Oregons Coast Coho Business Plan

A Public-private Partnership to Recover Oregons Coast Coho

In 2014, a public-private partnership

convened including the Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board (OWEB), Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife, National
Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA Restoration
Center, Wild Salmon Center (WSC), and the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
envision a Business Plan for the
conservation of Oregons coast coho. As
designed by this Coast Coho Partnership,
the Business Plan is intended to:

1) Promote the conservation and recovery of coast coho in Oregon, and describe the essential role
of voluntary habitat protection and restoration efforts;
2) Identify the highest priority projects required at the population (watershed) scale to advance
regional recovery goals; and
3) Aggregate the cumulative costs and anticipated benefits of these projects, and coordinate
funding to support locally-led implementation.

Local Planning. Projects included in the Business Plan are generated through a one year planning
process in which local communities use a science-based framework to develop a Strategic Action
Plan (SAP) for a local coho population. In 2015, OWEB funded the development of this framework
and its application to SAPs developed in three pilot watersheds (the Nehalem, Siuslaw, and Elk
Rivers).

The Partnership will select up to three additional populations for SAPs annually. Selections are
based on Letters of Interest submitted by local partner organizations working on the coast.
Participation in the program is entirely voluntary.

Coordinated Implementation. The Coast Coho Partnership envisions the Business Plan as a living
document, in which new projects are incorporated as SAPs are completed. As the number of
projects contained in the Business Plan increases, the Partnership will work with state, federal, and
private partners to direct funding into locally-led project implementation.

Emerging Coastal Priorities. In addition to accelerating the conservation and recovery of coast coho
in Oregon, the Business Plan and its constituent SAPs can support other coastal priorities as well;
most notably, helping communities maintain drinking water quality, mitigate flood impacts, and
protect working lands. These outcomes are essential if coastal stakeholders are to achieve the
shared goals of improving watershed health and promoting economic security throughout the
region.
 THE OREGON COAST COHO BUSINESS PLAN
AN INVITATION TO COASTAL TEAMS TO SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTEREST
TO PARTICIPATE IN A LOCAL PLANNING PROCESS ADVANCING
THE RECOVERY OF COAST COHO SALMON

Due Date: Friday, May 26, 2017 Notification Date: Friday, June 30, 2017

OVERVIEW
The Southern Oregon/ Northern California Coast and the Oregon Coast coho salmon
evolutionary significant units (ESUs) are federally listed as threatened under the Endangered
Species Act. Primary concerns include habitat loss and uncertainty around trends in freshwater
and estuarine habitat quality. In 2014, a small group of public and private partners assembled
as the Coast Coho Partnership (Partnership) to determine the best ways to support local
implementation of the two federal coast coho recovery plans in Oregon, as well as the states
coho conservation plan. The Partnership set two goals: 1) establish and facilitate a replicable
model to assist local teams in prioritizing habitat protection and restoration actions for coast
coho populations; and 2) coordinate funders, and increase the funding available for locally-led
implementation of completed plans. The Partnerships ability to reach these goals relies heavily
on the commitment of participating teams to engage local landowners and their communities.

With support from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), in 2015 the
Partnership selected three coast coho populations (the Nehalem, Siuslaw, and Elk River
populations) to pilot a planning process. The resulting Strategic Action Plans (SAPs) for the first
group of populations will be completed in the first half of 2017. In support of its second goal
(leveraging funding for local partners), the Partnership is taking the highest priority projects
contained in each SAP and incorporating them into the Oregon Coast Coho Business
Plan(Business Plan). The purpose of the Business Plan is to leverage funding for the
implementation of projects contained in the completed SAPs. The Business Plan is drafted to
clearly tie locally led projects to the improvement of several habitat indicators that are essential
to coho recovery. By completing population scale SAPs that focus on improving these key
indicators, the Partnership hopes to accelerate recovery and roll up the cumulative impacts of
SAP implementation coast-wide.

AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2017 SAPS

The Partnership invites coastal teams to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) to participate in the
development of one or more population-specific SAPs. The Partnership anticipates selecting up
to three local teams to complete SAPs for three independent coho populations on the Oregon
coast. The actual number of populations selected will depend on the resources (funding and
personnel time) available to the Partnership.

Each local team will actively participate in a facilitated process to identify and prioritize habitat
protection and restoration strategies necessary to maintain or restore ecosystem function and
promote viable coho populations. In addition to considerable technical assistance, the
Partnership will make available up to $25,000 for each of the local teams to support
participation in the process (time and travel), landowner and community outreach, and other
expenses related to the planning process.

Completed SAPs will provide local partners with an excellent tool to leverage existing state,
federal, and private funding. The Partnership is also actively working with public and private
funders to leverage and coordinate support for areas with a completed coho SAP.

For additional information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions document provided
along with this LOI Request. A one page overview of the coho Business Plan is also included for
interested parties to use as an informational tool as they undertake outreach to local partners.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY AND CONTENT OF LETTER

The Partnership requests LOIs that describe local interest and capacity to collaborate on the
development of a SAP for one independent coast coho population. A team may submit more
than one LOI if it seeks to develop plans for multiple populations. Watershed Councils, Soil and
Water Conservation Districts, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and tribal partners are
invited to apply. Letters of support are welcome, but not required. Likewise, support may be
indicated through the signatures of key partners on the letter, though this is also not required.

In no more than four pages, applicants should describe the following:

1. Background Information and Team Needs

Identify the point of contact for the LOI (individual and organization). Please indicate if a
different organization is likely to serve as the local lead during the planning process.
Indicate the name of the team/partnership (if any).
Identify the independent coho population that is the subject of the letter.
Describe the organizational outcome(s) that you hope to achieve from participating in
this process. What organizational needs are being addressed by the plan?

Oregon Coast Coho Business Plan - Request for LOI 2017 Page 2
2. Conservation Priorities
What are the major factors that currently limit the target population? At what
geographic scale have limiting factors been identified?
If a watershed or population plan has been developed that directly targets these limiting
factors, please identify any associated goals on which the team is currently focused.
How can this process help you update the plan(s) identified above, and/or improve your
implementation program to attain the stated goals and outcomes?

3. Team Capacity and Community Support

List the stakeholders (agencies, organizations, businesses, landowners, etc.) that will
actively engage in the process (see page 4 of the FAQs for expectations of participants.)
If the population area contains state or federal lands or Tribal trust resources, indicate
whether associated representatives will be involved in the process.
Does the team have sufficient expertise throughout the population area to: 1) assess
watershed function; 2) evaluate stresses and threats; and 3) recommend and evaluate
conservation strategies and reach-specific actions?
Indicate the extent to which locally-elected officials (e.g. County Commissioners and city
councilors) and industry groups (e.g. the local Farm Bureau or small woodlands chapters)
are aware of this application and support it. (Lack of local support from these or other
local stakeholders will not preclude a community from being selected as an SAP site, but
will help define the type and extent of outreach needed at the beginning of the process.)
Highlight any proposed strategies to engage private landowners in plan development
and/or implementation. What unique partnerships or conditions exist that will enable
your team to effectively implement high priority strategies on private lands?
Describe the challenges facing effective implementation of these strategies and how this
project might help.

4. Other Information
Provide any additional information on why your team wants to participate in this
process (not required if the questions above captured it.)

LOI SUBMISSIONS CONTACTS AND DEADLINES

To be considered, please email your LOI and any attachments in a single pdf to: Mark Trenholm
at mtrenholm@wildsalmoncenter.org by Friday, May 26, 2017.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Mark or other members of the Partnership if
additional information is needed. Partnership participants include: Megan Callahan Grant
(NOAA Restoration Center); Rene Coxen (ODFW); Megan Hilgart (NOAA Restoration Center);
Jillian McCarthy (OWEB); and Rob Walton (NOAA Fisheries).

Oregon Coast Coho Business Plan - Request for LOI 2017 Page 3
The Partnership will notify selected parties by Friday, June 30, 2017, and may contact an
applicant beforehand to discuss an LOI.

Primary funding for SAP development is provided by OWEB. Additional financial and in-kind
support is provided by the Partnership members listed above, and additional public and private
partners.

Oregon Coast Coho Business Plan - Request for LOI 2017 Page 4
 THE OREGON COAST COHO BUSINESS PLAN
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) accompany a solicitation for Letters of Interest
(LOI) being circulated by the Coast Coho Partnership (Partnership). The LOI invites coastal
teams to apply for participation in a collaborative process to develop a Strategic Action Plan
(SAP) for an independent coho population on the Oregon coast. These SAPs will be folded into
the Coast Coho Business Plan, which the Partnership is developing to leverage new sources of
funding for locally-led implementation efforts. The Wild Salmon Center (WSC) is managing this
process on behalf of the Partnership, which includes the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, NOAA
Restoration Center, and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB).

What is the goal of the Coast Coho Business Plan effort, and what will be accomplished in the
short term?
The long-term goal of this effort is to accelerate the conservation and recovery of Oregons
coastal coho salmon by: 1) working with coastal communities to develop population-scale
recovery plans and 2) leveraging funds to support locally-led implementation. In the short term
(2017-18), the outputs from this effort will include:
Up to three additional SAPs completed for up to three independent coast coho
populations, and
Additional implementation funds for the first round of SAPs, which are now being
completed in the Nehalem, Siuslaw, and Elk Rivers.

What will the longer term outcomes be?

While this process focuses on the development and implementation of SAPs for coho habitat
restoration, the Partnership has made it a priority to integrate conservation with local and
regional economic development goals. First, partners seek to increase the funding available for
coastal teams to implement the plans. Second, the plans seek to promote a working lands
approach to conservation, which aims to maintain the states agriculture and timber land base
while generating improvements to aquatic habitats. The Partnership is confident that this
planning process can help communities identify win-win scenarios where the protection and
restoration of high value habitats also benefits the bottom line for owners and managers of
private working lands.
How will this process benefit my organization? We have already undertaken extensive
planning.
Within selected independent coast coho population areas, groups supported by the Partnership
will develop scientifically-derived, community-supported SAPs that promote coordinated state
and federal investments in those areas. The Partnership recognizes that most if not all of
the partners on the coast have some type of plan in place to guide their work. However, there
is substantial variation in how and when those plans were developed, as well as the data used
to develop them. Even for groups that already have high quality, data-driven plans, this process
provides an opportunity to update and improve them with up to $25,000 in support and
extensive technical assistance. In addition, a technically defensible SAP is an excellent tool for
local partners to leverage funding from a range of public and private funders. Finally, the
Partnership will be compiling each of the SAPs into the Coast Coho Business Plan mentioned
above. The Partnership intends to market the Business Plan aggressively to funders to increase
the resources available for local groups to implement their SAPs.

What is the Coast Coho Business Plan?

A Business Plan is a tool that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) uses and the
Partnership has adopted to clearly and succinctly articulate a road map to reach regional
conservation goals and locally determined conservation objectives. A Business Plan contains
four core elements: 1) conservation goals and objectives, 2) priority actions, 3) cost summaries,
and 4) performance measures. The Partnership intends to use the Business Plan to leverage
new resources by clearly indicating, first, the funds necessary to accomplish defined measures
of success and, second, what can be achieved at different levels of funding.

What is the geographic scope of the Business Plan?

The Business Plan will include the full Oregon Coast Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU)
and the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho ESU within Oregon.

Where does the funding for this project come from?

OWEB is funding the majority of this project using Oregon Plan/Governor's Priorities funds,
which are specifically designated as a line item in the OWEB Spending Plan and are distinct from
the Regular Grant funding line items. The Oregon Plan/Governors Priorities line item is
awarded by the Board, often with input from the Governors office, for a diversity of high-level,
programmatic activities that are generally aimed at reinvigorating the Oregon Plan. Items
funded with this line item in recent biennia include (but are not limited to) initiatives such as
Salmon Strongholds, Forest Collaboratives, and Sage Grouse, with the intent to set the
foundation for future work. Other members of the Partnership are providing in-kind support
and may provide financial support for both planning and implementation. Private funders
through the Oregon Community Foundation also support the program.

Is there a document available for me to share with partners that gives a quick overview of the
Business Plan effort?
Yes, a one pager was circulated with the Request for LOIs and this FAQ document.

Coast Coho Business Plan FAQs 2|P a g e

After SAPs are completed, will there be funds available for implementation?
The Partnership is eager to see SAPs implemented once they are completed. Several members
work both within their agencies/organizations and with external partners to acquire new
sources of funding to support local project implementation. One such source that is newly
earmarked to SAP implementation is the NFWF-administered Governors Fund, which has
previously been available to projects state-wide. In addition to any other new sources of
funding that the Partnership can leverage, SAPs will also provide a strong rationale for funding
through existing programs.

How does this process align with the OWEB Focused Investment Partnership Program?
It is the Partnerships intent that the SAPs that result from this process will meet the
qualifications of a SAP as outlined by OWEBs FIP program. Participants in the SAP process will
remain eligible to apply for OWEBs FIP Capacity-Building and FIP Implementation
funding. However, after successful participation in this process, participants will not be eligible
to apply for FIP Capacity-Building funding to create a new SAP for the same geography and
outcomes as the SAP funded under the Business Plan process. This is true for all applicants into
OWEBs FIP Capacity-Building program (i.e. if a group already has a qualifying SAP, OWEB will
not fund it to create a new SAP.)

Note: participants in the SAP development process will also remain fully eligible to receive
funding through the programs managed by each of the project Partnership members. For
example, participants can still receive OWEB grants for capacity, technical assistance,
acquisition, monitoring, outreach, restoration, etc.

What skills and experience should we have on our local team?

This project envisions that a core team of partners will participate consistently in this process.
Ideally, this group will include representatives with the following qualifications:
1) An understanding of the target coho population, including habitat needs and the
ecosystem processes required to generate and maintain these habitats;
2) Familiarity with the information available on the population, habitats, and ecosystem
processes, including a working knowledge of the plans that drive current watershed
management and restoration priorities;
3) An understanding of the social, political, and economic climate in the
region/community;
4) Strong working relationships with private landowners, including the agriculture and/or
timber industries (participation from representatives of these industries is ideal, though
not required); and
5) The authority to speak for the agency or organization that the individual is representing,
and sufficient connection with superiors to keep them regularly apprised of the SAP
development process.

Coast Coho Business Plan FAQs 3|P a g e

What will these participants be expected to do? Will their time be reimbursed?
Expectations of team members will include some or all of the following:
1) Participate in all meetings and review all draft documents and meeting materials;
2) Help draft and/or edit sections of the SAP;
3) Develop and implement an outreach strategy for community review of the SAP;
4) Regularly update the members superiors on SAP development;
5) Recruit participation from the local agriculture and timber communities;
6) Field verify model runs and locations being considered as priorities for
protection/restoration; and
7) Other activities as needed.

The local manager (probably the point of contact on the LOI) will handle several additional
operational and logistical responsibilities during the process, including:
1) Setting up meetings (meeting announcements, scheduling, room reservations, food
prep/purchase etc);
2) Taking minutes (recording action items and commitments);
3) Ensuring core group members follow through on work commitments and schedules;
4) Compiling the locally generated scientific information relevant to coho salmon
recovery (e.g. existing plans, data, analyses etc.);
5) Working with the facilitator to track progress and adjust the process as needed;
6) Assisting in writing and editing the SAP;
7) Invoicing for reimbursements (see below); and
8) Other duties as needed.

The local manager and some participating team members will be reimbursed for time spent on
the activities listed above (and others as appropriate; these are not intended to be exhaustive
lists.) The local manager will determine which team members are to be reimbursed for their
participation. Wild Salmon Center will reimburse the local manager following the local
managers submission of an invoice that includes all partner reimbursement requests. The local
manager will disburse reimbursements to partners according to its financial procedures.

What is the project timeline?

SAPs are anticipated to take one year to develop (July 2017 - July 2018), although the timeline is
influenced greatly by the particular interests and priorities of the local team. The LOI is due
Friday, May 26, 2017, and the Partnership will notify selected Grantees by Friday, June 30, 2017.
The Partnership is providing two months to develop the LOI to ensure that interested parties have
sufficient time to bring local partners on board and consult with the range of stakeholders that
may be interested in the process.

For more information

For further information, please contact Mark Trenholm at the Wild Salmon Center,
mtrenholm@wildsalmoncenter.org or 503-312-9255. Additional contacts in the Partnership
include: Megan Callahan Grant (NOAA Restoration Center); Rene Coxen (ODFW); Megan Hilgart
(NOAA Restoration Center); Jillian McCarthy (OWEB); and Rob Walton (NOAA Fisheries).

Coast Coho Business Plan FAQs 4|P a g e