Deschutes County OKs $17,248 from stewardship grant to shore up trail crew

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on May 21 approved an amendment to contract 2022-187 allowing the Deschutes Trails Coalition to use $17,248 in remaining stewardship grant funds to support the Coalition’s paid trail crew.

The decision followed a presentation by Deschutes Trails Coalition Executive Director Jana Johnson and a staff overview by Robert Tinto, the county’s chief financial officer. The coalition had been awarded $600,000 from transient room tax-related TRT funds in January 2022 for nine projects; after project closeouts $17,248 remained.

Johnson told the board the paid five-person trail crew — the only professional trail crew in Central Oregon, she said — had been built as a three-year pilot funded partly by Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) money. She said this year the coalition did not receive expected GAOA funding (roughly $200,000) and an anticipated Title II award of about $40,000, leaving a roughly $240,000 gap for crewing through 2027. Johnson asked the board’s permission to use the leftover stewardship grant funds to help bridge the shortfall so the crew can continue operations while the coalition pursues additional grants.

Commissioners and staff discussed the stewardship program, which funded projects from on-the-ground trail work to volunteer stewardship coordinators. Commissioners pressed staff and coalition leaders about program timing and a single $80,000 expenditure to the Deschutes Land Trust for a land acquisition that some said stretched the original intent of the stewardship program. Commissioner commentary also suggested directing the coalition’s trail crew to work on projects that would especially benefit grantees that returned funds by completing projects under budget.

Commissioner Dyer moved to amend contract 2022-187 to permit the Deschutes Trails Coalition to use $17,248 of remaining stewardship grant funds to support trail crew operations; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously (Commissioner Dyer: yes; Commissioner Chang: yes; Chair: yes). The amendment authorizes the contract change and asks the coalition to prioritize crew work benefiting the grantees that saved money under the grant program.

The board’s vote leaves the coalition authorized to apply the leftover funds to trail-crew operations while staff and commissioners continue to discuss policy guidance for stewardship program uses and tighter project controls for future grant cycles.