Draft Recovery Plans
Draft recovery plans developed by regional organizations were delivered to the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office on June 30, 2005. These plans, which cover most of the state, have been under construction over the last four or more years. They have grown in an atmosphere of collaboration, trust, and mutual interest in our natural resources.
What is most important about this achievement is how it came about. People in communities across the state came together and decided to take salmon into their own hands. They organized themselves in a bottom-up effort to address Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings of fish, in an approach and on a scale that is unprecedented in the United States. They didn't wait for the federal government to come in and tell them what to do. It's been our local citizens and leaders, working with our tribal partners, who are taking control and shaping the future of salmon in Washington State. And they are doing it voluntarily because it's the right thing to do.
How did the plans come about?
In 1998, the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office was charged by the Legislature with responsibility for coordinating and assisting in the development of recovery plans for all listed salmon, steelhead, and trout in Washington. The 1999 Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon identified salmon recovery regions across the state and concluded the best way to ensure recovery plans were implemented was to encourage local groups to develop them.
In September 2003, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) funded six regional efforts to develop recovery plans. Each group coordinated a multitude of plans across watersheds into a regional plan, and helped connect local social, cultural, and economic needs and desires with science and ESA goals. The funding provided by the SRFB complemented other funding these groups had acquired for drafting components of the plans.
What is in these recovery plans?
Each regional salmon recovery organization produced a plan consistent with the State Model for Recovery Plans. These recovery plans will sufficiently address the requirement for recovery plans under section 4(f) of the ESA, respect tribal treaty rights, and put each salmon recovery region on a trajectory that rebuilds listed salmon populations. Meeting ESA section 4(f) requirements does not mean that the regional organizations, or their individual members and jurisdictions, will receive federal regulatory assurances that limit liability under the ESA upon adoption of this plan by the federal agencies. The draft recovery plans do, however, lay the foundation for development of these assurances over time.
What happens next?
Implementation of recovery plans has begun. At the same time, regional organizations are continuing to work with the federal services to incorporate revisions that have been proposed as a result of comprehensive formal public review processes. All draft plans have been posted in the Federal Register or by clicking on the links provided below.
How can I get these draft plans?
You can access all draft plans at the following regional salmon recovery websites:
- For the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Region
- For the Lower Columbia Salmon Recovery Region
- For the Snake River Salmon Recovery Region
- For the Hood Canal Summer Chum Recovery Region
- For the Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Region
- For the Middle Columbia Recovery Region
If you want to provide comments to regional organizations on any of the plans, follow instructions you find at their website.