Wildlife Protection, Mitigation, and Enhancment Plan: Minidoka Dam: Final Report.

Abstract

A wildlife protection, mitigation, and enhancement plan has been developed for the US Bureau of Reclamation's Minidoka Dam and Reservoir in south-central Idaho. Specific objectives of this study included the following: Develop protection, mitigation, and enhancement goals and objectives for target wildlife species; identify potential protection, mitigation, and enhancement opportunities to achieve the mitigation objectives; and coordinate project activities with agencies, tribes, and the public. The interagency work group previously assessed the impacts of Minidoka Dam on wildlife. There were estimated losses of 10,503 habitat units (HU's) for some target wildlife species and gains of 5,129 HU's for other target species. The work group agreed that mitigation efforts should be directed toward target species that were negatively impacted by Minidoka Dam. They developed the following prioritized mitigation goals: 1,531 river otter HU's in riparian/river habitat, 1,922 sage grouse HU's in shrub-steppe (sagebrush-grassland) habitat, 1,746 mule deer HU's in shrub-steppe habitat, and 175 yellow warbler HU's in deciduous scrub-shrub wetland habitat. The work group proposed the following preferred mitigation options, in priority order: Provide benefits of 1,706 river otter and yellow warbler HU's by protecting and enhancing riparian/river habitat in south central Idaho; and provide benefits of 3,668 sage grouse andmore » mule deer HU's by protecting and enhancing shrub-steppe (sagebrush-grassland) habitat. 38 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs.« less