Upper Columbia River Salmon Recovery Region

Area: The Upper Columbia River Salmon Recovery Region is comprised of salmon-bearing streams in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.

• Human Population: 115,200
• Counties: Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan
• Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs): Moses Coulee (44), Wenatchee (45), Entiat (46), Methow (48), Okanogan (49), and Foster (50)
• Treaty Tribes: Colville Confederated Tribes and Yakama Nation

UPPER COLUMBIA SALMON RECOVERY BOARD

Origins and organization: The Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board (UCSRB) is a standing committee of the North Central Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council (RCD) which is a designated 501c(3) non-profit group, comprised of counties, municipalities, port districts, irrigation districts, conservation districts, and public utility districts. It was created in 1999; the RCD serves as the fiduciary body for the UCSRB.

UCSRB's Board of Directors consists of elected officials or designates from Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan Counties, the Colville Tribe and the Yakama Nation. This Board has staff. The UCSRB has discussed with stakeholders, 2514 Planning Units, and appropriate jurisdictions the potential to form a Regional Recovery Association (RRA) to serve as the statutory authority to implement the plan. The RRA would be comprised of stakeholders within the region (municipalities, public utility districts, port districts, irrigation districts, conservation districts, plus state and federal governments).

Recovery planning and relationship to other efforts: There are 2514 plans being developed in all watersheds in the Upper Columbia Region, except the Okanogan (WRIA 49, "phase 1" efforts are underway to form a planning unit), and Lake Chelan (WRIA 47, which has no anadromous salmon). All 2514 planning units in the Upper Columbia are aware of the UCSRB. They do not participate in the deliberations of the UCSRB. The UCSRB intends to use the 2514 plans as a tool to address the habitat components of the recovery plan. The Lead Entities are part of the UCSRB, and submit their project lists to SRFB through this regional body. There are six sub-basin plans being developed under the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC). The UCSRB coordinates all activities of sub-basin planning. Individual sub-basin plans have co-leads - the county where the plan is, and the co-manager (with tribe or WDFW).

The UCSRB will incorporate elements from both (2514 and sub-basin plans) of these processes into the regional salmon recovery plan, as well as the Lead Entity strategies, and the harvest, hydropower, and hatchery components. Each county has its own schedule for public input. In general, this input will be on sub-basin, watershed and regional recovery plans.