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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Request - Upper Desc River CoalitionDeschutes County Board of County Commissioners Discretionary Grant Program Board Meeting Date: March 25, 2013 & June 24, 2013 (continued from 31-d quarter review) Organization: Upper Deschutes River Coalition Organization Description: Grassroots non-profit organization created in 2003 to enable 26 neighborhoods within the Upper Deschutes River watershed to act collectively on natural resource challenges. Project Name: Fuel Reduction Maintenance Mailing Project Description: Produce and distribute Plan Prep and Go! And Defensible Space educational brochures to 7,000 property owners in the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District. Project Period: 4/1/2013 –10/30/2013 Amount of Request: $2,000 Previous Grants: Upper Deschutes River Coalition Upper Deschutes River Coalition Upper Deschutes River Coalition 11/30/2009 $ 1,500.00 Environmental education 8/30/2010 $ 1,500.00 Web content management system I0/12/2011 $ 2,500.00 Wildfire reduction mapping Approved: — Declined: a .< Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org DESCHUTES COUNTY DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION Direct Application to: Commissioner Tammy Baney Commissioner Tony DeBone Date: 3/11/2013 Project Name: Project Beginning Date: Amount of Request: Commissioner Alan Unger All Three Commissioners XXX Upper Deschutes River Coalition — Fuel Reduction Maintenance Mailing 4/1/2013 2,000.00 Applicant/Organization: Address: Project End Date: Date Funds Needed: Tax ID #: City & Zip: Telephone: Email: Upper Deschutes River Coalition PO Box 3042 Contact Name(s): Fax: Jerry Hubbard, VP & Ex. Director na Alternate Phone: 541-593-1777 10/30/2013 4/30/2013 03-0557393 Sunriver, OR 97707 541-390-9798 ihubbard n.chamberscable.com On a separate sheet, please briefly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Attach: Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status. * Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget. Tammy Baney: Amount: Signature: Tony De Bone: Amount: _ Signature: Alan Unger: Amount: Signature: UPPER DESCHUTES RIVER COALITION AND LA PINE RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT Plan Prep Go! Preparing Citizens to Plan Prep and Go! and Reduce the Threat of Wildland Urban Interface Fires Jerry Hubbard, UDRC and Mike Supkis, Fire Chief, La Pine Fire 3/11/2013 Grant Request To Deschutes County $2,000 In summary, the partnership between the La Pine Fire district and the Upper Deschutes River Coalition and the Plan, Prep and Go!/RSG program will allow both groups to reach out to 7,000 property owners in South Deschutes County which has not been done before. Providing information and services to absentee land owners, full time and part time residents on the need to create defensible spaces on their property is vital to reducing the threat of wildfire. Offering informational meetings and other outreach to citizens on the importance of planning and preparation for evacuations are of prime importance in our heavily wooded neighborhoods. Ready Set Go! and Deschutes County's support of our proposal will be another step forward in our efforts to improve the lives of our citizens in South Deschutes County. The end result will be expanded and improved educational programs and increased awareness of the need for fuel reduction and preparation for evacuations. DESCHUTES COUNTY - READY SET GO! GRANT INQIIRY UPPER DESCHUTES RIVER COALITION — INITIAL INQUIRY 3/11/2013 Organization The Upper Deschutes River Coalition (UDRC) is a grassroots non-profit organization created in 2003 to enable 26 neighborhoods within the Upper Deschutes River watershed to act collectively on natural resource challenges. The neighborhoods and 6,000 plus lot owners are located near and along the Wild and Scenic Upper Deschutes River, in the thick of a ponderosa pine and lodgepole forest from Sunriver south to Wickiup Reservoir in the southern part of Deschutes County, Oregon. Mission To protect the Upper Deschutes River communities by restoring and sustaining fire resistant forests, pure and abundant river flows and wildlife habitat. The UDRC achieves its mission by utilizing its extensive volunteer base and partners to accomplish many environmental benefit projects including environmental education programs for children and families, public & private forest fuel reduction projects and Community Fire Protection Planning; watershed health; and compliance with the Oregon Forestland — Urban Interface Fire Protection Act (Senate Bill 360). Through the Coalition's 2011 strategic planning process, we identified significant restoration and educational needs in the Upper Deschutes River area, which this grant request will address. Programs and Services • Watershed Program With other organizations, we focus on watershed issues including: o Balanced water flow on the Upper Deschutes o Fisheries expansion o River cleanup on the Upper and Little Deschutes Rivers, Spring and Fall Rivers Regional partner organizations include: o USFS Bend -Fort Rock Ranger District o Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife o Deschutes River Conservancy o Upper Deschutes Watershed Council o Oregon Department of Forestry o Deschutes County o Bureau of Land Management o La Pine Fire District and La Pine State Park • Private Land Fire Reduction Program Through collaborating with other agencies, volunteers and funding sources, the Coalition has reduced fuel loads on 602 private lots assisting landowners in complying with Oregon Senate Bill 360, which requires owners to certify their properties are fire safe. The Coalition has invested heavily in our service area - Newberry Country: UDRC Investments Per Neighborhood and Neighborhood Donations 2005 - 2012 (J Hubbard 3 11 13 Neighborhood NFP/WS 2005-09 County Sweat 2005-2012 Fuel Grants Equity 2011-12 Neighborhood Investments Investments ;Donations Beaver Road District $ 16,200 I $ 550 $ 250 Caldera Springs Cougar Grove Crosswate r DRRH 1-5 DRRH #6 DRRH #9 Fall River Haner Park Lazy River/Huntington Road OWW 1 OWW 2 Pinewood Country Estates River Forest Acres: River Meadows Sunda nce ;Spring River Sunriver Business Park Vandevert Ranch $ - $ 2,870 $ 3,370 $ 16,200 $ - $ 575 $ $ 4,185 $ 4,735 $ 101,228 $ 8,621 ' $ 5,171 $ 4,326 $ 3,936 ; $ 395 $ 1,960 $ 3,713 $ 2,075 $ 4,236 $ 100 $ 1,340 $ - $ 705 $ 1,360 $ 3,963 $ 7,270 $ 110,094 $ 3,800 ' $ 2,345 $ - $ 9,818 $ 2,320 $ - $ 50 $ 50 $ 4,752 $ 13,175 $ 2,615 $ - $ 8,805 $ 4,050 $ 23,900 $ 1,200 ' $ 1,700 $ - $ 9,840 ' $ 4,415 $ - $ 5,512 $ 50 $ 6,000 $ 1,250 $ 1,250 Total $ 292,859 $ 85,400 $ 38,066 • Environmental Education Program To educate and motivate our children, neighbors and visitors to become better stewards of our public and private lands in the Upper Deschutes River region. • People and Place The people served by the Coalition include: o 6,959 permanent residents and over 50,000 temporary visitors (sportsmen & vacationers) o 91% Caucasian, 6% Spanish, 2% Native American, 1% Other o 53 Median Age o $49,205 Median Income level The area served is: The Coalition encompasses a variety of land ownerships including: Private acres 12,547 Public lands acres (USFS & BLM) 53,959 Oregon State owned acres 2,288 Deschutes County -owned acres 211 Total Coalition Boundary Acres: 69,005 • Annual Operating Budget $23,296 in 2013. No deficit in the last three years. • Project Summary The Coalition members agree that in order to address issues in the new 2012 Newberry Country comprehensive plan for South Deschutes County, we need to reach out to the 7,000 property owners in the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District which also covers a large service area of the UDRC. By informing property owners on the need to reduce fuel loading on their property and to Plan, Prep and Go! (Ready Set Go!) in case of approaching fires we can reach two goals of the County's, Project Wildfire, La Pine Fire and the Upper Deschutes River Coalition's The purpose of the grant is to provide Plan Prep and Go! (this is the County's name for Ready Set Go!) and Defensible Space educational brochure via mail to 7,000 property owners in the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District. The service area for the Fire service is 110 square miles and the ambulance coverage area is 1,000 square miles. The UDRC will install new fire danger signage with a space for the Ready Set Go/Plan Prep Go! tag line at three key entry points to the Coalition's 26 neighborhoods. The official fire danger signs in the Upper Deschutes region of Central Oregon serve two major purposes. They are a local daily reminder to the citizens of our communities that they live in a WUI zone which is seasonally hazardous. This prompts action such as developing defensive able space and hardening of homes - the "Plan" ("Ready") in the RSG program. The second feature is situational awareness of the current fire danger —the "Prep" ("Set") in the RSG program. Please note that the Deschutes County's Plan Prep Go program was one of forerunner models for the national RSG. We have adopted RSG and are transitioning to that national program nomenclature. 4 The La Pine's three fire stations and the admin. office will display information on the Plan Prep Go! program on roadside signage, articles will be offered to the Newberry Eagle newspaper and the Sunriver Scene paper. The Eagle's circulation is 4,000. The Scene has 9,000 circulations with another 500 readers using the Scene's web site to read the paper. The UDRC will feature the program in its E News which goes to 370 people plus we will do an article to the same newspapers. The UDRC holds monthly meetings attended by our Board representing 26 communities plus Federal, State, County partners and other nonprofits. Information packets will be available at each of our ten meetings plus information will be on the UDRC web site. The address signs currently available on our web site cost $20 each. The grant would provide the ability for the UDRC and Fire District to get additional address signs to those that are at risk and who's personal budgets (e.g. senior retirees) may be an issue. The La Pine Fire Corp/Support Team volunteered to put up address signs. La Pine Fire will hold a spring and summer public meeting to present the program. Please see the link below to view the Plan Prep Go! brochure which Project Wildfire has 150,000 brochures so we don't need to order brochures. Without the mailing service handling 7,000 mailings we will not do the program as we will not get volunteers to stuff and mail 7,000 items. To date, we have successfully collaborated with the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry and Deschutes County to reduce hazardous fuels on both public and private lands. Now, as we turn to a more comprehensive approach to the total environmental challenge here, we continue to foster these working relationships to achieve more than one group or agency can do alone. Thus our joint request to Deschutes County and Ready Set Go! from La Pine fire and the Coalition. Why this project: The Upper Deschutes River Coalition, since 2005, has raised $611,722 in grants and $63,194 in general support. Of the total raised, only one operating grant of $100,000 was obtained to fund operating expenses from 2005 to the third quarter of 2009. The Coalition has a proven record of accomplishment in collaborating with citizens, neighborhoods, Federal, State, County agencies and other non -profits organizations working on the Upper Deschutes River basin. With a Deschutes County and Ready Set Go! grants and the ongoing fund development program, the Coalition and La Pine Fire will be able to continue its work on reducing the threat of wild fires and education of our children and citizens on the need to reduce the potential of wildfires and the need to be ready to Go!. • Expected outcomes: In summary, the partnership between the La Pine Fire District and the Upper Deschutes River Coalition and the Plan, Prep and Go!/RSG program will allow both groups to reach out to 7,000 property owners in South Deschutes County which has not been done before. Providing 5 information and services to absentee land owners, full time and part time residents on the need to create defensible spaces on their property is vital to reducing the threat of wildfire. Offering informational meetings and other outreach to citizens on the importance of planning and preparation for evacuations are of prime importance in our heavily wooded neighborhoods. Deschutes County and Ready Set Go! support of our proposal will be another step forward in our efforts to improve the lives of our citizens in South Deschutes County The end result will be expanded and improved educational programs and increased awareness of the need for fuel reduction. Our children and grand children will be given an environmental legacy that they can enjoy for decades. • Project Budget $6,092 • UDRC Defensible Space Brochure, w/ line for Ready Set Go/Plan Prep Go! qty. 7,000 $672 • Plan Prep Go! Brochure, qty. 7,000, on hand $0 • Mailing (fold, stuff, address & mail) 7,000 $2,240 • Fire Condition Signs, key entry points into 26 communities, qty. 3 w/ $1,500 Ready Set Go! Plan Prep Go! sign under the main sign Fire Danger Signs through the Official Smokey licensees - smokeyzone.com In-kind Installation by volunteers $0 • Reflective address signs for residents who cannot afford buying signs $1,500 Signs, qty. 75 Sign blank, reflective number stickers (10) and a 6' post and mounting bolts, installation by volunteers • UDRC web site — add Plan Prep Go! Add Ready Set Go/Plan Prep Go! information to web sites. $180 • Total Budget: $5,092. • Plus Other Donations: Grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry Defensible Space brochure $1,500: $900 for envelopes, 9"x12" qty. 7,000 $601 for letterhead, La Pine Fire & UDRC, qty 7,000 double sided printing Ready Set Go Grant of $1,000 received January 2013. o Deschutes County Grant Request $2,000. Budget Narrative The UDRC's 2013 budget does not include funds for projects. The budget funds the 1/3 time Executive Director, liability and board/officer insurance and rent. The Deschutes County and Ready Set Go! grants will fund the project with staff and volunteer support from La Pine Fire and the Coalition. This is a onetime mailing outreach project with ongoing E News, news releases and articles to maintain interest in defensible space and Plan Prep and Go! • UDRC Defensible Space Brochure, w/ line for Ready Set Go/Plan Prep Go! qty. 7,000, cost $672. o We have about 1,000 brochures on hand for use in 2013 and thus need to order new brochures. • Plan Prep Go! Brochure, qty. 7,000, on hand, hence no cost. 6 o Project Wildfire will provide the brochures. • Mailing (fold, stuff, address & mail) qty. 7,000, $2,240 o We will use a local mailing service for the mailing as a 7,000 unit mailing is beyond our volunteer's ability to do. • Fire Condition Signs, key entry points into 26 communities, qty. 3, $1500 o Ready Set Go! Plan Prep Go! sign under the main sign Fire Danger Signs through the Official Smokey licensees - smokeyzone.com In-kind Installation by volunteers, $0 • Reflective address signs for residents who cannot afford buying signs, $1,500 Signs, qty. 75 Sign blank, reflective number stickers (10) and a 6' post and mounting bolts, installation by volunteers. • UDRC web site — add Plan Prep Go! Add Ready Set Go/Plan Prep Go! information to web site, two hours of web person time. $180 • Schedule of expenditures • April — finalize print materials • May — print materials • June — mail materials • UDRC's E News features Plan Prep Go! • July — workshops on Plan Prep Go! by La Pine Fire • August — UDRC monthly meeting on Plan Prep Go! • September — UDRC Annual Appreciation Event — feature Plan Prep Go! • Project Sustainability The part time Executive Director and the Private Land Committee will focus on finding funds for additional fuel reduction on the high risk lots in the Coalition's and la Pine Fire's service area. 7