Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) activities in the Klickitat Subbasin fall into the following categories:

1. Monitoring and Evaluation – to gather baseline information in order to characterize habitat and salmonid populations pre- and post-habitat restoration and before implementing an integrated hatchery program.

2. Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) Modeling - to identify and evaluate habitat and artificial production enhancement options.

3. Ecological Interactions – to determine presence of pathogens in wild and naturally produced salmonids in the Klickitat Basin and develop integrated hatchery strategies using this information.

4. Genetics – to develop YKFP integrated hatchery broodstock collection protocols for the preservation of genetic variability, by refining methods of detecting within-stock genetic variability and between-stock genetic variability.

More information about current monitoring and research programs.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities in the Klickitat River subbasin are conducted as a part of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)-funded Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) and were designed by consensus of the scientists with the Yakama Nation Fisheries Program.

Klickitat subbasin M&E activities have been subjected to scientific and technical review by members of the YKFP Science/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) as part of the YKFP’s overall M&E proposal. Yakama Nation YKFP biologists have transformed the conceptual design into the tasks described. YKFP biologists have also been involved with the Collaborative Systemwide Monitoring and Evaluation Project (CSMEP) – a project aimed at improving the quality, consistency, and focus of fish population and habitat data to answer key M&E questions relevant to major decisions in the Columbia Basin--and are working towards keeping Klickitat M&E activities consistent with CSMEP recommendations.

Reports summarizing data collected from monitoring and evaluation efforts can be selected from this drop-down menu:

YKFP Klickitat biologists are also involved with the Klickitat Lead Entity Technical Advisory Group, a voluntary organization under contract with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Lead entities have a set of technical experts that assist in development of strategies and identification and prioritization of projects ensuring that the best projects are proposed to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) for funding in its annual grant process. The lead entity citizen committee is responsible under state law for developing the final prioritized project list and submitting it to the SRFB for funding consideration.