| Technical
Applications - Technical Assistance
The
Technical Applications (TAPPS) Division is organizationally divided
into three sections: the Regulatory Services Section and the Environmental
Restoration Technical Assistance (ERTA) sections; ERTA East (Eastern
Washington) and ERTA West (Western Washington)
The Regulatory
Services Section is an integral component of the TAPPS Division.
The role of the Regulatory Services Section is to provide policy
and technical guidance, training and oversight to agency staff in
the implementation of environmental protection review and permitting
implementation efforts, particularly for the administration of the
Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) program and the State Environmental
Protection Act (SEPA). For more information on these environmental
permit processes, please click on this link: Regulatory
Services Information .
The ERTA East and ERTA West sections provide technical
assistance statewide. ERTA East specializes in surface water diversion
screening and Eastern Washington fish passage and screening inventories
and habitat. ERTA West specializes in fish passage and screening
inventories, fishways and Western Washington salmonid habitat restoration.
Within the Habitat Program, the TAPPS Division develops,
implements and evaluates habitat projects
statewide and provides professional technical assistance that directly
support state, local, and federal initiatives to maintain
and restore wild salmonid populations and their habitat.
TAPPS staff provide technical assistance to Regional
Fishery Enhancement Groups (RFEG’s), Lead Entities (LE’s), Washington
State Citizens, State, Federal, Local and Tribal Government, Watershed
Planning Committees, Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), WDFW
Watershed Stewards and Area Habitat Biologists, and others.
TAPPS has produced or contributed to
several documents, including the following:
TAPPS
biologists promote habitat restoration projects and assist others
in getting projects on the ground. Fulfilling this objective incorporates:
These
efforts benefit all salmonids and have for the last two decades
accomplished the following:
- Provided
technical assistance to Lead Entities (LEs), Regional Fisheries
Enhancement Groups (RFEGs), Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB),
local government, tribes and others.
- Provided
a reliable baseline for exemplary habitat restoration work ensuring
stopgap measures for salmonids.
- Ensured
a watershed approach by promoting and constructing habitat and
fish passage projects above and below jurisdiction-focused projects.
- Used the
opportunity afforded by RCW 77.57.040 to upgrade previously constructed fishways
and fish screens. Promoted screening of unscreened diversions
and upgraded screening to contemporary standards.
- Integrated
the full spectrum of pre-project (including inventory and prioritization),
project, and post-project (including monitoring) activities.
- Played a
key role in developing restoration science through adaptive techniques.
- Provided
a catalyst for restoration initiatives through project partnership
development.
- Developed
project development and project management expertise that can
help others succeed in inventory and habitat construction projects,
particularly those addressing fish passage and screening.
- Identified
fish passage, screening and habitat restoration opportunities
leading to projects on and off agency lands.
Click on
the photos to see enlargement.
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