Rivers and their surrounding landscapes provide a large and diverse array of Natural, Cultural and Recreational Resources. Identifying, respecting, and protecting these resources is an important part of the hydropower licensing process, including quantifying their distinctive/unique aspects and features.
It is helpful to understand who to contact with specific resource expertise and where to go to find out more information on a resource area of interest to your organization. An example is this resource for historic properties management for FERC-licensed facilities.
To be effective in licensing, practitioners will need to understand how to:
Identify what is known/unknown about the project/project area, issues, and impacts of the facility and its operation.
Apply the criteria and methodology principles to study the gaps in information.
Recognize the interconnection of various resources and the potential effects of proposed actions
Develop effective protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures utilizing the study results and other known information for one or more resource areas or topics.
Examples of practitioners' priorities or mandated obligations:
Indigenous knowledge and resource specialist expertise relevant to tribal interests: (aquatic, terrestrial, traditional cultural use, aesthetics, recreation)
Potential impacts on traditional uses and Treaty rights
Prioritize mission-related expertise
Understand and develop allies to advocate on behalf of the public
Land Management Agencies and Bureau of Indian Affairs
Resource specialist expertise in areas relevant to the agencies mission and management requirements (aquatic, recreation, cultural, terrestrial, aesthetics)
Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Aquatic resources, terrestrial resources
Ability to develop strong rationales and build the administrative record for conditions
Information related to various Natural, Cultural, and Recreational Resources:
Hydrology, principles of a dynamic flow regime, and river processes
Instream flows, ramping rates, spill recession
Aquatic organism passage
Aquatic invasive species
Water quality and temperature
Monitoring
Aquatic/riparian species habitat associations or key habitat elements - License conditions can require a licensee to address deficits in large woody material or spawning substrates/gravels, etc. that have been lost or reduced by upstream dams. The remedy might be accomplished through restoration of a more natural/functional flow regime, and mechanical intervention (e.g., passage or placement of large wood, gravels, etc.) may be necessary.
Botany - Awareness and planning regarding individual species, special-status plants
Monitoring, Measuring and Reporting
Vegetation Communities
Land Use - Consideration of existing/proposed roads and trails and their effects on stream crossings and other resources. Land use also includes transmission lines and other areas where there is ground disturbance resulting from existing or proposed Project facilities.
