interjurisdictional fish, and marinemammal populations.

• Conserve a diversity of fish, wildlife, andplants.

• Conserve and restore, where appropriate,representative ecosystems of the UnitedStates, including the ecological processescharacteristic of those ecosystems.

• Foster understanding and instillappreciation of fish, wildlife, and plants,and their conservation, by providing thepublic with safe, high-quality, andcompatible wildlife-dependent public use. Such use includes hunting, fishing,wildlife observation and photography,and environmental education andinterpretation.

Planning and Management Guidance

Management of the Gorge Refuges is guidedby federal laws and executive orders,Service policies, international treaties, andother legal mandates (Appendix F). One ofthe most important acts governing

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management of the Refuge System is theNational Wildlife Refuge SystemAdministration Act of 1966. This act wasamended in 1997 by the National WildlifeRefuge System Improvement Act whichestablished a unifying mission for theRefuge System, a new process fordetermining compatible uses on refuges, andrequired each refuge to be managed under aCCP. The Refuge System Improvement Actfurther directs the Service to monitor thestatus and trends of fish, wildlife, and plantson each refuge and maintain the biologicalintegrity, diversity, and environmentalhealth of each refuge and the RefugeSystem.

The Refuge System Improvement Act alsodirects the Secretary of the Interior torecognize compatible wildlife-dependentrecreational activities as priority generaluses of the Refuge System. Prioritywildlife-dependent public uses includehunting, fishing, wildlife observation,wildlife photography and environmentaleducation and interpretation. For a use to becompatible, it must not materially interferewith the purpose(s) of the refuge or detractfrom the fulfillment of the mission of theRefuge System. The refuge managerdetermines which public uses are compatiblebased on sound professional judgementwhich is defined as a decision that isconsistent with the principles of fish andwildlife management and administration,available science and resources, andadherence with law. It is Service policy thatwhere a proposed wildlife-dependent use isdetermined to be compatible on anindividual refuge, the activity should befacilitated. Compatibility determinationsmust be made in writing, and must identify

the anticipated effects of the proposed useon refuge resources. Compatibilitydeterminations can be made concurrentlywith the development of the CCP.

The development of a CCP is guided by theService’s Refuge planning policy (602 FW3). The planning process is designed toresult in the development of visionstatements, goals, objectives, and strategies. A vision is a concise statement of what therefuge should be or what the Service hopesto do, based primarily upon the RefugeSystem mission, refuge purposes, and othermandates. Because the vision may takeseveral decades to achieve, it will typicallyremain in place 15 years or more. Goalsnarrow the vision into general, supportingmanagement directions. Strategies arespecific tools to accomplish the objectives. Strategies tend to be flexible and maychange frequently. Objectives areintermediate in nature. They may alsochange, but only if it becomes clear overtime, through monitoring and evaluation,that the objective would not further the goalit supports. Often, more specific strategiesand schedules will be needed after the CCPhas been completed to implement some ofthe objectives in the plan. This guidancewill be in the form of “step-down”management plans.

A CCP is a strategic document thatdescribes the desired future conditions of arefuge and provides long-range guidanceand direction for its management. When arefuge initiates its CCP process, it may haveexisting management plans such as fisheries,habitat, and integrated pest managementplans. For the Gorge Refuges, the CCP willact as the umbrella planning document. A

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fisheries management plan for SteigerwaldLake Refuge is the only existing approvedstep-down plan for the Gorge Refuges. Additional required step-down plans areidentified in this CCP (see chapter 6).

Refuge Establishment andExplanation of Refuge Purposes

Lands within the Refuge System areacquired and managed under a variety oflegislative acts and administrative ordersand authorities. The official purpose orpurposes for a refuge are specified in orderived from the law, proclamation,executive order, agreement, public landorder, donation document, or administrativememorandum establishing, authorizing, orexpanding a refuge, refuge unit, or refugesubunit. The Service defines the purpose ofa refuge when it is established or when newland is added to an existing refuge. Whenan addition to a refuge is acquired under anauthority different from the authority used toestablish the original refuge, the additiontakes on the purposes of the original refuge,but the original refuge does not take on thepurposes of the addition. Refuge managersmust consider all of the purposes. However,purposes dealing with the conservation,management, and restoration of fish,wildlife and plants, and their habitats, takeprecedent over other purposes in themanagement and administration of a refuge.

The Refuge System Improvement Actdirects the Service to manage each refuge tofulfill the mission of the Refuge System, aswell as the specific purposes for which thatrefuge was established. Refuge purposes arethe driving force in developing refuge visionstatements, goals, objectives, and strategies

in the CCP. Refuge purposes are alsocritical to determining the compatibility ofall existing and proposed refuge uses.

Steigerwald Lake Refuge

Steigerwald Lake Refuge is located in ClarkCounty, Washington, adjacent to the town ofWashougal. The northwest boundary of theColumbia River Gorge National Scenic Areabisects the Refuge. The Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, with acombined population of approximately 1.5million, is located approximately 20 mileswest of the Refuge. The Steigerwald LakeRefuge’s approved boundary is 1,406 acres. The Service owns 1,049 acres or 75 percentof the land within the approved Refugeboundary.

The boundary for Steigerwald Lake Refugewas established in 1987.18 The Refuge’sorigin is closely tied to the mitigation ofimpacts that resulted from construction of asecond powerhouse at the Bonneville Lockand Dam on the Columbia River by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers (COE) between1974 and 1983. Construction of thepowerhouse and related relocation of thetown of North Bonneville resulted in theloss of 1,122 acres of habitat on theWashington side of the Columbia River,including developed land (163 acres),pasture (184 acres), wetlands (42 acres),mixed deciduous-coniferous forest (117acres), maple (118 acres), scattered fir-oak(357 acres), lowland brush (91), andDouglas-fir/short scrub (50 acres).16 Wetland losses included lakes (12 acres),freshwater marsh (11 acres) and slough (19acres).

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Public Law 98-396 modified the BonnevilleDam Second Powerhouse Project toauthorize the Secretary of the Army, throughthe Chief of Engineers, "to acquire in theSteigerwald Lake Wetlands Area, ClarkCounty, Washington, not more than onethousand acres of land . . . for the fish andwildlife mitigation purposes associated withthis project" (PL 98-396, Sec. 303a). TheCOE acquired the Stevenson Tract andtransferred 600 acres to the Service in 1988to manage as a wildlife refuge.15 PublicLaw 98-396 was amended by Public Law102-104 to allow the COE to transfer anadditional 33 acres of predominantlywetlands to the Service for inclusion in theSteigerwald Lake Refuge.

The Service purchased approximately 37acres within the approved Refuge boundary,including the 27-acre Kerr Tract in 1986,and 10-acre Lang Tract in 1998, using fundsmade available through the Land and WaterConservation Fund Act of 1965, asauthorized by the Fish and Wildlife Act of1956 and the Emergency WetlandsResources Act of 1986. The purposes ofthese lands are “for the development,advancement, management, conservationand protection of fish and wildliferesources” (16 U.S.C 742f(a)(4)) and for“the conservation of the wetlands of theNation in order to maintain the publicbenefits they provide and to help fulfillinternational obligations contained invarious migratory bird treaties andconventions” (16 U.S.C. 3901(b)).

From 1994 to 1999, four acquisitions,totaling approximately 326 acres, funded bythe Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) through the Washington Wildlife Mitigation

Agreement,2 were added to SteigerwaldLake Refuge, including the Straub (190acres), James (90 acres), Bliss (16 acres) andBurlington Northern (30 acres) tracts. Pursuant to the Agreement, the purpose forthese tracts is “protection, mitigation, andenhancement of wildlife and wildlife habitatthat has been adversely affected by theconstruction of Federal hydroelectric damson the Columbia River or its tributaries” inthe state of Washington.22 The NorthwestPower Planning Council defined mitigationas “achieving and sustaining the levels ofhabitat and species productivity for thehabitat units lost as a result of theconstruction and operation of the federal andnon-federal hydropower system.”8 Habitatunits were formally tabulated in the FederalColumbia River Power System LossAssessments and adopted as part of theNorthwest Power Planning Council’s Fishand Wildlife Program as a BPA obligation.3

In 2001, the Service purchasedapproximately 53 acres using funds from theMigratory Bird Conservation Commissionunder authority of the Migratory BirdConservation Act of 1929. The purpose ofthe purchase was “for use as an inviolatesanctuary, or for any other managementpurpose, for migratory birds” (16 U.S.C.715d(2)). Restoration of old overflowchannels within the parcel, using GibbonsCreek as a source of water, “will provideprime foraging and wintering habitat for avariety of waterfowl.”7

Franz Lake Refuge

Franz Lake Refuge is located in SkamaniaCounty, Washington, approximately onemile east of the town of Skamania and ten

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miles upriver from Steigerwald LakeRefuge. The Service currently owns about552 acres of the approved 695-acre (79percent) acquisition boundary.

Franz Lake Refuge was established in 1990under authority of the Fish and Wildlife Actof 1956. The Refuge’s purpose is “topreserve biodiversity along the ColumbiaRiver by protecting diverse and now rareColumbia River floodplain wetland andriparian habitats and forested watershedbuffers.”19

Pierce Refuge

Pierce Refuge is located in SkamaniaCounty, Washington, immediately west ofthe town of North Bonneville and two rivermiles east of Franz Lake Refuge. The 329-acre Refuge is fully acquired by the Service.

The Service acquired 319 acres of the PierceRanch property in 1990 through donation. The warranty deed specified the area canonly be used for “wildlife refuge, recreationor park purposes.” When donating the land,the donor, requested the Refuge beadministered as an inviolate sanctuary andstipulated that hunting should not beallowed.17 The land donation was acceptedin accordance with the Migratory BirdConservation Act of 1929. The purpose of amigratory bird refuge is “for use as aninviolate sanctuary, or for any other

management purpose, for migratory birds”(16 U.S.C. 715d(2)). The Service acceptedthe donation to “help meet total Serviceobjectives in the Columbia River Gorge forprotection and enhancement of significantwildlife resources.”17 The Pierce RefugeLand Protection Plan recommended it bemanaged, in part, to benefit the westernCanada goose.17

In 1988, the Service acquired the remaining10 acres of the Pierce Ranch under theauthority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of1956. This parcel is to be managed “for thedevelopment, advancement, management,conservation and protection of fish andwildlife resources” (16 U.S.C 742f(a)(4)).

Relationship to EcosystemManagement Goals

To the extent possible, a CCP will assist inmeeting the conservation goals establishedin existing national and regional plans, statefish and wildlife conservation plans, andother landscape-scale plans covering thesame watershed or ecosystem in which therefuge resides (602 FW 3.3). The GorgeRefuges are within the Columbia Riverwatershed (Figure 1-3). With the secondlargest annual flow of any river in theUnited States, the 259,000 square-mileColumbia River watershed is the fourthlargest watershed in the country.

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From its origin in the Canadian Rockies, theColumbia River flows more than 1,270miles to empty into the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, it passes through thespectacular Columbia River Gorge, the onlysea-level break in the Cascade Mountains. The Gorge Refuges are located at the west-end of the Columbia River Gorge within theColumbia River Gorge National Scenic Area(Scenic Area).

The Gorge Refuges are positioned in thelower Columbia River basin. The lowerColumbia River extends from the PacificOcean east to Bonneville Dam at rivermile146. This stretch of the Columbia River canbe divided into an estuarine and a non-estuarine system at rivermile 46, based onthe farthest upstream intrusion of saltwater. The Gorge Refuges are located betweenrivermile 123 and 143. Under low waterconditions, the daily tidal influence on waterlevels is one to two feet at Bonneville Dam.

Watershed and ecosystem planning in thelower Columbia River involves numerousagencies, local governments, nonprofitorganizations, and private citizens. Additionally, planning occurs at regional,state, national, and international scales. Plans with conservation goals and objectivesthat may pertain to the Gorge Refuges aredescribed on the following pages.

Management Plan for the Columbia RiverGorge National Scenic Area

The Columbia River Gorge National ScenicArea was established by President Reagan in1986 to "protect and provide for theenhancement of the scenic, cultural,recreational and natural resources of the

Columbia River Gorge" (PL 99-663, Sec. 3). To achieve the purposes of the Scenic AreaAct, Congress called for preparation of amanagement plan that would treat thetwo-state, six-county area as a region. TheScenic Area was divided into threecategories of land: Urban Areas, the SpecialManagement Area (SMA), and the GeneralManagement Area (GMA). Congressdirected the U.S. Forest Service to prepareland use designations and guidelines for theSMA. The Columbia River GorgeCommission, a regional commissionrepresenting local, state, and nationalinterests, was given responsibility to planfor the GMA. The Management Plan for theColumbia River Gorge National Scenic Areawas approved in 1992, and is currentlyunder revision, with an anticipated finalrelease in 2004.21

The SMA lands are the region’s mostsensitive lands and are managed morestringently than those in the GMA. Steigerwald Lake Refuge is in the GMAwith Open Space, Large-scale Agricultureand Small Woodland land use designations,except for a 10-acre site selected in 1998 forconstruction of a visitor center which isdesignated Public Recreation. PierceRefuge is within the SMA and has an OpenSpace land use designation. Part of theFranz Lake Refuge south of State Route 14is within a SMA, Open Space; north of thehighway is within a GMA, Open Space. Land use ordinances for privately-ownedSMA lands within the Franz Lake Refugeboundary were recently changed to GMA. Although the U.S. Forest Service ranked theparcels as a high priority to acquire, theproperty remains in private ownership. Perprovisions of Section 8(o) of the Scenic Act,

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these parcels are now designated as GMA,Small-Scale Agriculture.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Scenic AreaOffice reviews land use proposals on federallands within the Scenic Area to ensureproposed uses and developments areconsistent with provisions of the ScenicArea Management Plan. The activitiesoutlined in the Gorge Refuges CCP/EA,when reviewed by the Forest Service, willmeet requirements of the consistencyreview.

Guidelines for SMA require an Open SpacePlan to be completed by the primarymanaging agency or landowner prior to anynew land uses or development. The planmust be reviewed by the Forest Service. The Open Space Plan for the Good BearCreek to Skamania Landing completed bythe Forest Service in 1992 incorporatesFranz Lake Refuge. This CCP fulfills theOpen Space Plan requirement for PierceRefuge and updates the plan covering FranzLake Refuge.13

The Scenic Area Management Plan containsa Recreation Development Plan thathighlights selected sites and proposedprojects at those sites. Three projectsproposed for the Gorge Refuges include theSteigerwald Northwest Gateway-Cottonwood Beach Trail (No. 1, T1, pageIII-5); the Franz Lake Viewpoint (No. 4,page III-6); and the Doetsch Ranch toBonneville Trail (No. T5, page III-41). Atthe Service’s request, the Scenic AreaManagement Plan was amended in 1999 tomove the proposed site for the SteigerwaldLake Refuge Gateway Center to a locationadjacent to Gibbons Creek. As part of this

proposal, a trail would be built connectingthe Gateway Center to the Columbia RiverDike Trail (same concept as the Gateway-Cottonwood Beach Trail but differentlocation). The Franz Lake Viewpoint wasconstructed adjacent to State Route 14 in1997. A trail linking the proposed DoetschRanch recreation area to the town of NorthBonneville would not cross Pierce Refugebut could provide public access to theRefuge if the Service developed aninterpretive trail on the Refuge in the future.

Lower Columbia River Subbasin Plan

The Northwest Power Planning Council(NPPC), acting under the authority of thePacific Northwest Electric Power Planningand Conservation Act of 1980, isimplementing a planning process fordevelopment of its Fish and WildlifeProgram across the Columbia Basin.4 Planning is occurring at three geographiclevels: (1) a basin-wide level that articulatesobjectives, principles and coordinationelements that apply generally to all fish andwildlife projects, or to a class of projects,implemented throughout the Columbia RiverBasin; (2) an ecological province level thataddresses the 11 unique ecological areas ofthe Columbia River Basin, each representinga particular type of terrain andcorresponding biological community; and(3) a subbasin level that addresses the 53tributary subbasins, each containing aspecific waterway and the surroundinguplands.

The most relevant and appropriate scale tointegrate Refuge programs with theCouncil’s Fish and Wildlife Program is atthe subbasin level. Each plan the NPPC

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develops will have a vision and biologicalobjectives and will identify specific actionsneeded for fish and wildlife in that subbasin.The plans must be consistent with visions,biological objectives, and strategies adoptedat the basin and province levels, but canotherwise reflect local policies andpriorities. Subbasin plans will be the basisfor reviewing proposals for BPA by the fishand wildlife agencies and tribes, NPPC andthe Independent Scientific Review Panel.

Subbasin plans have not been approved forany province and are not anticipated to beavailable before this CCP has beenapproved. The Gorge Refuges arepositioned in the Lower Columbia Province,which includes the Columbia River and alltributaries downstream from, but notincluding, Bonneville Dam.4 Within thisprovince, the Gorge Refuges are located inthe “Lower Columbia Subbasin.” TheGorge Refuges will have the opportunityevery five years to submit project proposalsfor BPA funding that are consistent with theLower Columbia Subbasin Plan.

Lower Columbia River Estuary ProgramComprehensive Conservation andManagement Plan

The Lower Columbia River Estuary wasaccepted into the Environmental ProtectionAgency’s National Estuary Program (NEP)in 1995. The NEP was established byCongress in 1987, by amendments to theClean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1330(a-k)). Estuaries are defined to include tidallyinfluenced waters of rivers. The study areafor the Lower Columbia River EstuaryProgram (LCREP) extends from the PacificOcean to Bonneville Dam because of the

far-reaching effects of the ocean’s tides inthe Columbia River. The LCREP developeda two-state (Oregon and Washington),public-private organization called the LowerColumbia River Estuary Partnership whichparticipated in development of the LCREPComprehensive Conservation ManagementPlan.6 The LCREP plan identifies 43 actionsneeded to achieve the following goals:

• Prevent further habitat loss and restoredegraded habitat to achieve a net habitatgain.

• Promote environmentally sound landuse in every sector, from agriculture, toforestry to urban development.

• Coordinate activities to betteranticipate, prevent, and solve problems.

• Monitor river health morecomprehensively and track trends overtime.

• Help individuals, corporations, andgovernment take responsibility for theriver’s future.

• Prevent new pollution while dealingwith existing pollution problems.

Salmon-Washougal Watershed Plan

In 1998, the Washington State Legislaturepassed House Bill 2514, the WatershedPlanning Act (RCW 90.82), providing aframework for developing local solutions towater issues on a watershed basis. Framedaround watersheds, or subwatersheds knownas Water Resource Inventory Areas(WRIAs), this voluntary, comprehensiveplanning process is designed to allow localcitizens, governments and tribes to formwatershed management planning units todevelop watershed management plans. Stateagencies manage grants, provide technical

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assistance and if requested, serve onplanning units.

Watershed plans must contain a waterquantity component and may, at thediscretion of the initiating governments for aWRIA, contain instream flow, water quality,and habitat components.23 The planningprocess involves three initial phases: (1)organization, during which the planning unitis formed and the scope of watershedplanning is developed; (2) technicalassessment; and (3) plan development, aswell as approval of the plan by jurisdictionalcounty legislative authority or authorities. After approval of a plan, state and localentities that were party to the plan and itsrecommended actions, become obligated toimplement the recommended actions.

The Gorge Refuges are located in WRIA 28Salmon-Washougal. The lead agency,Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, hasformed a planning unit which has overseenthe phase 2 technical assessment of WRIA28 and the adjacent WRIA 27 Lewis River.23 Significant results and findings include thefollowing:

• Most communities, with the exceptionof Kalama and Woodland, rely ongroundwater resources for publicdrinking water supplies.

• Major public water system managersanticipate significant populationgrowth, with groundwater the mostfeasible source of new water. Acquiringnew water rights is the primary issue forthe water systems.

• Water system plans may not addressprojected growth in water demand inthe commercial and industrial sector. Small public water systems are notprojected to grow much in the future.

• Water use in the agricultural sector isnot well documented. Agriculturalwater use is likely declining regionally.

• Streams in the two WRIAs are lowelevation rain-fed systems with verylow late summer and early fall flows.

• Using reclaimed water from municipaland industrial supply is not practicalnow but may be in the future.

• Low stream flow has been identified asa limiting factor for Salmon throughoutthe two WRIAs.

The planning unit has outlined andprioritized sections to emphasize in theirwatershed plan. They have also conducted amore detailed assessment of groundwaterand analysis of water demand andavailability. In addition, they developed aminimum stream flow strategy with a goalof protecting low summer flows.

Streams in both WRIAs have beenprioritized for instream flow-setting, and acomparative analysis of stream hydrographs,flow modeling and toe width study resultshave been completed. The planning unitdeveloped alternatives that consider usingbasin closures, target flows and traditionalinstream flows, and addressed the practicalapplicability of the alternatives in thecontext of regional water supply planning.

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Partners in Flight Landbird ConservationPlan

Partners in Flight (PIF) was conceived as avoluntary, international coalition ofgovernment agencies, conservation groups,academic institutions, private organizations,and citizens dedicated to reversingdownward trends of declining species.12

Strategies for achieving this goal arecontained in a series of geographically basedLandbird Conservation Plans which identifyand describe priority habitats and species,develop biological objectives, andrecommend conservation strategies toachieve the biological objectives.

Lowlands and valleys of western Oregonand Washington cover the geographic areaand terrestrial habitats of the GorgeRefuges.1 The four priority habitats for thearea are: grassland-savanna, oak woodland,riparian, and chaparral. The Gorge Refugescontain the first three of these habitat types.

North American Waterfowl ManagementPlan

The North American WaterfowlManagement Plan, signed by the UnitedStates and Canada in 1986 and by Mexico in1994, provides a strategy to protect NorthAmerica’s remaining wetlands and toconserve waterfowl populations throughhabitat protection, restoration, andenhancement. The plan was updated in1998 with an emphasis on strengthening thebiological foundation, using a landscapeplanning approach and expandingpartnerships. Implementation of this plan isaccomplished at the regional level within 11

Joint Venture Areas. Partnerships involvefederal, state and local governments, tribalnations, local businesses, conservationorganizations, and individual citizens for thepurpose of protecting habitat within JointVenture Areas.

The Gorge Refuges are located within theLower Columbia River Focus Area of thePacific Coast Joint Venture. The PacificCoast Joint Venture Strategic Planrecommends specific actions for eachRefuge.20 At Steigerwald Lake Refuge, theplan recommends the Joint Venture restoreand enhance wetlands and secure land fromwilling sellers to the east of the existingRefuge boundary to allow management ofthe historic lake bed. Recommendations forFranz Lake and Pierce Refuges include: (1)protect existing habitat values throughacquisition of lands and easements, zoningand land use regulations; (2) restore andenhance wetland habitats where feasible andappropriate; and (3) control bank erosion toprotect wetland systems.

Pacific Flyway Management Plans

Flyway management plans are products ofFlyway Councils, developed to help stateand federal agencies cooperatively managemigratory game birds under common goals. These plans typically focus on populations,which are the primary unit of management,but may be specific to a species orsubspecies. The following flywaymanagement plans pertain to the GorgeRefuges and the CCP.

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Canada Goose Agricultural DepredationControl in Oregon and Washington. This plan addresses agricultural depredationproblems associated with seven subspeciesof Canada geese that winter in theWillamette Valley and lower ColumbiaRiver areas.9 A primary objective is toincrease Canada goose use on public lands,while substantially decreasing use on privatelands. The plan encourages refuges in thePacific Northwest to design their public useprogram to minimize disturbance towintering Canada geese.

Cackling Canada Geese. The overall goal of this plan is to maintainnumbers and distribution of cackling Canadageese for optimal aesthetic, educational,scientific, and hunting uses throughout theirrange. A pertinent objective for SteigerwaldLake Refuge is to maintain, manage, andenhance, where feasible, wintering habitat insufficient quantity and quality to meetpopulation objectives and public use goals.10

Pacific Population of Western Canada Geese.Primary objectives of this plan are tomonitor breeding population trends andmaintain current distribution and associatedopportunities for hunting, viewing,education, and research.14 Canada geese arecounted in the Midwinter WaterfowlSurvey.

Western Population of Tundra Swans. Managers intend to maintain a westernpopulation of at least 60,000 swans.11 Pertinent plan objectives include providinghabitat to maintain desired numbers and

distribution, and providing for aesthetic,educational, and scientific uses of swans.

Washington State Recovery Plan for theWestern Pond Turtle

The primary objectives of this recovery planare to protect critical habitat, increase thepopulation, and reestablish additionalpopulations.5 Recovery objectives for down-listing the species from state endangered tothreatened are to establish at least fivepopulations (three in the Columbia Gorgeand two in Puget Sound) of 200 pond turtlesor more each, composed of no more than 70percent adults, in secure habitat. Thesepopulations must be sustained throughnatural recruitment. Objectives for down-listing to state sensitive are similar, exceptseven populations of 200 or more pondturtles will be needed (four populations inthe Gorge and three in Puget Sound). Underthe terms of an existing MOU between theService and WDFW, Pierce Refuge is thethird site in the Gorge for establishing awestern pond turtle population through therelease of captive-raised turtles.

Refuge Vision Statements

The following statements describe what theGorge Refuges will look like, or what wehope to do, based primarily upon the RefugeSystem mission and refuge purposes, andother mandates. Taken together, these vision statements will guide themanagement of the Gorge Refuges long intothe future.

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Photo: Yvette Donovan, USFWS

Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Vision Statement

The Service will actively protect, restore and enhance wetland, riparian and upland habitats onthe Refuge to benefit a diversity of native wildlife and plants. Habitat improvements andmanagement practices will benefit native species and habitats affected by construction andoperation of Federal hydroelectric projects on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Refugewill provide opportunities for quality, compatible, wildlife-dependent recreation, education andinterpretation to enhance public appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the GorgeRefuges. The Service will be an active partner in promoting and facilitating efforts in the localcommunity to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitats.

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Photo: Yvette Donovan, USFWS

Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Vision Statement

Franz Lake Refuge is the largest and most intact wapato, spikerush and bulrush marsh remainingon the lower Columbia River. Dynamic riverine processes will continue to be the dominant forceshaping the wetlands. Management practices will be directed at maintaining and monitoringthese processes. Knowledge gained through research and monitoring will contribute to ourunderstanding of how the lower Columbia River floodplain can be managed to protect, restoreand enhance native habitats and species. In keeping with this research and monitoring emphasis,human disturbances will be held to a minimum. The Refuge will, however, provide uniqueopportunities to observe and learn about its valuable resources from designated viewing sites.

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Photo: Yvette Donovan, USFWS

Pierce National Wildlife Refuge

Vision Statement

The Refuge will be managed for the conservation and enhancement of native plants and wildlifeand their habitats, with endangered and threatened species receiving management priority. TheService will encourage and facilitate research and monitoring of special status species. As one ofthe few remaining spawning sites for chum salmon in the Columbia River corridor, the Refugewill play a critical role in recovery of the species. The Refuge will work with partners andneighbors to protect and enhance the natural resources of the Refuge and adjacent lands andwaters. Opportunities for compatible, wildlife-dependent education and interpretation will beprovided in a safe manner.

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References

1. Altman, B. 2000. Conservation strategyfor landbirds in lowlands and valleys ofwestern Oregon and Washington, Oregon-Washington Partners in Flight. U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Migratory Birds andHabitat Programs, Portland, OR.

2. Bonneville Power Administration. 1993. Washington Wildlife Mitigation Agreementamong members of the Washington wildlifecoalition of resource agencies and tribes andthe Bonneville Power Administration.Contract No. DE-MS79-93BP94145,Bonneville Power Administration, Portland,OR.

3. Bonneville Power Administration. 1994. Columbia River Basin Fish and WildlifeProgram. Section 11 Wildlife Provisions. Bonneville Power Administration, Portland,OR.

4. Columbia Basin Fish and WildlifeAuthority. 2004. Provincial Review processand subbasin planning.http://www.cbfwf.org/province.htm.

5. Hays, D. W., K. R. McAllister, S. A.Richardson, and D.W. Stinson. 1999. Washington State recovery plan for thewestern pond turtle. WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia,WA. 66 pp.

6. Lower Columbia River Estuary Program. 1999. Comprehensive Conservation andManagement Plan. Lower Columbia RiverEstuary Program, Portland, OR. 222 pp.

7. Migratory Bird ConservationCommission. 2001. Memorandum number2, Steigerwald Lake National WildlifeRefuge, Clark County, Washington.Migratory Bird Conservation Commission,Arlington, VA.

8. Northwest Power Planning Council. 1995. Columbia River Basin Fish and WildlifeProgram Resident Fish and WildlifeAmendments. Council Document 95-20.Northwest Power and Conservation Council,Portland, OR.

9. Pacific Flyway Council. 1998. PacificFlyway management plan for NorthwestOregon - Southwest Washington Canadagoose agricultural depredation control. U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Birdsand Habitat Programs, Portland, OR.

10. Pacific Flyway Council. 1999. PacificFlyway management plan for the cacklingCanada goose. U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, Migratory Birds and HabitatPrograms, Portland, OR.

11. Pacific Flyway Council. 2001. PacificFlyway management plan for the westernpopulation of tundra swans. U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Migratory Birds andHabitat Program, Portland, OR.

12. Pashley, D. N., Beardmore, C. J.,Fitzgerald, J. A., Ford, R. P., Hunter, W. C.,Morrison, M. S., and Rosenberg, K. V.2000. Partners in Flight: conservation of theland birds of the United States. AmericanBird Conservancy, The Plains, VA.http://www.PartnersInFlight.org.

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13. Ross, D. 2002. Columbia River GorgeNational Scenic Area management planconsistency review process. Personalcommunication, U.S. Forest Service, HoodRiver, OR.

14. Subcommittee on Pacific Population ofWestern Canada Geese. 2000. Pacificflyway management plan for the Pacificpopulation of western Canada geese. U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory BirdManagement Office, Portland, OR.

15. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1985. Environmental Assessment: acquisition anddevelopment of Steigerwald Lake propertyas mitigation for Bonneville SecondPowerhouse. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Portland District Office, Portland, OR.

16. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1982.Fish and wildlife impacts and mitigationrecommendations, Bonneville SecondPowerhouse Project, Skamania County,Washington. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Division of Ecological Services, Portland,OR.

17. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983. Land Protection Plan for Pierce NationalWildlife Refuge, Skamania County,Washington. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Refuge Planning, Portland, OR.

18. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1987. Environmental Assessment for proposedacquisition of Steigerwald Lake property,Clark County, Washington. U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Portland, OR.

19. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990. Environmental Assessment, proposed FranzLake National Wildlife Refuge, SkamaniaCounty, Washington. Ridgefield NationalWildlife Refuge Complex, Ridgefield, WA.

20. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1997. Pacific Coast Joint Venture Strategic Plan,Washington State component, focus areas 7-11, 1996 update. U.S. Fish and Wildlife,Migratory Birds and State Programs,Portland, OR.

21. U.S. Forest Service. 1992. Managementplan for the Columbia River Gorge NationalScenic Area, U.S. Department ofAgriculture, Forest Service, Hood River,OR.

22. Washington Department of Game. 1977. Mitigation and compensation of game fishand wildlife impacted by Bonneville SecondPowerhouse construction and relatedrelocations, Washington Department ofGame, Olympia, WA.

23. Washington State Department ofEcology. 2004. Watershed planning.http://www.ecy.wa.gov/watershed/.