Oregon reports early progress and federal leverage for Natural and Working Lands Fund

The Oregon Climate Action Commission and four state agencies told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire on Jan. 23, 2025, that the Natural and Working Lands Fund created by House Bill 3409 (2023) has supported early, voluntary conservation and restoration projects and leveraged additional federal and private funds.

Michael Dembrow, former state senator and member of the Oregon Climate Action Commission, told the committee the 2023 omnibus measure incorporated natural climate solutions and established a $10 million appropriation for initial investments. "The notion of natural climate solutions ... is to make sure that we're keeping working lands working and invigorating our rural economies while encouraging and incorporating practices that do a better job of improving soil health and sequestering carbon," he said.

The nut graf: agencies reported that the $10 million state allocation has been distributed among eligible programs — including roughly $3 million to the Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), $2 million to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB),…