Suggestions for Species Recovery:

April 10, 2003

Habitat:

·         Establish a national tern and plover refuge with active habitat management and improvement activities.

·         Seek opportunities to enhance reservoir habitat for terns and plovers.

·         Continue working on habitat improvements.

·         Continue to increase off-river habitat.

·         Provide technical assistance for developing habitat recovery areas on non-federal property.

·         Provide federal agencies with the authority to work with locals to develop habitat.

·         Utilize smart engineering and micro-modeling to generate desirable habitat while still meeting other project purposes.

·         Identify the 1 or 2 man-made restoration efforts that would have the greatest positive impact on pallid sturgeon recovery.

·         Do mitigation projects only if they are practical.

·         Make habitat restoration projects for multiple species.

·         Do bank stabilization projects with wood or other soft materials rather than concrete and rock.  This could also help create habitat.

·         Consolidate programs where possible (especially in habitat).

Monitoring and Research:

·         Need a well-coordinated system-wide monitoring program.

·         Authorize and fund the comprehensive monitoring plan.

·         Set into place an active monitoring program that includes stakeholder participation.

·         Develop a research/monitoring framework to coordinate the various studies within the basin.

·         Verify biological needs of the pallid sturgeon through research and monitoring.

·         Use sound science in regards to ESA.

·         Take a broader geographic look at threatened and endangered species recovery and see what we can learn from other efforts.

·         Determine the agency(s)’s success in fulfilling the objectives and activities in the recovery plans.

·         Agree about what we know and what we don’t know.

Politics and Governance:

·         Seek ways to remove political boundaries/barriers to solutions.

·         The states should work together so they can do great things.

·         Involve the Tribes in recovery activities.

·         Abandon congressional and legal activities in favor of a basinwide commission composed of Governors (not their representatives) and Native American tribes.

·         Have the Corps sign off on the Biological Opinion.

·         The continual turnover at the top of the Corps may be hurting recovery efforts.

·         The Service should understand it does not have all the answers.

·         Modify the 1944 Flood Control Act to give the Corps responsibility for dam safety and make the Dept. of Interior responsible for restoration and recovery.

·         Remove the dams.

Fish Management:

·         Continue propagation and reintroduction efforts for pallid sturgeon without causing hybridization problems.

·         Prohibit the stocking of non-native species like walleye.

·         Stop commercial harvest of shovelnose sturgeon.

·         Consider temporary bans on fishing.

·         Prohibit commercial or recreational fishing for sturgeon.

·         Implement warm water releases from the dams where practical.

Stakeholders:

·         Engage the stakeholders early and throughout the process.

·         Improve communication between all interests.

·         Identify what people in the basin can agree on.

·         Provide a copy of all the slides for the forum participants.

Funding Resources:

·         Impose a “benefit fee” on all uses of the Missouri River to fund activities that address river-related issues.

·         Find more money for projects.

·         Increase funding for restoration activities, including monitoring.

·         Do not look only towards the federal action agency for solutions, but look at all appropriate resources and funding sources to help resolve the issues.

Planning:

·         Undertake comprehensive land use planing around the river.

·         Seek species/habitat protection and enhancement activities that benefit the private landowner.

Tributaries:

·         Study the Yellowstone rather than experimenting with Fort Peck, where there will be significant impacts.

·         Extend the recovery plans to the tributaries.