Biological Opinion on Effects of Issuance of License for McKenzie (Bigelow)211 Hydropower Project on Upper Willamette River Chinook Salmon, its Proposed

摘要

On March 24, 1999, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published its211u001efinal decision to list the Upper Willamette River evolutionarily significant unit 211u001e(ESU) of chinook salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The 211u001eeffective date for the final listing was May 24, 1999, and the ESU is defined as 211u001e'all naturally spawned populations of spring-run chinook salmon residing below 211u001eimpassable natural barriers' (64 FR 14308). Critical habitat for this ESU was 211u001eproposed on March 9, 1998 (63 FR 11482), and this proposed designation is still 211u001epending at the time of this Biological Opinion. Upper Willamette River chinook 211u001esalmon occur within the action area of this consultation. The Upper Willamette 211u001eRiver steelhead ESU was listed as threatened under the ESA (64 FR 14517; March 211u001e25, 1999) simultaneously with Upper Willamette River chinook salmon, but its 211u001erange does not include the action area for this consultation 1 , and it is not 211u001eaddressed in this Biological Opinion. The objective of this Biological Opinion is 211u001eto address the effects of providing a license to operate the McKenzie project, as 211u001eproposed by FERC, on listed UW chinook salmon and bull trout, and to determine if 211u001ethis federal action by FERC will jeopardize the continued existence of either 211u001especies. It will also serve as a conference opinion on the effects of the 211u001eproposed action on proposed UW chinook salmon critical habitat. Until FERC issues 211u001ea license for the McKenzie project incorporating the reasonable and prudent 211u001emeasures of this Biological Opinion, the existing project has no authorization 211u001efor take of listed species.