Draft Version 6 Science and Adaptive Management Plan Missouri River Recovery Program

The Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) is undergoing a transformation resulting from 2011 recommendations by an Independent Science Advisory Panel and the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC). An Effects Analysis study established the best available scientific information and provided the foundation for an Adaptive Management Plan (AM Plan) that addresses lingering uncertainties and improves management decisions while implementing actions that avoid jeopardizing the three federally listed species in the system. This draft AM Plan includes a process for resolving critical uncertainties using a framework consisting of four implementation levels: 1) research, 2) in-river testing of hypotheses, 3) scaled implementation of select management actions, and 4) full implementation. The decision criteria for moving to higher levels of implementation are included. A NEPA evaluation of alternative management actions identified an initial suite of actions 12 that will be implemented to meet the objectives of the MRRP. This Draft AM Plan accompanies the Draft Missouri River Recovery Management Plan-Environmental Impact Statement and provides the roadmap for the implementation of the selected alternative and for the identification of subsequent management needs should the initial suite of actions fail to meet objectives. The AM Plan will be implemented collaboratively by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and MRRIC following the governance process outlined in the AM Plan.