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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRAC Funding ApplicationRoad Department 61150 SE 27th St . • Bend, Oregon 97702 (541) 3BB-6581 • FAX (541) 388-2719 September 16, 2012 To: Erik Kropp, County Administrator Through : Chris Doty, Road Department Director Tom Shamberger, Operations Manager From: Dan Sherwin, Vegetation Manager Subject: Title 2 Grant Funding For Weed/Vegetation Education Program Erik, I would like to apply for additional funding from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self­ Determination Act of 2000 which is considered by the Deschutes-Ochoco Resource Advisory Committee . I have attached an outline of the grant proposal as well as the history of the weed education grant. The total project proposal is $42,990.80 . The amount requested from the RAC will be $28,776.00 and the in-kind from Deschutes County will be $12,776.00 . The grant will provide funding from October 1, 2012 to December 31,2014. The first RAC weed/vegetation education grant was provide in 2010 for $28,500 and a second grant in 2011 provided an additional $19,000 . This grant would continue to provide funding for the Deschutes County Weed/Vegetation Education Program . Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, r\ ~1i.--___­()/)AJ /fII-­ Dan Sherwin Quality Services Performed with Pride Grant Narrative • Background Deschutes County has managed a very successful Education and Outreach program for several years. The results of the outreach effort are evidenced for example by our annual community wide weed pull. What started as a few people, 70 in 2003, targeting a specific lot in their neighborhood has expanded to involve over a thousand volunteers in 4 cities within Deschutes county and a number of other non-incorporated areas. We have acquired and equipped a "Weed Education Trailer" that is present at many community events throughout the tri-county area such as: Deschutes County Fair, the Oregon State Fair, Crook County Farm Fair, Jefferson County Fair, Home and Garden Show, River Fest, Let's Pull Together, Living On A Few Acres conference. There are still many people to educate and motivate. Even with the current state of the economy Deschutes County continues to grow. People are moving to Central Oregon from everywhere in the United States and from around the world. These people need to be educated about noxious weed and how they can manage their properties and the environment. We don't want to lose the momentum we have developed through the previous outreach programs. • Scope of the Program The primary objective of this proposal is to educate the public about the threats associated with noxious weed and invasive plants, provide the tools necessary to identify harmful vegetation, and increase individual and collective knowledge, capability, and motivation that can be applied toward removal, control and prevention of the spread of harmful plants to minimize ongoing ecological damage occurring along waterways, upland drainage areas and restoration of native plants and ecological systems. Weed/vegetation education will be provided to the public by giving talks, lectures and power point presentations. Brochures will be available as well as visual noxious weed posters, films and other electronic media. Example of past educational outreach deliverables: Deschutes County Fair Weed Wagon Exhibit four days attendance of 240,000. Central Oregon Home and Garden Show 3 days with attendance of 12,000 people Television, Good Morning Central Oregon 4 shows, 15,000 viewers. Good Morning Central Oregon 4 interview viewed by 15,000 people Oregon State Fair one day attendance Neighborhood Association presentations and weed pulls attended by 600 people SWCD meeting 8 and field workshops 4 with attendance 220 people Agriculture, Schools and Natural Resource events 950 people Lets Pull Together and War On Weeds event reach 2,000 to 3,000 people. Weed Brochures distributed 3,000 to 4,000 per year. Rural Living Hand Books with weed information has been distributed to 7,000 landowners. • Partners Education and outreach will be provided to all private and public landowners in the Deschutes Basin and throughout Oregon. Deschutes County's vegetation program has partnered with Crook, Jefferson, Jackson, Klamath and Marion Counties; US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management; Bonneville Power Administration; Oregon Department of Agriculture; Oregon State Parks; US Fish and Wildlife; Oregon Fish and Wildlife; Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District; Oregon Department of Transportation; Upper Deschutes Watershed Council; numerous homeowners associations; elementary and high schools; and many nonprofit organizations. While it is not possible to assign a monetary value to each of these partners they all contribute some form of matching, in-kind, or cash funds.