Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board

The Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board is looking for an Operations/Outreach Coordinator. The job description is available here: JOB DESCRIPTION. The first review of applications is currently underway.

Next Board Meeting

The next Board of Directors meeting of the Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board is scheduled for October 21^st.

Record Fish Runs in the Yakima Basin

Between July 1^st 2009 and June 16^th, 2010, 6,778 adult steelhead have passed Prosser, and 97% are wild fish. The next highest run since counts began in 1983 was 4,525 in 2001, and this year’s run is more than 10 times the low levels of the late 1990s. We also had a strong coho return this fall, with over 10,000 coho passing returning to the Yakima. Not bad for a species that had a return of 0 back in the 1980s. As we speak, fishermen are out on the Yakima in force looking for some of the 10,000 Spring Chinook now in the river. We’re not to our recovery goals yet, but we are making real progress.

2010 Board of Directors Meetings REVISED

At its May 6^th Meeting, the Board of Directors of the Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board approved the following meeting schedule for 2010

Weds, June 30^th, 2-4 pm

Thurs, August 19^th, 2-4 pm (Approval of SRFB Project List)

Thurs, October 21^th, 2-4 pm

Thurs, December 16^th, 2-4 pm

Confirmation of meeting timing, agendas and locations will be provided here in advance of each meeting.

2010 SRFB Grant Round Information

The deadline to apply for a Salmon Recovery Funding Board grant in 2010 has passed. The following link provides information on the progress of the current grant round.

2010 SRFB Grant Round

Updated for 2010! Booklet describes all SRFB Projects in the Yakima Basin, 1999 to 2009

We’ve updated the booklet that describes all of the 57 fish habitat restoration projects in the Yakima Basin that have received funding from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board from its inception in 1999 to the last Board meeting in December 2009. If you’d like to learn more about habitat restoration projects in our basin, it’s a great reference. Click here to download your copy:

SRFB Projects from 1999 to Present

Examples of successful projects include providing fish passage and screening at small irrigation diversions, planting riparian areas, acquiring and protecting land with high priority fish habitat, restoring natural stream channel functions, and promoting fish-friendly agricultural practices, and much more. Applications must go through a rigorous review run by the Board and meet all state requirements for the SRFB program. For more information about the program, visit www.ybfwrb.org/SRFB.html

2009 SRFB Grants Awarded

The 2009 SRFB grant round is now over. $1,181,305 was awarded to five projects in the Yakima Basin (see list). For further information on the SRFB process and the final report for the 2009 grant round, click on the “SRFB Grant” link in the blue column to the left. If you have any questions regarding this process, contact Angie at abegosh@ybfwrb.org or 509-453-4104.

Partners Complete a Successful Field Season

The summer/fall of 2009 was a good one for SRFB-funded fish recovery projects in the Yakima basin. On Taneum Creek, Bruton Dam was replaced with an engineered stream channel that provides full fish passage, while on the Cle Elum River, a series of engineered log jams was put in place to help rewater an extensive network of side channels. Congratulations to the Kittitas Conservation Trust, the project sponsor. Nearby, the Kittitas Conservation District completed a number of irrigation diversion improvements in the Ellensburg area and removed fish-blocking culverts on two tributaries to the Teanaway River. Near the mouth of the Yakima, the Benton County Conservation District worked with landowners to restore riparian areas and install modern fish screens on irrigation pumps, while in Yakima County, the groundwork was laid for some impressive projects scheduled for 2010.

NOAA Fisheries Releases Final Middle Columbia River Steelhead Recovery Plan

On September 30, 2009, NOAA Fisheries announced the release of the final Middle Columbia River Steelhead Recovery Plan. This Endangered Species Act-mandated recovery plan includes the Yakima Steelhead Recovery plan prepared by the Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Board. Its release is a major milestone for both NOAA and the Board. For more information, see http://www.ybfwrb.org/Recovery.html

YBFWRB Conference Room Available for Use

The Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board conference room is available, on a limited basis, to other organizations with similar goals and missions at no charge under certain conditions. See our Conference Room Use Policy for more details. This document will need to be filled out and signed before the room can be used. If you have questions, contact one of the staff at 509-453-4104.

Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board Created

On April 5^th, 2006, the Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board was created. The mission of the Board is to restore sustainable and harvestable populations of salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other at-risk fish and wildlife species through the collaborative, economically sensitive efforts, combined resources, and wise resource management of the Yakima River Basin. The Board is made up of representatives of local governments that have signed an inter-local agreement (see sidebar for list):

Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board By-Laws
Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board Interlocal Agreement

The Board is currently supported by funding from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and the State of Washington Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office. The Board is working to:

1)   Refine existing fish and wildlife plans.
2)    Conduct future planning efforts.
3)    Promote effective and efficient implementation of actions identified in these plans.
4)    Help coordinate basin research, monitoring, and evaluation efforts.
5)   Conduct outreach and education programs.

Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board

The Board consists of representatives of the Yakama Nation and local governments in the Yakima River basin. The Mission of the Board is to:

Restore sustainable and harvestable populations of salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other at-risk fish and wildlife species through the collaborative, economically sensitive efforts, combined resources, and wise resource management of the Yakima River Basin.