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Deschutes County authorizes applications for two BLM grants to support watershed and fire-resilience work
Summary
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 voted to approve county applications to two BLM funding streams: a Good Neighbor Authority project routed through OWEB and the BLM Community Fire Assistance Program.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 voted to approve county applications to two Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding streams: a Good Neighbor Authority project routed through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the BLM Community Fire Assistance Program.
Kevin Moyer, County Forester, and Lauren Street, natural resources specialist, told the board the first grant request was for $275,000, with $225,000 proposed for community projects and $50,000 for treatments on county-owned properties. The second application sought $480,000, with approximately $300,000 intended for community projects and roughly $100,000 for county property treatments; the application also included match and indirect-cost components.
Moyer said the OWEB-subawarded funding is flexible and intended to improve watershed health. "The primary purpose of the grant is to improve water health in some of the watersheds in local areas," he said. He added that the county would likely run an application process for community groups and contractors and that some projects could be focused on vegetation treatments that reduce wildfire risk and improve watershed resilience.
Board action and implementation The board moved to approve the applications and to authorize the county administrator to accept awards if they are made; a motion was seconded and carried. Staff told the board they expect award announcements in October and that distributing funds to community projects would require agreements and contractor selection, so immediate on-the-ground work could be staged but full roll‑out would take additional contracting steps.
Officials noted uncertainty: BLM has limited statewide set-asides for the Community Fire Assistance Program and the county’s requested amount was near the size of that statewide priority, so receipt was not guaranteed. Moyer said the county has received similar awards in prior years and would use templates and past procedures to administer awards if received.
Ending: If awarded, staff said it would take several weeks to complete agreements and contractor setup; staff will return to the board with contract documents and recommended awardees before disbursing project work.
