The "Protected Areas" List of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council

"Protected Areas" are stream reaches where the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council (Council) determined that hydroelectric development would have unacceptable risks of irreversible loss to fish and wildlife.  In essence, Protected Areas are places where fish and wildlife values are judged to outweigh the value of electricity those areas could generate, and policies were implemented to discourage hydropower development in these areas.  The Protected Areas list was completed in 1988; changes to the list were promulgated in 1989, 1990, and 1992.  The Protected Areas protections have continued as a part of the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program dealing with future hydroelectric development, with protected classification information readily available on the StreamNet website (www.StreamNet.org).  Interest in new hydroelectric development has risen over the past few years, renewing the importance of the Protected Areas list in natural resource planning and management.  Today's generation of fisheries managers should be familiar with this important Northwest natural resource development policy and the protections it provides for valuable fish and wildlife habitats.