Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans, 57303-57307 [E7-19812]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57303-57307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19812]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD02


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the 
adoption of an Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plan for the Upper 
Columbia River Spring-Run Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) 
evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) and the Upper Columbia River 
steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) distinct population segment (DPS). The 
Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan (the 
Plan) contains 27 appendices.

ADDRESSES: Additional information about the Plan may be obtained by 
writing to Lynn Hatcher, National Marine Fisheries Service, 304 S. 
Water Street, Suite 201, Ellensburg, WA 98926, or by calling 
(509) 962-8911.
    Electronic copies of the Plan and the summary of and response to 
public comments on the Proposed (Draft) Recovery Plan are available 
online at www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/Recovery-Domains/
Interior-Columbia/Upper-Columbia/Index.cfm, or the Upper Columbia 
Salmon Recovery Board website, www.ucsrb.com/. A CD-ROM of these 
documents can be obtained by calling Sharon Houghton at (503) 230-5418 
or by e-mailing a request to sharon.houghton@noaa.gov, with the subject 
line ``CD-ROM Request for Final ESA Recovery Plan for Upper Columbia 
Salmon and Steelhead.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Hatcher, NMFS Upper Columbia 
Salmon Recovery Coordinator at (509) 962-8911, or Elizabeth Gaar, NMFS 
Salmon Recovery Division, at (503) 230-5434.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery plans describe actions beneficial to the conservation and 
recovery of species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA requires that 
recovery plans, to the extent practicable, incorporate: (1) objective, 
measurable criteria which, when met, would result in a determination 
that the species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-
specific management actions that may be necessary to achieve the plan's 
goals; and (3) estimates of the time required and costs to implement 
recovery actions. The ESA requires the development of recovery plans 
for listed species unless such a plan would not promote the recovery of 
a particular species.
    NMFS' goal is to restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmon 
and steelhead to the point that they are again self-sustaining members 
of their ecosystems and no longer need the protections of the ESA. NMFS 
believes it is critically important to base its recovery plans on the 
many state, regional, tribal, local, and private conservation efforts 
already underway throughout the region. Therefore, the agency supports 
and participates in locally led collaborative efforts to develop 
recovery plans, involving local communities, state, tribal, and Federal 
entities, and other stakeholders. As the lead ESA agency for listed 
salmon, NMFS is responsible for reviewing these locally produced 
recovery plans and deciding whether they meet ESA statutory 
requirements and merit adoption as ESA recovery plans.
    The Upper Columbia River Spring-Run Chinook Salmon (O. tshawytscha) 
ESU was listed as endangered under the ESA on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 
14307). The Upper Columbia River Steelhead (O. mykiss) DPS was listed 
as endangered on August 18, 1997 (62 FR 43937), and reclassified as 
threatened on January 5, 2006 (71 FR 834). The 2006 reclassification of 
the steelhead DPS was invalidated as the result of a decision in U.S. 
District Court on June 13, 2007 (Trout Unlimited, et al. v. Lohn, No. 
CV-06-1493-ST). Thus, the present status of the Upper Columbia River 
Steelhead DPS is endangered.
    On December 30, 2005, the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board 
(UCSRB) presented its locally developed Draft Recovery Plan to NMFS. 
The UCSRB includes representatives from Chelan County, Douglas County, 
Okanogan County, Yakama Nation, and the Confederated Tribes of the 
Colville

[[Page 57304]]

Reservation. A variety of additional partners, representing Federal 
agencies, Washington State agencies, regional organizations, special 
purpose districts, and members of the public, also participated in the 
planning process.
    After NMFS reviewed the Draft Recovery Plan, NMFS and the UCSRB 
revised it to clarify how it satisfies ESA recovery plan requirements 
and to address additional elements as needed. The jointly revised Draft 
Recovery Plan was made available for public review as a Proposed 
Recovery Plan, and a notice of availability soliciting public comments 
on the Proposed Recovery Plan was published in the Federal Register on 
September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57472). NMFS received 73 comment letters on 
the Proposed Recovery Plan. An itemized record of all comments is 
included in the final Plan as Appendix O.4. NMFS summarized the public 
comments and prepared responses, now available on the NMFS website at 
www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/Recovery-Domains/Interior-
Columbia/Upper-Columbia/Index.cfm. Public hearings were conducted on 
November 8, 2006, in Okanogan, Washington, and on November 9, 2006, in 
Wenatchee, Washington. Complete copies of the Proposed Recovery Plan 
were placed in the Twisp, Entiat, Okanogan, and Wenatchee, Washington, 
public libraries. NMFS and the UCSRB again revised the plan based on 
the comments received, and this final version now constitutes the ESA 
Recovery Plan for Upper Columbia Spring Chinook Salmon and Upper 
Columbia Steelhead.
    By endorsing this locally developed recovery plan, NMFS is making a 
commitment to implement the actions in the plan for which it has 
authority, to work cooperatively on implementation of other actions, 
and to encourage other Federal agencies to implement recovery plan 
actions for which they have responsibility and authority. NMFS will 
also encourage the State of Washington to seek similar implementation 
commitments from state agencies and local governments. NMFS expects the 
Plan to help NMFS and other Federal agencies take a more consistent 
approach to future ESA section 7 consultations and other ESA decisions. 
For example, the Plan will provide greater biological context for the 
effects that a proposed action may have on the listed ESU and DPS. 
Science described in the Plan will become a component of the ''best 
available information'' reviewed for ESA section 7 consultations, 
section 10 permits and habitat conservation plans (HCPs), and other ESA 
decisions. Such information includes viability criteria for the ESU, 
DPS, and their independent populations; better understanding of and 
information on limiting factors and threats facing the ESU and DPS; 
better information on priority areas for addressing specific limiting 
factors; and better geographic context for assessing risk to the ESU 
and DPS.

The Recovery Plan

    The Plan is one of many ongoing salmon recovery planning efforts 
funded under the Washington State Strategy for Salmon Recovery. The 
State of Washington designated the UCSRB as the Lead Entity for salmon 
recovery planning for the Upper Columbia. The UCSRB has consistently 
involved the public in its recovery planning process, making changes 
based on extensive comments received during public comment periods for 
the Draft Recovery Plan in January, April, and June of 2005, and during 
the public comment period for the Proposed Recovery Plan from September 
2006 to February 2007.
    The Plan is an outgrowth and culmination of several conservation 
efforts in the Upper Columbia Basin, including current efforts related 
to the ESA, state- and tribally sponsored recovery efforts, subbasin 
planning, and watershed planning.
    The Upper Columbia planning effort was supported by a NMFS-
appointed science panel, the Interior Columbia Technical Recovery Team 
(ICTRT). This panel of 11 scientific experts from Federal, state, 
local, and private organizations identified historical populations and 
recommended ESU viability criteria (ICTRT 2005 and 2007). The ICTRT 
reviewed early drafts of the plan and provided scientific peer review 
of the Proposed Recovery Plan. In addition, staff biologists of the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, U.S. Forest Service, Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the 
Colville Reservation, Okanogan County, Douglas County, and Chelan 
County reviewed the UCSRB Plan at each stage. NMFS Northwest Region 
staff biologists also reviewed draft versions of the Plan and provided 
substantial guidance for revisions.
    The Plan incorporates the NMFS viable salmonid population (VSP) 
framework (McElhany et al., 2000) as a basis for biological status 
assessments and recovery goals for Upper Columbia River spring Chinook 
salmon and Upper Columbia River steelhead.

ESU Addressed and Planning Area

    The Plan will be implemented within the range of the Upper Columbia 
River Spring-Run Chinook Salmon ESU and the Upper Columbia River 
Steelhead DPS. The planning area includes parts of Okanogan, Douglas, 
Chelan, and Grant counties.
    The ICTRT identified three independent populations in the spring 
Chinook salmon ESU (Wenatchee, Entiat, and Methow), and five 
independent populations in the steelhead DPS (Wenatchee, Entiat, 
Methow, Okanogan, and Crab Creek). These independent populations were 
identified based on the genetic, geographic, and habitat 
characteristics they share within the ESU or the DPS. Each population's 
size category (very large, large, medium, or basic) was based on its 
historical population size. The Upper Columbia tributaries were further 
divided into Major Spawning Areas and Minor Spawning Areas based on the 
within-population complexity of tributary spawning habitats.

The Plan's Recovery Goals, Objectives and Criteria

    The Plan's goal is to achieve recovery and delisting of spring 
Chinook salmon and steelhead by ensuring the long-term persistence of 
viable populations of naturally produced fish distributed across their 
native range. The Plan bases biological status assessments and recovery 
goals on the four VSP parameters: abundance, productivity, spatial 
structure, and diversity (McElhany et al. 2000).
    Evaluating a species for potential delisting requires an explicit 
analysis of population or demographic parameters (biological recovery 
criteria) and also of threats under the five ESA listing factors in ESA 
section 4(a)(1) (threats criteria). Together these make up the 
``objective, measurable criteria'' required under section 4(f)(1)(B). 
While the ESU or DPS is the listed entity under the ESA, the viability 
criteria are based on the collective viability, characteristics, and 
distribution of the individual populations that make up the ESU or DPS.
    The Plan identifies two levels of recovery objectives. The first 
level relates to reclassifying the endangered species as threatened and 
the second relates to recovery (delisting). The reclassification 
objectives include increasing the abundance, productivity, and 
distribution of naturally produced steelhead and spring Chinook salmon 
sufficient to lead to reclassification as threatened, and conserving 
their genetic and phenotypic diversity.
    The Plan's recovery (delisting) objectives include increasing the 
abundance of naturally produced spring Chinook salmon and steelhead

[[Page 57305]]

spawners within each population in the Upper Columbia River ESU/DPS to 
levels considered viable; increasing the productivity (spawner:spawner 
ratios and smolts/ redds) of naturally produced spring Chinook salmon 
and steelhead within each population to levels that result in low risk 
of extinction; restoring the distribution of naturally produced spring 
Chinook salmon and steelhead to previously occupied areas where 
practical; and conserving their genetic and phenotypic diversity.
    The Plan sets forth specific criteria to meet the recovery 
objectives, based on the ICTRT's recommended criteria, which, if met, 
would indicate a high probability of persistence into the future for 
Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon and steelhead. The Plan 
establishes criteria for 95 percent probability of persistence (5 
percent extinction risk) for all Upper Columbia River spring Chinook 
salmon populations, and all but one population of the steelhead DPS. 
The Plan concludes that the Upper Columbia River steelhead DPS may be 
recovered without attaining the 95 percent probability of persistence 
for the Crab Creek population, based on the possibility that this 
population was not viable historically because of environmental 
conditions (e.g., intermittent stream flows and high water 
temperatures).
    The ICTRT recently recommended that, in an ESU/DPS containing only 
one major population group (MPG), as is the case for both Upper 
Columbia River spring-run Chinook salmon and Upper Columbia River 
steelhead, at least two populations should meet abundance/productivity 
criteria representing a 1-percent extinction risk (99-percent 
probability of persistence) over a 100-year period (ICTRT 2005b, p. 
46). The ICTRT considers the 5 percent risk level ''viable'' and the 1 
percent risk level ''highly viable.'' The Plan does not adopt this more 
recent recommendation, but instead adopts the 5 percent extinction risk 
for abundance/productivity for all populations in the Chinook salmon 
ESU and all but one in the steelhead DPS, as stated above.
    NMFS accepts the UCSRB's recommended recovery (delisting) criteria 
because they call for all known extant populations within the Chinook 
ESU and steelhead DPS to be viable. Furthermore, NMFS believes that it 
is not possible at this time to distinguish between the levels of 
effort needed to attain 95 vs. 99 percent probability of persistence; 
therefore, the Plan's actions would not change at this time in response 
to the ICTRT's more recently recommended criterion. Finally, NMFS will 
re-evaluate ESU and DPS status and the appropriateness of the recovery 
criteria in 5 years or less based on additional data from monitoring 
and research on critical uncertainties, and could modify the recovery 
plan accordingly.

Causes for Decline and Current Threats

    The ESA includes five factors, in section 4(a)(1), to be evaluated 
when the initial determination to list a species for protection is 
made. These factors are: (a) the present or threatened destruction, 
modification, or curtailment of a species' habitat or range; (b) 
overutilization for commercial, recreational, or educational purposes; 
(c) disease or predation; (d) the inadequacy of existing regulatory 
mechanisms; and (e) other natural or manmade factors affecting the 
species' continued existence (16 U.S.C. 1533[a][1]). These five factors 
may or may not still be limiting recovery when, in the future, NMFS 
reevaluates the status of the species to determine whether the 
protections of the ESA are sill warranted, and whether the species can 
be delisted. In the Plan, NMFS provides criteria for each of the 
relevant listing/delisting factors to help ensure that underlying 
causes of decline have been addressed and mitigated before considering 
the species for delisting.
    The Plan identifies the main causes for the decline of the Upper 
Columbia River steelhead and spring Chinook salmon as: (1) human 
adaptation and destruction of habitat; (2) the effects of hydroelectric 
operations; (3) the effects of commercial, sport, and tribal fisheries; 
and (4) the impacts of hatchery programs and practices.
    Habitat: Human activities have altered and/or curtailed habitat-
forming processes and limited the habitat suitable for spring Chinook 
salmon and steelhead in the Upper Columbia River tributaries. Although 
recent land and water management practices have improved, some storage 
dams, diversions, roads and railways, agriculture, residential 
development, and forest management continue to cause changes in water 
flow, water temperature, sedimentation, floodplain dynamics, riparian 
function, and other aspects of the ecosystem, that are deleterious to 
spring Chinook salmon and steelhead and their habitat.
    Hydroelectric Operations: Conditions for Upper Columbia River 
spring Chinook salmon and steelhead have been fundamentally altered 
throughout the Columbia River basin by the construction and operation 
of mainstem dams and reservoirs for power generation, navigation, and 
flood control. Upper Columbia River salmon and steelhead are adversely 
affected by hydrosystem-related flow and water quality effects, 
obstructed and/or delayed passage, and ecological changes in 
impoundments.
    Harvest: Harvest of Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon and 
steelhead occurs in commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries in 
the mainstem Columbia and in some tributaries. Upper Columbia River 
spring Chinook salmon and steelhead are rarely taken in ocean 
fisheries; most harvest of these listed species occurs in the Columbia 
mainstem and some tributaries. Aggregate harvest rates (from fishing in 
all areas) have generally been reduced from their peak periods as a 
result of international treaties, fisheries conservation acts, the 
advent of weak-stock management in the 1970s and 1980s, regional 
conservation goals, and the listing of many salmon ESUs and steelhead 
DPSs under the ESA. While fisheries do not target weak stocks of listed 
salmon or steelhead, listed fish are incidentally caught in fisheries 
directed at hatchery and unlisted wild stocks.
    Hatcheries: In the Upper Columbia region, the 12 hatcheries 
currently producing spring Chinook salmon and steelhead are operated to 
mitigate for loss of habitat and for passage mortalities resulting from 
the Columbia River hydrosystem. These hatcheries provide valuable 
mitigation and/or conservation benefits but can cause substantial 
adverse impacts if not properly managed. The Plan describes the risks 
to listed fish from these hatcheries, including genetic effects that 
reduce fitness and survival, ecological effects such as competition and 
predation, facility effects on passage and water quality, mixed stock 
fishery effects, and masking of the true status of wild populations.
    Additional Factors: The Plan considers that there could be 
additional factors that affect Upper Columbia River spring Chinook 
salmon and steelhead, including changes in estuarine habitat, global 
climate change, inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, 
fluctuating ocean cycles, and predation.

Recovery Strategies and Actions

    The Plan's initial approach is to target reductions in all 
manageable threats and limiting factors and to improve the status of 
all extant Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon and steelhead 
populations. As monitoring and evaluation programs improve 
understanding of the effectiveness of various actions and their 
benefits

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throughout the life cycle of salmon and steelhead, adjustments may be 
made through the adaptive management framework described in the Plan.
    The Plan describes objectives and strategies and recommends 
specific actions for Upper Columbia River spring Chinook salmon and 
steelhead recovery. Among the most significant recommendations are the 
following:
    Habitat: The Plan includes habitat protection and restoration 
actions in all streams that currently support or may support (in a 
restored condition) listed spring Chinook salmon and steelhead in the 
Upper Columbia Basin. The objectives and recommended actions are 
derived from subbasin plans, watershed plans, the Upper Columbia 
Biological Strategy, the Douglas County public utility district (PUD) 
and Chelan County PUD Anadromous Fish Agreement and Habitat 
Conservation Plans (AFAHCPs), and other relicensing agreements. The 
Plan emphasizes actions that (1) protect existing areas where high 
ecological integrity and natural ecosystem processes persist; (2) 
restore connectivity (access) throughout the historical range, where 
feasible and practical; (3) protect and restore riparian habitat along 
spawning and rearing streams and identify long-term opportunities for 
riparian habitat enhancement; (4) protect and restore floodplain 
function and reconnection, off-channel habitat, and channel migration 
processes where appropriate; and (5) increase habitat diversity by 
rebuilding, maintaining, and adding instream structures (e.g., large 
woody debris or rocks) where long-term channel form and function 
efforts are not feasible.
    Hydroelectric Operations: Upper Columbia River spring Chinook 
salmon and steelhead migrate through four federally owned projects and 
three to five projects owned by PUDs. These projects are licensed by 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Plan acknowledges that 
hydropower strategies and actions are being implemented, reviewed, and 
considered in several ongoing processes, including Federal Columbia 
River Power System (FCRPS) ESA section 7 consultations (for the lower 
four Federal dams on the Columbia River), the AFAHCPs, and relicensing 
agreements. The Plan's recommended actions are intended to be 
consistent with these processes. The Plan emphasizes continued 
implementation of the actions identified in the AFAHCPs, which adopted 
a standard of no net impact (NNI) on the Upper Columbia River Spring-
Run Chinook Salmon ESU and Steelhead DPS.
    Harvest: Harvest objectives for treaty and non-treaty salmon and 
steelhead fisheries in the Columbia River Basin are set by the 
applicable state, tribal, and Federal agencies. Fishery objectives from 
McNary Dam to the mouth of the Columbia River (fishing zones 1-6) are 
established by state, tribal, and Federal parties in U.S. v. Oregon, 
302 F. Supp. 899 (D. Or. 1969). While recognizing the role of the 
treaty and non-treaty co-managers, the Plan proposes that the U.S. v. 
Oregon parties incorporate Upper Columbia recovery goals when 
formulating fishery plans affecting Upper Columbia River spring Chinook 
salmon and steelhead. The Plan also recommends that appropriate co-
managers and fishery management agencies work together with local 
stakeholders to develop tributary fisheries management goals and plans.
    Hatcheries: The hatchery strategies and actions in the Plan are 
being reviewed and considered in several ongoing processes, including 
the Chelan County and Douglas County PUD AFAHCPs, the Grant County 
biological opinion, and U.S. v. Oregon. NMFS expects that the Plan's 
recommended goals and actions will be implemented through these ongoing 
processes. The Plan emphasizes that hatchery programs play an essential 
role in spring Chinook salmon and steelhead recovery. Among other 
measures, the Plan proposes that hatchery programs employ mechanisms to 
manage hatchery returns on spawning grounds in balance with naturally 
produced fish, while maintaining production levels identified in 
various agreements. It also proposes that, as the populations recover, 
hatchery programs should be modified to minimize adverse impacts of 
hatchery fish on naturally produced fish.
    Integration: The Plan states that recovery will depend on 
integrating actions that address habitat, harvest, and hydroelectric 
operations; moreover, it emphasizes that recovery actions must be 
implemented at both the ESU/DPS and population scale.
    Adaptive Management: Adaptive management is the process of 
adjusting management actions and/or directions based on new 
information. It requires building an evaluation method into an 
implementation plan, so that selection and design of future recovery 
actions can be adjusted depending on the results of previous actions. 
Adaptive management is essential to salmon recovery planning. The UCSRB 
is developing a monitoring and evaluation element (and associated 
costs) to incorporate into its adaptive management framework, which 
will become a part of the overall implementation plan. NMFS will 
continue to work with the UCSRB on its adaptive management program as 
appropriate during plan implementation.

Time and Cost Estimates

    ESA section 4(f)(1) requires that a recovery plan include 
''estimates of the time required and the cost to carry out those 
measures needed to achieve the Plan's goal and to achieve intermediate 
steps toward that goal'' (16 U.S.C. 1533[f][1]). The Plan contains an 
extensive list of actions that need to be undertaken to recover spring 
Chinook salmon and steelhead; however, there are many uncertainties 
involved in predicting the course of recovery and in estimating total 
costs. Such uncertainties include biological and ecosystem responses to 
recovery actions as well as long-term and future funding. The Plan 
states that if its recommended actions are implemented, recovery of the 
Upper Columbia River Spring-Run Chinook Salmon ESU and the Upper 
Columbia River Steelhead DPS is likely to occur within 10 to 30 years. 
The cost estimates cover work projected to occur within the first 10-
year period. NMFS supports the Plan's determination to focus on the 
first 10 years of implementation, provided that, before the end of this 
first implementation period, specific actions and costs will be 
estimated for subsequent years, to achieve long-term goals and to 
proceed until a determination is made that listing is no longer 
necessary.
    The estimated cost of restoring habitat for spring Chinook salmon 
and steelhead in the Upper Columbia Basin is approximately $296 million 
over the initial 10-year period. This estimate includes expenditures by 
local, tribal, state, and Federal governments, private business, and 
individuals in implementing both capital projects and non-capital work. 
The estimate of $296 million does not include costs associated with 
hatchery programs, because the implementation of hatchery actions is 
approved and budgeted in processes established by the Upper Columbia 
HCPs. These processes are consistent with this recovery plan. The cost 
estimate also does not include expenses associated with implementing 
actions within the lower Columbia River, estuary, or FCRPS, or the cost 
of implementing measures in the PUDs' HCPs and Settlement Agreements. 
Cost estimates for the estuary and FCRPS are included in two modules 
that NMFS developed because of the basin-wide scope and applicability 
of the actions to all 13 ESUs and DPSs listed as threatened or 
endangered in the

[[Page 57307]]

Columbia Basin. These modules, as well as the HCPs and Settlement 
Agreements, are incorporated into the Plan by reference. The modules 
are available on the NMFS Web site: www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-
Planning/ESA-Recovery-Plans/Other-Documents.cfm.
    The hydropower cost estimates will be updated over time, as the 
section 7 consultation on the remanded 2004 FCRPS BiOp is completed. 
The estuary recovery costs could be further refined following public 
comment on the module and on the ESA recovery plan for the three listed 
lower Columbia River ESUs and one listed lower Columbia River steelhead 
DPS in 2007 or early 2008. There are virtually no estimated costs for 
recovery actions associated with harvest to report at this time. This 
is because no actions are currently proposed that go beyond those 
already being implemented through U.S. v. Oregon and other harvest 
management forums. In the event that additional harvest actions are 
implemented through these forums, those costs will be added during the 
implementation phase of this recovery plan. All cost estimates will be 
refined and updated over time.
    The Plan estimates it may cost a total of $10 million ($1 million 
per year) to cover state, tribal, and local agency and organization 
staffing costs during the first 10 years of plan implementation, and it 
is conceivable that this level of effort will need to continue for the 
Plan's duration. Also, continued actions in the management of habitat, 
hatcheries, and harvest, including both capital and non-capital costs, 
will likely warrant additional expenditures beyond the first 10 years. 
Although it is not practicable to accurately estimate the total cost of 
recovery, it appears that most of the costs will occur in the first 10 
years. Annual costs are expected to be lower for the remaining years, 
so that the total for the entire period (years 11-30) may possibly 
range from $150 million to $200 million.

Periodic Reviews

    In accordance with its responsibilities under ESA section 4(c)(2), 
NMFS will conduct status reviews of the listed Upper Columbia River 
Spring-Run Chinook Salmon ESU and Upper Columbia River Steelhead DPS at 
least once every 5 years to evaluate their status and determine whether 
the ESU or DPS should be removed from the list or changed in status. 
Such evaluations will take into account the following:
     The biological recovery criteria (ICTRT 2007) and listing 
factor (threats) criteria described in the Plan.
     The management programs in place to address the threats.
     Principles presented in the Viable Salmonid Populations 
paper (McElhany et al., 2000).
     Best available information on population and ESU/DPS 
status and new advances in risk evaluation methodologies.
     Other considerations, including: the number and status of 
extant spawning groups; linkages and connectivity among populations; 
the diversity of life history and phenotypes expressed; and 
considerations regarding catastrophic risk.
     Principles laid out in NMFS' Hatchery Listing Policy (70 
FR 37204, June 28, 2005).

Conclusion

    NMFS has reviewed the Plan, the public comments, and the 
conclusions of the ICTRT from its reviews of the Plan. Based on that 
review, NMFS concludes that the Plan meets the requirements in section 
4(f) of the ESA for developing a recovery plan.

Literature Cited

Interior Columbia Technical Recovery Team. 2005. Updated population 
delineation in the Interior Columbia Basin. National Marine Fisheries 
Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Memorandum. May 11, 2005.
Interior Columbia Technical Recovery Team. 2007. Viability criteria for 
application to Interior Columbia Basin salmonid ESUs. National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center. March 2007.
McElhany, P., M. H. Ruckelshaus, M. J. Ford, T. C. Wainwright, and E. 
P. Bjorkstedt. 2000. Viable salmon populations and the recovery of 
evolutionarily significant units. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech. 
Memo., NMFS NWFSC 42, 156 p.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: October 2, 2007.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-19812 Filed 10-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S