Noxious weed program: Forest Service amendment adds roughly $19,000 for invasive-plant work in Olympic National Forest

Heidi Steinbach, Mason County's noxious weed program coordinator, asked commissioners to place an amendment to an existing U.S. Forest Service agreement on the next action agenda so the county can accept an additional $18,996 awarded by a Resource Advisory Committee for invasive-plant survey and control in the Olympic National Forest.

Steinbach explained the award increases the current agreement to $53,996 and that funds expire Sept. 30, 2026. "Last year at the resource advisory committee meeting, we were awarded an additional $18,996 to be used for invasive plant survey and control in the Olympic National Forest. This would bring the total of our current agreement to $53,996. This agreement was finalized May 25, and we've been, working on the project since then. The funds expire 09/30/2026," she said.

The amendment would provide up to $27,000 of additional funding to support extra-help staffing this fiscal year and could support increasing the position to 0.75 FTE in the 2026 budget (currently 0.5 FTE), Steinbach said. Because the Forest Service has a deadline for returning signed amendments, Steinbach requested the commission add the amendment to the next action agenda to avoid payment delays.

Commissioners signaled support for expediting placement on the action agenda; staff confirmed prior coordination with county budget staff and requested formal approval so federal processing can proceed.

Ending: The county will add the Forest Service amendment to the upcoming action agenda for formal approval and signature so the grant amendment can be returned by the Forest Service deadline.