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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDCSWCD Grant Application - Sage GrouseToday's Date: Deschutes County Board of Commissioners PO Box 6005, Bend, OR 97701-6005 1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 200, Bend, OR Telephone: 541-388-6571 Fax: 541-385-3202 Website: www.deschutes.ai DESCHUTES COUNTY DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION 7-28-2014 Project Beginning Date: Project Name: July 1, 2014 Amount Requested: L$5,000.00 Name of Applicant Organization: Address: Deschutes SWCD Sage Grouse 1 Project End Date: JDate Funds Needed: June 30, 2015 ASAP Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District 625 SE Salmon Ave City & Zip Code: Contact Name(s): Fax #: Redmond, Or 97756 Tammy Harty, Manager Tax T]) #: Telephone #: 541-815-0203 Email Address: [ tammyharty@msn.com On a separate sheet(s), 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 positively impact the community. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. 7. 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. Sage Grouse Project 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. The Deschutes SWCD is a non -regulatory agency that assists landowners in providing leadership, education, motivation and assistance to the citizens of Deschutes County for responsible, efficient stewardship of our soil and water resources. The SWCD is managed by a board of 7 directors representing various areas of the County. We also assist landowners in receiving grants through OWER and other grant sources to implement projects that benefit soil and water, habitat and water quality. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. We are asking for assistance with the Sage Grouse ESA issue. We have landowners in Deschutes County with Sage Grouse habitat on their lands. The decision to list the Sage Grouse as endangered is due to happen in September, 2015. We could offer an option of protection for these landowners through a program of Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances. A CCAA is a voluntary agreement whereby landowners agree to manage their lands to remove or reduce threats to a species that may become listed under the ESA. In return for managing their lands to the benefit of a species at risk landowners receive assurances against additional regulatory requirements should that species be listed under the ESA. The protections afforded under these agreements are not available once the Sage Grouse is listed as an endangered species. Time is of the essence in making this opportunity available to landowners in Deschutes County. The .Deschutes SWCD has partnered with Crook County in a joint agreement to share in the expense of making this program available. Crook County SWCD has accomplished this portion of the project. The Deschutes SWCD will incur expenses to take this plan to the landowners in Deschutes County. There are no funds available in this fiscal year's ODA scope of work to spend on the Sage Grouse issue. The total cost to have this program is estimated at $10,000 to $12, 000 for each County. Through a multi -county cooperative, we expect to be able to accomplish this for $5, 000. We will be involved in the outreach to Deschutes County landowners including hosting a workshop for interested landowners. We also need to finalize the MOU with Crook SWCD and the multi -county cooperative that is already working with their landowners. We will be involved in the development and documentation of Deschutes County landowner .specific plans. We will be the ones writing OWE$ and other funding source grants in order to carry out the landowner plans to restore habitat. Current ODA funding does not cover these activities. We ask that you dedicate $5, 000 to this program. The funds would be used to develop the MOU, do ranch visits and develop plans, work with partners including effected landowners & Crook SWCD, education and outreach, ranch plans with interested landowners and then write grants to get fitnding to carry out the plans to restore habitat. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. Time is of the essence. The anticipated listing date for the Sage Grouse is September 2015. So, we have a year to get landowners on hoard so they can be protected prior to the listing which is expected to lake effect in September 2015. These plans take time as does the application process to get grant funds to carry out the habitat restoration activities. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will positively impact the community. Landowners in Deschutes County will have the option to receive assurances against additional regulatory requirements should that species he listed under the ESA. The protections afforded under these agreements are no longer available once the Sage Grouse is actually listed as an endangered species. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. Landowners in Deschutes County with existing Sage Grouse or existing or potential Sage Grouse habitat on their land. 6. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. The funds would he used to develop the MOU, do ranch visits and develop plans, work with partners including effected landowners & Crook SWCD, education and outreach, ranch plans with interested landowners and then write grants to get funding to carry out the plans to restore habitat. The funds will be used for personnel expenses, travel and any other actual expense involved in education, outreach and the development of these plans_ All administrative and overhead expenses are already covered by the ODA grant and many of the informational and mapping resources required to develop these plans are provided by NRCS. 7. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. This grant is to gel landowners enrolled in the CCAA and write grants to do the habitat restoration projects. The enrollment needs to take place before the species is listed which is anticipated in September 2015. So this will be a project that lasts a little over a year.