Through agreements with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the five Tribes of the Upper Columbia United Tribes receive mitigation funding to procure land and to support ongoing ecological restoration of these mitigation properties after the BPA dam installation inundated Tribal wildlife habitat.
The UCUT established the UCUT Wildlife Monitoring and Evaluation Program (UWMEP) in 2008, by pooling their mitigation funding, with the goal of conducting restoration monitoring and evaluation of mitigation properties on a regional scale. The UWMEP’s goals include 1) meeting the monitoring and evaluation requirements of the BPA’s mitigation agreements and 2) supporting data-driven management of their mitigation properties. The Pend Oreille Public Utility District (PUD) joined UWMEP in 2019, with mitigation stations on two of their Wildlife Management Areas. Mitigation stations within the UWMEP and PUD properties are monitored and evaluated in comparison with established reference stations.
Under the UWMEP approach, mitigation station monitoring rotates between the properties of the different Tribes and the PUD each year. Results and trends from amphibian, avian, and vegetative data collected at mitigation stations inform adaptive management strategies. Reports are produced annually that provide several informative and insightful metrics, including species richness, abundance, and diversity. After years of data compilation, the reports are delivering trend data that is helping inform Tribal Managers on best management practices and strategies and offering a unique glimpse into the overall health and quality of the wildlife habitat on their lands.
