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Board moves to seek BLM/OWEB fire‑resilience grants; county staff outline proposed use and timeline
Summary
County forester Kevin Warren and natural-resources specialist Warren Street presented two grant applications — an OWEB subaward (BLM-funded) for $275,000 and a BLM Community Fire Assistance request for $480,000 — and requested board approval to submit and to authorize the county administrator to accept awards if granted.
County staff asked the Board of Commissioners to approve two grant applications and to authorize the county administrator to accept the grants if awarded.
Kevin Warren, county forester, and Warren Street, natural-resources specialist, presented two applications: a BLM-funded subaward administered through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) for $275,000 (proposed split: $225,000 for community projects, $50,000 for treating county properties), and a BLM Community Fire Assistance Program application for $480,000 (project total described in the application: approximately $480,000 with $300,000 for community projects, $100,000 to treat county properties, $40,000 proposed match and $40,000 in indirect costs identified). Warren said the OWEB subaward language is flexible and could support watershed- or fuel-reduction treatments as well as work on county-owned parcels. He said award notifications for the BLM Community Fire Assistance program typically arrive in October and that if funded the county would use an application/award process to allocate most funds to community projects and contractors rather than deliver cash directly to private landowners.
Warren cautioned that the state allocation for that BLM community program is limited (the presenter said Oregon was prioritizing roughly $500,000 statewide for that award cycle), so the county’s $480,000 request faced statewide competition. Staff also said administering awards and contracting would take time — issuing application materials, awarding projects and completing contractor agreements could take several months, making calendar‑year distribution unlikely even if the county receives an award in October.
A commissioner moved to approve the two grant applications and authorize the county administrator to accept awards if made; a second followed. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or tally on the motion. Staff clarified that the board’s authorization would allow the county administrator to accept awarded grants without a separate board approval step.
Why it matters: both grants are aimed at watershed health and community fuel-reduction work and would fund treatment projects on private land through community awards plus some county‑property work. If awarded, the grants would support fuels reduction and watershed-restoration work in Deschutes County but will require staff time to set up application and contracting processes.
Next steps: staff will notify the board when award decisions are received (staff said awards should be known in October for the BLM Community Fire Assistance program) and will return with contract documents and recommended awards before work commences.
