Wallowa County commissioners voted 3-0 on Jan. 6 to authorize a letter of support for the Wallowa County Conservation District’s application to the Bureau of Land Management Washington–Oregon Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program.

The conservation district’s staff described recent work in the Mill Creek watershed and said the grant would allow thinning and hazard-assessment work to continue. Anne Byerly of the Wallowa County Conservation District told commissioners crews and partners have worked roughly 46 days over the past eight months to thin about nine acres and help 23 private landowners around the watershed.

The district asked the board to support a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grant that it described as a possible two-year bridge to larger funds. Byerly said the district is applying for two years of BLM funding now so the work can continue while the district applies separately for a Community Wildfire Defense Grant administered by the U.S. Forest Service. She said if the Forest Service grant is not awarded, BLM has indicated staff would consider extending funds.

Commissioners discussed the program’s benefits for homeowner safety and watershed protection. After a brief exchange and no further questions, a motion to approve executing the letter of support passed unanimously.

The grant application and letter are intended to fund fuels-reduction work, extend hazard-assessment efforts on private property and allow the county’s fire district to identify and prioritize high‑risk properties for mitigation work.

Commissioners did not vote on funding; the action was limited to a letter of support for the Conservation District’s grant application. The Conservation District and the fire district will continue administering and conducting the on-the-ground work if the grants are awarded.

Evidence of meeting discussion: the Conservation District presentation and the motion to approve the letter occurred during the Jan. 6 board meeting public session.