United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-11-23 monographic deposited born digital 34 p. GA 1.13:GAO-02-136 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136 P0b002ee1803a2c60 f:d02136 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136 GAO-02-136 Anadromous fishes Land management Road construction Funds management INFISH PACFISH Pacific Northwest Forest Plan BLM Jobs In The Woods Program Washington Fish Passage Barrier Removal Program Washington Oregon Other Written Product A02486 The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service manage over 41 million acres of federal lands in Oregon and Washington, including 122,000 miles of roads that use culverts--pipes or arches made of concrete or metal--to allow water to flow from one side of the road to the other. Many of the streams that pass through these culverts are essential habitat for fish and other aquatic species. Over 10,000 culverts exist on fish-bearing streams in Oregon and Washington, though the number that impede fish passage is unknown. Ongoing agency inventory and assessment efforts have identified nearly 2,600 barrier culverts, but agency officials estimate that more than twice that number may exist. Although the agencies recognize the importance of restoring fish passage, several factors inhibit their efforts. Most significantly, the agencies have not made sufficient funds available to do all the culvert work necessary. In addition, the often lengthy process of obtaining federal and state environmental clearances and permits, as well as the short seasonal "window of opportunity" to do the work, affects the agencies' ability to restore fish passages quickly. Furthermore, the shortage of experienced engineering staff limits the number of projects that can be designed and completed. BLM and the Forest Service have completed 141 culvert projects to remove barriers and to open an estimated 171 miles of fish habitat from fiscal year 1998 through 2000. Neither agency, however, knows the extent to which culvert projects ultimately result in improved fish passage because neither agency requires systematic post-project monitoring to measure the outcomes of their efforts https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136.pdf GAO-02-136 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-136 Other Written Product GAO-02-136; Land Management Agencies: Restoring Fish Passage Through Culverts on Forest Service and BLM Lands in Oregon and Washington Could Take Decades; Anadromous fishes Land management Road construction Funds management INFISH PACFISH Pacific Northwest Forest Plan BLM Jobs In The Woods Program Washington Fish Passage Barrier Removal Program Washington Oregon