Steering group outlines salmon plan problems

Sept. 27, 2005

By Chris Thew
Chronicle staff

     Members of the Okanogan County Salmon Recovery Steering Committee have sent a letter to the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board highlighting problems with the plan-writing process.
     In the letter, the group claims that a series of stakeholder forums being held in Brewster “conflicts with ongoing efforts and is counterproductive.”
     Steering committee members say they are upset that the meetings, which originally were scheduled for after a public comment process on the proposed salmon recovery plan, have been scheduled during the process.
     The public comment period ends Oct. 1.
     Process leaders were scheduled before a July 20 decision to change the public opinion deadline from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1. In the letter, the steering committee asks the recovery board to postpone stakeholder forums until the comment period is complete.
     The recovery board was given the task to write a plan with the ultimate goal of delisting fish listed under the federal Endangered Species Act — steelhead and spring Chinook — and delisting bull trout, a threatened species, in Okanogan, Chelan and Douglas counties.
     The Okanogan County steering committee is attempting to rework portions of the board’s final draft plan.
     Steering committee members also are upset about a letter sent by Joe Peone, director of the Colville Confederated Tribes’ fish and wildlife program, to Gov. Christine Gregoire Sept. 1.
     In it, he called for an end to the state planning process. Peone called for the governor to intervene and accept the plan as complete by Oct. 14 and send the plan to the federal NOAA Fisheries agency by Oct. 17.
     Peone reiterated those sentiments in a radio interview Sept. 22.
     The steering committee, which has been rewriting portions of the plan, is working to complete changes before the October deadline, but members feel additional time would help the process, according to steering committee chairwoman Darlene Hajny.
     At a stakeholder forum Sept. 15, a member of Gregoire’s staff said Nov. 22 would be an acceptable deadline for the governor if it would bring a publicly supported plan.
     Steering committee members indicated they hope the recovery board will use those sentiments and comments from NOAA Fisheries regional director Bob Lohn supporting extra time for a broadly supported document. So far, the board has not decided on a change.     The steering committee also offered up words by Peone during the Sept. 22 radio interview, in which he said that he would not be concerned with an extension of six months for additional work on the plan.
     The next stakeholder forum is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Brewster Grange. An evening public comment meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m.

COMMENT:

The fundamental flaw was that the public was excluded from any meaningful involvement in the six years spent developing the plan. Now, by running three time consuming processes at the same time the public is effectively excluded from broad participation by simple time constaints and travel costs. Meanwhile, consultants pulling down compensation in the range of $100 to $125 an hour with all expenses paid are only too glad to dominate the meetings and perpetuate crisis. I have a hard time understanding how this meets the Legislatures intention to move salmon recovery closer to the local public. In fact, it's obscene. - Joel Kretz