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October 9, 2020
SALEM, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to deny a fish passage waiver for Bowman Dam in a split 5-1 vote at their meeting today, after hearing testimony from 28 people for and against the project.
The waiver request was made by the Ochoco Irrigation District for its proposed hydroelectric project to be located on Bowman Dam (near Prineville on the Crooked River).
State statutes require that new hydroelectric projects provide fish passage and that other fish and wildlife concerns are addressed. Fish passage waivers may be granted provided the requester undertakes other projects to provide a net benefit to native migratory fish as compared to passage at the triggering obstruction.
In their deliberations, Commissioners recognized the benefits of the proposed mitigation package, however additional mitigation measures are necessary. The Commission chose to not approve the waiver (in keeping with the recommendation of the Fish Passage Task Force and ODFW staff) because OID’s proposed mitigation does not provide adequate benefit.
The Commission also made changes to the rules for Wildlife Control Operators (WCOs) which add wild turkeys to the list of species these private businesses can address. Turkeys can cause damage and be a nuisance in urban and suburban areas. Under the new rules, WCOs will be able to address wild turkey complaints under certain constraints. For example, WCOs will be able to remove turkeys causing property damage or being aggressive and salvage the meat for donation, or potentially release turkeys to ODFW-approved locations.
The Commission was also briefed on monitoring and management of wild steelhead on the Oregon coast, the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program and wildlife connectivity issues in the state.
The meeting was livestreamed and the video is available at ODFW's YouTube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/IEODFW
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