7 June 2000
The Honorable Bruce Babbitt
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 "C" Street, NW
Washington, DC 20230
RE: Trinity River Task Force Concerns
Dear Secretary Babbitt:
We write jointly to express our concerns with the administration of the Trinity River Task Force (Task Force), and the future role of the Task Force in the proposed Trinity River Flow Adaptive Environmental Assessment Management Program (AEAM). Even though our respective organizations have widely divergent views on the need for more water for restoration of the Trinity River salmon and steelhead, we agree that a functional Trinity River Task Force with meaningful stakeholder participation is essential for success, accountability and broadbased support for Congressional appropriations to carry out restoration activities.
We are very concerned, for example, that the current agency discussions associated with the framework and implementation of AEAM have not included stakeholders, despite the fact that a forum to discuss these issues exists under the auspices of the Adaptive Management Committee of the Task Force.
We are concerned that the Interior Department may deem it unnecessary to recharter the Task Force next Januay because of the alleged wisdom inherent in the proposed Trinity River Flow Recommendation and attendant AEAM. Some might conclude that the upcoming ROD on Trinity River Mainstem Restoration is the end-all and be-all, and that the Task Force's work is done. We do not agree. We recommend an adaptive management framework, which is all inclusive and collaborative in membership and participation. Moreover, the AEAM must incorporate defensible scientific protocols and independent peer review as recommended by the Adaptive Management Committee of the Task Force.
We recommend retention of the Trinity River Task Force as an integral part of an adaptive management framework, which is inclusive and collaborative in membership and participation. Further, AEAM must incorporate defensible scientific protocols and independent peer review as recommended by the Adaptive Management Committee of the Task Force.
If stakeholder involvement from groups such as the Central Valley Project Water Association (CVPWA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), or CVP Power Contractors ceases to exist, or becomes a mere formality with no meaningful opportunity for input, we will be unable to recommend that Congress appropriate funds for the Trinity River restoration activities as proposed. Further, other less productive means of influencing the outcome of Interior decisions will become more prevalent. Funding and other management decisions, which involve stakeholders and economies in the Central Valley and coastal regions, should encourage and include public and stakeholder input.
Despite a tremendous successful effort by the Task Force in 1999 to reorganize into a more efficient program, we are concerned that a similar level of commitment is lacking in the administration activities necessary to support the Task Force. Since the retirement of the former Klamath-Trinity coordinator, agenda packets and minutes have not been provided in a timely manner, and there is no meeting scheduled for June as promised at the 8-9 January meeting of the Task Force in Eureka, California.
We are also dismayed at the recent news that important watershed restoration activities on the National Forest lands are being unilaterally unfunded by Reclamation. The Task Force and itts Technical Advisory Committee, formerly the Technical Coordinating Committee, went through an exhaustive effort to develop and prioritize the FY 2000 budget last year. Congress made substantial cuts in the budget proposed by the Administration, which made the task even more difficult. Despite the fact that several watershed restoration projects on National Forest lands ranked his enough to be funded this year, we understand that Reclamation is not funding those projects, and has not consulted with the Task Force or its committees on this issue.
We urge you to take the following steps to ensure that the Trinity River Task Force continues in its contribution to a meaningful and successful Trinity River Restoration Program:
Sincerely,
Jason Peltier
Central Valley Project
Water Association
Zeke Grader
Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations
Roger Fontes
Northern California Power Agency
Brian Jobson
Sacramento Municipal Utility District