11/08/05 A return to All-H?, Part two

Ask all parties in the middle of the debate over endangered and threatened salmon recovery on the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers, and all of them will acknowledge that the best solutions to resolving the matter consists of local ground level efforts to craft and implement agreements, and work cooperatively to find balance. Environmental, tribal, and fishing groups, even with their legal challenges, have at least acknowledged those efforts are a benefit. N.O.A.A. Fisheries, in charge of fish recovery efforts, have been applauded for their change of approach from heavy handed federal mandate to public-private partnership. Even U.S. District Court Judge James Redden has expressed desires for all parties to come to the table to craft a workable solution. But having said all that, the recovery of issue is once again at the point of Redden threatening to have the courts run the river, and put dam breeching back into play. That is why Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne has returned to one of the first high profile cooperative efforts in attempt to avoid that from happening. The All-H recommendations from year 2000 were crafted by the four Northwest Governors, balancing all needs of river users & fish and human. But Kempthorne says despite federal efforts in crafting private-public partnerships, little of the All-H proposal have actually been incorporated in federal recovery plans. And Kempthorne says that while all the grass roots efforts can occur, there needs to be a mandated federal recovery plan in place. KEMPTHORNE: It's been over a decade since listing. And most protected stocks still don't have a federal recovery plan. Contrast that with the Northwest Power Planning Council, who completed fifty-seven comprehensive, scientific, collaborative sub-basin plans in two years under budget. Kempthorne uses as an example various public-private habitat conservation projects, water purchases, and setting stream flow minimums that have been implemented by his state over the last five years. But the benefit has been increased fish returns to Idaho. He says the next step should include measures such as predator control, increased involvement from hatcheries, and balancing needs of commercial fishing with fish recovery. Bottom line, Kempthorne believes for fish recovery to work, it needs to be biologically sound, economically viable, and politically palatable. KEMPTHORNE: We need to commit to equitable and sensible sacrifices for recovery. I believe today just as they did five years ago that if we are truly serious about recovery, we need recovery plans with concrete recovery goals that fully embrace and address all the H's.