Wasco County Releases strategy for $6 million fire defense fund
From Wasco County:
By Stephanie Krell
The Miller Road Fire near Tygh Valley and Maupin burned more than 10,000 acres in 2022, destroying property and upending people living in rural areas impacted by the blaze. The USDA recently announced $6 million in funding to help prevent blazes such as these in Wasco County.
Wasco County is excited to announce that the county has been awarded a grant of $5.9 million through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. This significant federal funding will be used during the next five years to enhance and improve the county's efforts in defending against wildfires.
Grant partners include the Wamic Rural Fire Protection District, Juniper Flat Rural Fire Protection District, Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, Oregon State Fire Marshal, and OSU Extension Fire Program.
The $5.9 million grant will be used for various projects, including roadside and hazard tree treatments, defensible space buffers, property level risk assessments, and community education, in addition to recruitment for a countywide Wildfire Coordinator to support ongoing efforts. These projects will not only help protect lives and property but also ensure a safer response in case of a wildfire.
The Dalles Unit Forester, Kristin Dodd, stated, “Based on increasing threats from wildfires, meaningful cross-boundary, multi-jurisdictional, and local community engagement actions need to occur to be successful. This Wasco County CWDG proposal was designed and intended to meet local needs. Staffing and activities funded through this grant has been built on other treatment and efforts in recent years and will set Wasco County up well in the years to come.”
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program is a federal initiative aimed at supporting communities in their efforts to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires. The program provides funding to local governments for projects that improve the safety and resilience of communities at risk of wildfire.
"We are thrilled to receive this grant and appreciate the support in our ongoing efforts to protect our community from the threat of wildfires," said Wasco County Planning Director, Kelly Howsley-Glover. "This funding will allow us to implement important projects that will enhance our defense against wildfires and make our community safer for all residents."
Regional Fire Specialist for OSU Extension Fire Program, Kayla Bordelon, shared, "This collaboratively developed project has it all: not only the capacity needed to coordinate wildfire resilience efforts across the county, but the boots-on-the-ground money to get work done. It was a pleasure to help develop the project and I look forward to working with local agencies and landowners to move the needle on wildfire resilience in South Wasco County over the next five years."
"This represents Oregon's largest CWDG award this year, and we are eager to enhance the safety of Wasco County," stated Simone Cordery-Cotter, Fire Risk Reduction Specialist for the Oregon State Fire Marshal. "Our partners at the U.S. Forest Service are well aware of the risks, and through our collective efforts at all levels, we will work tirelessly to protect our communities. Achieving this goal is only possible through strong partnerships."
Wasco County has been actively working on wildfire prevention and preparedness measures for several years. With this additional funding, we can further strengthen our efforts and continue making progress in creating a safer environment for our community.
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program is part of the larger National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, which aims to restore and maintain healthy landscapes, create fire-adapted communities, and improve wildfire response capabilities.
For more information about the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/cwdg.
