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Gilliam Soil & Water Conservation District reports millions in grants, advances beaver-dam-analog and wildfire projects
Summary
District manager told the Gilliam County Court the SWCD continues TMDL and habitat work funded by state and federal grants, seeks renewal of major federal and state programs and is applying for a $1.7 million wildfire mitigation grant that would use FEMA funding.
The Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District reported to the Gilliam County Court that it brought millions of dollars into the county for natural-resources work in recent years and is seeking further funding to expand restoration and wildfire-mitigation projects.
“We’re there to help Oregon meet state and federal environmental goals while balancing agriculture and community needs,” said the District Manager, Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District, summarizing the agency’s role in county conservation work.
The district said it operates under an intergovernmental agreement with the county and receives roughly $50,000 annually from Gilliam County to implement Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans required under state water-quality rules administered by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The district outlined several major programs and recent grant awards: the federal Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which the presentation said is roughly a $4 million program; the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s (OWEB) Focused Investment Partnership (FIP) program, described as a $12 million statewide initiative; and several open, state-funded grants the district administers.
District staff reported that RCPP project contracting remains active and that about $570,000 in RCPP funding remained to award, with 24 applications pending for 2025. The district said it has obtained over $4 million in state funds between 2021 and 2024 and that in 2024 it was awarded six new OWEB grants totaling about $660,000.
The presentation highlighted restoration work in the 30-Mile/Bridal area of the John Day basin, where private landowners have allowed the district to install river‑restoration structures called beaver dam analogs (BDAs). The district said it has installed thousands of structures across roughly 30 miles of stream and described an upcoming Bridal 30-Mile Restoration Project funded in 2024 that includes 92 BDAs and 45 post‑assisted log structures.
The district said it is updating the TMDL management plan for county review and expects to submit it to DEQ in March as part of the five‑year update cycle.
The district also described plans to continue the RCPP and FIP work in 2026, and said it is developing a virtual‑fencing pilot and other agricultural-technology projects in partnership with Oregon State University, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center and nonprofit partners. The district reported 13 open OWEB grants and ongoing monitoring and research on stream hydrology and invasive fish in the 30‑Mile watershed.
On post‑fire work, the district reported it is preparing a Lone Rock Wildfire Mitigation proposal requesting roughly $1.7 million. The district told the court that FEMA would pay about 75 percent of that project if approved, with the district planning to pursue state matching funds to cover the remaining share. The mitigation proposal described treatment across several thousand acres of juniper reduction, chemical control of annual grasses and biomass removal to reduce future wildfire risk.
The district invited county officials and the public to its annual meeting on March 11; staff said they would return to the court with details and additional updates as grant awards and project timelines firm up.
Ending: The district’s presentation was largely informational. Court members asked clarifying questions about timelines and technical details; district staff said they would follow up with the court and that the county’s annual $50,000 IGA remains an active funding line for implementing TMDL work and related projects.
