Funding available for Grant County private land projects
By Logan Bagett on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
GRANT COUNTY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership recently announced just under $2 million in funding for this fiscal year going to the Southern Blues Restoration project. It’s a cross-boundary, multi-partnership project that aims to reduce fire risk to local communities while improving forest, rangeland, and overall watershed resiliency.
Aaron Roth, District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service said the NRCS is currently taking applications from private landowners interested in utilizing some of the funding for fire resiliency and watershed restoration projects. He said this round of funding will focus on areas north of highway 26 above the communities of Prairie City, John Day and Mt. Vernon:
“You would need to come down to the NRCS Office at 721 South Canyon Boulevard or give us a call—575-0135—and make sure that your project is within the boundaries of the area. We’re taking applications for the first sign-up until April 7th, so a little bit over a month.”
Roth mentioned that the funding is competitive. He noted that if there is more interest than there is available funding, the agency can increase their ask for the next round. Roth said the total ask over a three-year period for the Southern Blues Restoration Project is around $7.5 million. He mentioned landowner projects often look like juniper removal efforts as well as pre-commercial timber thinning.
