Conservation Agreement
Conservation Agreement
The Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement (2012) represents a cooperative commitment by natural resource agencies and tribes to leverage available resources (human and capital) to reduce threats to Pacific Lamprey in the face of climate change, and to improve their habitats and population status, and support traditional tribal use of lamprey.
Since 2004, when a petition to protect Pacific Lamprey under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was deemed unwarranted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a call to action was made by tribal partners to recognize the decline of the species. The Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) was initiated at Lamprey Summit II in 2008 by USFWS, and embodies this effort as a consortium of tribal, federal, state, local, and non-profit partners collaborating with a shared mission to address the decline of Pacific Lamprey across its historical range. This collaboration was solidified at Lamprey Summit III (2012) when the first iteration of the Conservation Agreement was signed by 33 signatories and 12 supporters.
Updates & Recommitments
The Conservation Agreement is revisited every five years for recommitment and revision if necessary. Modifications to the Conservation Agreement must be mutually agreed upon by all signatories, and all changes shall be executed in writing as an addendum to the original Agreement. The Conservation Agreement was not revised in 2017, but new supporters did formalize their commitment to the conservation of Pacific Lamprey by adding their signatures to the document, reflected in the Addendum.
2022 Update
In 2022, PLCI’s Conservation Team is revisiting and updating the Conservation Agreement to reflect structural and operational changes within PLCI, as well as current status and progress made by PLCI and our partners in support of lamprey conservation over the last decade. Because changes are being made to the Conservation Agreement, all supporting parties will need to sign the 2022 Conservation Agreement again to become or maintain status as a signatory. If your organization would like to become a signatory, please contact PLCI’s Coordinator.
2022 Conservation Agreement Supporting Documents
Interim Operating Guidelines
The Interim Operating Guidelines (2015) help facilitate funding decisions for priority, unfunded lamprey actions. Guidelines processes are comprised of four basic parts:
- Regional Management Units (RMUs) develop and periodically update a list of potential restoration or research, monitoring, and evaluation actions;
- RMUs develop and periodically update Regional Implementation Plans (RIPs) that advance priority actions and provide a clear, but concise rational for their implementation;
- The Conservation Team (CT) evaluates RIPs to ensure implementation proceeds coordination and consultation among all affected and relevant parties, and;
- The CT provides the RMU recommendations to the Policy Committee to support identification and development of the necessary funding to implement these actions.
The Interim Operating Guidelines were drafted in 2015, and PLCI also plans to update this document in 2022 to reflect the current status of the Initiative including, but not limited to, the addition of the PLCI Coordinator and Steering Committee.
A Letter from PLCI
in support of the 2022 Conservation Agreement update
February 18, 2022
Dear Partners in Pacific Lamprey Conservation:
Ten years ago we signed the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement committing to work collaboratively to conserve and restore Pacific Lamprey for their ecological, and cultural importance to Native American tribes across their historical range. Every five years the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) revisits the Conservation Agreement, and in 2022 we invite you to recommit or join this collaborative effort as a signatory.
Since 2004, when a petition to protect Pacific Lamprey under the Endangered Species Act was found unwarranted, a call to action was made by our tribal partners to recognize the decline of the species. PLCI, initiated at Lamprey Summit II in 2008 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), has embodied this effort as a consortium of tribal, federal, state and local partners collaborating with the shared mission to address the decline of Pacific Lamprey. This collaboration was solidified at Lamprey Summit III (2012) when the first iteration of the Conservation Agreement was signed by 33 signatories and 12 supporters.
Under the Conservation Agreement, PLCI partners have identified and addressed critical uncertainties and threats to Pacific Lamprey through the establishment of 18 Regional Management Units (RMUs), their corresponding Regional Implementation Plans, and numerous on-the-ground restoration, research, and outreach projects. Many of these projects have been funded through dedicated funding sources that PLCI has secured from pivotal partners – the Bonneville Power Administration and the National Fish Habitat Partnership. In 2016, PLCI became the 20th nationally recognized fish habitat partnership, acknowledging this important species, our critical work, and mission. This awareness has also spread around the world as our annual Lamprey Information Exchange continues to grow and bring partners together in lamprey conservation and restoration. The result is a partner network that exceeds 200 organizations and reaches more than 1,500 individuals!
The 2022 update to the Conservation Agreement reflects a comprehensive review by PLCI’s Conservation Team that reflects the current status and progress made in support of lamprey. In preparation for Lamprey Summit V in December 2022, current parties to the Conservation Agreement are asked to recommit to the revised Agreement, and we are also recruiting new signatories. PLCI has come a long way since its beginnings in 2008. Robyn Thorson, Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Interior Regions 9 and 12, captures the historical importance of this moment in lamprey conservation and restoration: “The Service is proud to continue this strong partnership to conserve Pacific Lamprey. As a cultural and ecologically important species for which the Service has tribal trust responsibility, Pacific Lamprey restoration is a priority for the Service. We are grateful for the progress PLCI partners have made over the last ten years. And more importantly we are excited to build on our collective accomplishments with our partners over the next decade to conserve and restore Pacific Lamprey”.
Please feel free to contact myself and/or Conservation Team Co-Chairs Kelly Coates (Tribal Co-Chair) or Benjamin Clemens (State/Federal Co-Chair) if you have any questions or would like to discuss this further.
Alicia Marrs
Alicia Marrs, PLCI Coordinator
Lamprey Summit V
Portland, Oregon
On December 13, 2022, PLCI will convene Lamprey Summit V at the World Forestry Center in Portland, OR. The event will bring together signatories and supporters to the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement to present and learn about the five-year update to the Pacific Lamprey Assessment and recommit to the updated Conservation Agreement. Participants will discuss ongoing and completed research and restoration activities, and strategize on collaborative opportunities on behalf of Pacific Lamprey conservation for the next 5 years. Learn more here.
©2022 Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative