Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tri County Workgroup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tri-County working group reviews 2025 priorities, highlights SRS reauthorization and Keno Dam study
Summary
Joanne Johnson, Siskiyou County project coordinator, briefed Tri-County officials on letters and activities supporting Bureau of Reclamation coordination, a Keno Dam fish‑passage study, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service engagement on gray wolf status, and Secure Rural Schools reauthorization that will deliver an estimated $38 million to the region through 2026.
Joanne Johnson, project coordinator for Siskiyou County administration, updated Tri-County supervisors on the work group's 2024–25 activities and priorities, saying the group has sent multiple letters to federal agencies and is moving forward on local coordination.
"My name is Joanne. I'm a project coordinator for Siskiyou County administration, and I've been supporting the Tri County's work group for the last 6 months," Johnson began, and then reviewed the group’s recent outreach: a February letter supporting Jason Phillips for a Bureau of Reclamation position; a July letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting ongoing work toward gray wolf delisting; an August meeting with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife about Keno Dam and follow-up support for Keno Dam retention citing flood-control, irrigation and wildlife refuge functions; and an October letter to House leadership urging reauthorization and stabilization of Secure Rural Schools funding.
The panel also discussed a regional wind‑up to recent Secure Rural Schools (SRS) action. A Tri‑County speaker summarized the funding outcome as "probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $38,000,000 over the course of 3 years to the Tri County's area," noting the dollars are intended for schools, forest projects, roads and law‑enforcement functions in sparsely populated counties. Board members acknowledged that SRS monies are far smaller than historic timber receipts but said the funds remain critical to rural services.
Supervisors and staff emphasized the working group's expanded scope beyond climate and water issues to broader natural-resource matters and urged continued inclusion of member boards and constituents to amplify local priorities at the federal level. Johnson confirmed staff can refresh previous letters and circulate them via DocuSign for expedited review when the group requests rapid action.
The working group did not take a formal policy position at this meeting on the forest‑ or SRS‑related items beyond directing staff to continue coordination and follow-up. Members asked staff to return draft language for ratification at subsequent regular board meetings.
