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Watershed council highlights $1.2M in local projects, plans walking path in Long Creek
Summary
The North Fork John Day Watershed Council told the Grant County Court it managed about $1.2 million in 2025 with 90% of funds staying in Grant County and outlined a 2026 work plan that includes a Rudio Watershed Action Plan and a community walking path in Long Creek.
Executive Director Kristin Walz presented the North Fork John Day Watershed Council's 2025 accomplishments and the 2026 work plan to the Grant County Court on May 6.
Walz told the court the council managed approximately $1.2 million in 2025, with about 90% of those funds remaining in Grant County. The 2025 portfolio included the Ritter Riparian Assessment and restoration work on Eightmile and Sixmile Creeks, where staff used beaver-dam-analog techniques and adaptive management to restore riparian function.
The council's 2026 work plan, as described by Walz, includes development of the Rudio Watershed Action Plan and construction of a quarter- to half-mile walking path in Long Creek. The walking path project will feature kiosks that present natural-resource and local-history information created in collaboration with the Long Creek Historical Society and local schools.
Council staff present were Finance Manager Silke Meinl and restoration project managers Javan Bailey and Sidney Noble. The presentation noted ongoing challenges, including overstocked forests that increase wildfire risk and the need for continued collaboration with public land agencies to address cross-boundary forest and water-resource issues.
