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Councils, land trusts and districts press OWEB for capacity, collaboration and clarified funding
Summary
During public comment, leaders from land trusts, watershed councils and conservation districts highlighted local outcomes, urged stable capacity funding and praised OWEB programs while seeking fixes to eligibility and collaboration funding streams.
A broad set of public commenters addressed the board during the scheduled public comment period, praising OWEB programs and asking for more reliable capacity funding and reinstated collaboration grants.
Joe Buttafuoco (Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts) highlighted the coalition’s State of the Lands report with more than 780,000 acres protected and asked the board to continue investments in acquisition and stewardship. Terry Prigg Rigsby (Network of Oregon Watershed Councils) outlined training and policy support for councils and requested a biennial cost‑of‑living increase to sustain staff. Several watershed council directors described coverage gaps where councils are ineligible for capacity grants and asked for rule changes so small or new councils can access basic operating support.
Multiple commenters emphasized on‑the‑ground improvements—PIT‑tag arrays, river stretches cooled by restoration, wildlife‑crossing feasibility studies—and credited OWEB funding for enabling those outcomes. The board acknowledged the comments and directed staff to bring the eligibility language and spending plan adjustments into forthcoming rulemaking and committee work.
