From fragments to connections to restoration: A case history of emergent sociocultural services in the Clark Fork River and Lake Pend Oreille fishery

Abstract

Lake Pend Oreille and the Clark Fork River provide essential ecosystem services, including fisheries and hydroelectric power, to residents of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Although conflicts exist, these services are maintained in concert by emergent sociocultural services created by a multi-institutional, transboundary collaboration. This has been enabled by an innovative Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license settlement agreement among a multitude of stakeholders. The consensus-based agreement promotes connections among people, projects, waterways, and fish populations. Collaborative management efforts allow stakeholders to address controversial issues, such as invasive fish suppression. We demonstrate how reciprocal cultural ecosystem services and services to ecosystems can enable ecosystem-scale restoration that addresses invasive species, habitat protection, and water quality management. Continued ecosystem management success relies on sustaining the relationship-building and shared knowledge services that have emerged over the past 25 years.

Fisheries Volume 48 Number 8 August 2023

“…The Clark Fork Settlement Agreement (CFSA; Avista 1999 ) is associated with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for two hydropower facilities on the Clark Fork River in Montana and Idaho and was negotiated among 27 stakeholders (Wilson 2000 ;Corsi et al 2022 ). These stakeholders included Avista, Native American tribes, state and federal agencies, nonprofi t groups, and landowners (Corsi et al 2022 ).…”

“…The Clark Fork Settlement Agreement (CFSA; Avista 1999 ) is associated with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for two hydropower facilities on the Clark Fork River in Montana and Idaho and was negotiated among 27 stakeholders (Wilson 2000 ;Corsi et al 2022 ). These stakeholders included Avista, Native American tribes, state and federal agencies, nonprofi t groups, and landowners (Corsi et al 2022 ). Although the CFSA is not explicitly CWA or temperature impairment related, it is an example where a stakeholder group has been established that is engaged often and is integral to the development and implementation of fi sheries and water quality projects.…”

Addressing Coldwater Temperature Impairment in a Changing Climate

“…The Clark Fork Settlement Agreement (CFSA; Avista 1999) is associated with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for two hydropower facilities on the Clark Fork River in Montana and Idaho and was negotiated among 27 stakeholders (Wilson 2000; Corsi et al 2022). These stakeholders included Avista, Native American tribes, state and federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and landowners (Corsi et al 2022).…”

“…The Clark Fork Settlement Agreement (CFSA; Avista 1999) is associated with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for two hydropower facilities on the Clark Fork River in Montana and Idaho and was negotiated among 27 stakeholders (Wilson 2000; Corsi et al 2022). These stakeholders included Avista, Native American tribes, state and federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and landowners (Corsi et al 2022). Although the CFSA is not explicitly CWA or temperature impairment related, it is an example where a stakeholder group has been established that is engaged often and is integral to the development and implementation of fisheries and water quality projects.…”

Predicting the likelihood of gas bubble trauma in fishes exposed to elevated total dissolved gas in the lower Clark Fork River, Idaho

“…Maintaining these recreational fisheries and ecologically significant species is important to local fisheries managers (Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2019). Achieving fisheries management goals in this system may be challenged by the presence of seasonally high TDG; however, the Clark Fork Settlement Agreement (Avista Corporation 1999) has resulted in reduced TDG production from Cabinet Gorge Dam and an ongoing mitigation program to offset the potential effects of high TDG (Kusnierz 2019;Corsi et al 2022).…”