Lakeview SWCD Annual Report
FISCAL YEAR 2013-2014
Honey Creek Fish Passage
District History & Mission
During the 1930s, the "Dust Bowl" made the need to conserve natural resources, and particularly soil, very clear. Agencies, ranging from Land Grant Universities to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, researched and implemented conservation practices throughout the nation. Eventually, the Soil Conservation Service was created, under the Soil Conservation Act of 1935, to develop and implement soil erosion control programs.
It soon became evident that local leadership was needed to coordinate efforts of conservation agencies to tie them into local conditions and priorities. As a consequence, in 1937 the United States Congress developed a model conservation district law for consideration by state governments.
In 1939, the Oregon legislature passed legislation, which enabled the establishment of conservation districts in Oregon. Conservation districts were charged with directing programs to protect local, renewable natural resources.
Conservation Districts are local government subdivisions, established under state law, to carry out programs for the conservation, use and development of soil, water and related resources. Districts coordinate and implement resource and environmental programs at the local level in cooperation with federal and state agencies. They have demonstrated capabilities in resource protection, development and management, which equip them to be catalysts in bringing together facets of the community that will benefit from a united undertaking to address resource problems and needs.
The Lakeview Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was established July 31, 1947. The Lakeview SWCD board consists of five directors elected by the public at the November General Election, which is held in even-number years. Three of the five director positions are classified as zone positions, and must meet the zone requirements provided by ORS 568.560. The other two director positions are considered at-large positions. To qualify as an at-large position, a person must live in the Lakeview area and be a registered voter.
District directors are your neighbors; men and women from your business and professional communities and the farmers and ranchers who understand the ecological relationship of soil, water, plants and animals.
The mission of the Lakeview Soil and Water Conservation District is to provide technical assistance to individuals, groups, and other agencies for the purpose of managing and enhancing our natural resources, environment, and economy with a vision to conserve and develop Lake County’s soil, water and related resources for the economic and environmental benefit of the people.
District Operations
Over the years the Lakeview SWCD has operated on a minimal amount of funding but has still been able to be effective in expanding its capacity in the County. We are grateful for the funding we receive from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and ask that they continue to support the SWCD’s. ODA funding makes it possible to increase the staff’s salary’s at a fair market value.
The District monthly and annual operations include monthly board meetings with minutes produced and mailed out to state and federal agencies to expand their knowledge of what we are doing.
The District started the 2013-2014 year out by:
The staff completed and the board reviewed and approved the Annual Work Plan, Annual Budget, Scope of Work, Annual Report, budget and agreement as well as submitting quarterly progress reports and financial reports to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
The annual meeting was held in February.
The District completed and submitted its annual audit review to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of State and its board members.
Funding:
The Lakeview SWCD applied for and received:
Full administrative Local Management Agency (LMA) and Technical Assistance (TA) funds from the Oregon Department of Agriculture are to support the District personnel to continue administrative practices, District operations and to give technical assistance to landowners.
A small amount of administration funding came in from grant funding that helps sustain our efforts in conservation and watershed health.
The District has a Rangeland Drill and Aerator that is rented to cooperators to help with conservation practices and provides a small portion of funding.
District Accomplishments
The Lakeview SWCD completed a number of grant projects. One large project replaced a non-functional irrigation weir with a structure that will allow the diversion of irrigation water while providing fish passage and screening for redband trout and the Warner sucker. This is a series of collaborative projects that will take several years. The Ultimate objective is to replace all the irrigation diversions with a structure that allows irrigation diversion with fish passage and screening. Other projects included juniper thinning, erosion control and pond spillway stabilization, stock water sites, riparian fencing, and small pond construction capable of catching existing tail water and installing a small pumping plant to deliver water back to flood irrigated land.
The District also continues to partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in their cost-share programs for producers such as EQIP. The SWCD staff and board members promoted the Environmental Quality Incentives Program in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a cost-share program.
The District continues to promote the conservation of natural resources and water quality and quantity on agricultural lands in Lake County by submitting grant applications for on the ground projects.
Technical assistance has been provided to landowners through grant writing, financial assistance, visitations, and follow-up for operation and maintenance.
The District has worked with the Lake County Watershed Councils, NRCS and other entities in identification, resource concerns, research and monitoring needs as well as assisting the Lake County Watershed Coordinators with tasks related to natural resource conservation and water quality and quantity and technical assistance.
The SWCD has been working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service creating the Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA). This agreement is to maintain and/or improve greater sage-grouse habitat while contributing to the economic sustainability of landowners and maintaining the ranching culture and agricultural way of life in Lake County. Participants voluntarily commit to implementing sage-grouse conservation practices such as juniper removal, invasive annual grass and weed control and marking fences known to be a strike hazard for sage-grouse. It also gives landowners an opportunity to maintain grazing and other traditional agricultural practices. Sign-ups will take place in January 2015.
The staff attended the annual OACD conference in Newport and CONNECTS 2014 Workshop in Welches, Oregon. Lakeview and Fort Rock/Silver Lake SWCD were presented with the District Recognition Award at the OACD conference. This award was for outstanding contributions and success in developing partnerships for conservation.
Ag Water Quality Program
Every biennium, the District can apply for grant funding for landowners to do small ($10,000) projects. These are lottery funds that come through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). As of June 30, 2014, the SWCD and Watershed Councils successfully expended the $100,000. These grant funds covered conservation projects such as juniper thinning, bank stabilization, riparian fencing, off-site watering, irrigation diversions, fish screens and ladders.
Educational Outreach
Once again, the Lakeview SWCD brought their annual speech contest to the 7th grade students. The District believes that it’s important for our young people know what Lake County’s natural resources are andlearn about them.
This year’s theme “Dig Deeper, Mysteries in the Soil” gave students the opportunity to find out that a soil is an amazing substance; a complex mix of minerals, air and water; that it also teems with countless micro-organisms, and the decaying remains of once-living things. They discovered that soil is made of life and soil makes life. To the farmer, soil is where crops grow, to the engineer, soil is a foundation upon which to build; to the ecologist, soil supports communities of living things, to the archaeologist, soil holds clues to past cultures, to the city dweller, soil nurtures grass and gardens, to the soil scientist, soil is all of these things. Soil has been called “the skin of the earth” because it is the thin outermost layer of the earth’s crust. Like our own skin, we can’t live without soil.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Range Specialist, Les Boothe gave a presentation to the students to help them in their research on the subject and it served to peak their interest and inspire ideas for their speeches.
Students delivered great speeches and were awarded with a certificate of participation. The top three winners; Grady Davidson 3rd place, Keenan Sterba 2nd place and Bailey Henning 1st place, received a cash reward, a gift certificate and their name on the District plaque.
2013-2014 financial Report
Revenues:
Carryover……………………………...$161,531
General Funds………………………$106,510
Grant Funds………………………….$200,463
WTS Funds..………………………….$ 52,206
Money Mkt……………………………$ 32,495
Interest…………………………….....$ 278
TOTALS: $553,483
Expenditures:
Personnel…………………………...$126,010
Production Costs…………………$ 52,554
Grant Expenses…………………..$200,492
TOTALS: $379,056
Ending Balance in Bank………$174,427
SWCD Board Members
Theresa TaylorKeith BarnhartRossMcGarva
Secretary/TreasurerVice ChairChair
Zone 1Zone 2Zone 3
Clark Maxwell Scott Warner
Board Member Board Member
At-Large At-Large 1
SWCD Staff
Justin Ferrell Nancey Pennington Susan Mungarro
Project Manager Office Manager Educational Coordinator
(541) 219-2698 (541) 947-5855 (541) 947-2367 Ext 107
NRCS Staff
Max CorningMaggie Bishop
District Conservationist Range Management Specialist
Phone: (541) 947-2367 Ext 108Phone: (541) 947-2367 Ext 106
2014-2015 Calendar Events
- LAKE COUNTY FAIR SEPTEMBER 2014
- WATER ISSUE WORKSHOP March 2015
- BUG AND PONY SHOW APRIL 2015
- STEWARDSHIP WEEK MAY 2015
- PROMOTION OF RAP CAMP MAY 2015
- ANNUAL SPEECH CONTEST MAY 2015
- RURAL LIVING HANDBOOK JUNE 2015
- PUBLICATION JUNE 2015
♦TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR WATER QUALITY/QUANTITY, SOIL EROSION, AND RIPARIAN CONDITIONS
2014-2015 PROJECTS:
JUNIPER THINNING OFF-SIGHT WATERING
CONSERVATION PLANNING RIPARIAN FENCING
SAGE GROUSE WORK ON ODA FOCUS AREA
Project Partners
The Lakeview SWCD provides conservation planning, technical assistance and financial grant assistance to landowners who desire to implement the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watershed Health issues by working with the following agencies and entities:
Army Corps of Engineers (ACE)
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Lake County Watershed Councils and Coordinators
Goose Lake Fishes Working Group
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Farm Service Agency (FS)
FRSL Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)
Oregon Association of Conservation Districts (OACD)
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODF&W)
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)
Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA)
Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL)
Oregon State University Extension Service (OSU)
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&W)
Lake County Cooperative weed Management Area (LCCwMA)
Without our partners we couldn’t get much done and express our thanks and appreciation to them.
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