Federal grants give $29 million to 4 Washington restoration projects | Spokane News

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Department of Natural Resources is passing on about $29 million to four projects in eastern and central Washington.

The Washington segment of the funding was awarded to the Colombia Land Trust, the Spokane Conservation District, the Spokane Valley Fire Department and the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative.

“Securing this funding is a big win for wildfire mitigation and forest restoration projects in Washington,” said George Geissler, DNR’s State Forester and Deputy Supervisor responsible for Forest Resilience and Wildland Fire Management.

The Colombia Land Trust was awarded $9,672,839 for a project  aimed towards reducing hazardous fuel conditions within the Yakama Indian Reservation.

The Okanogan County Electric Cooperative was awarded $4,210,310 for a project called the “Vegetation Management and Fuels Reduction Project.”

The Spokane Conservation District was awarded $9,258,647 for its education and prevention program.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department was awarded $5,500,194 for reducing wildfire risks in Spokane Valley through comprehensive and collaborative wildfire mitigation strategies.

The funding originally came from an investment from the United State Department of Agriculture. On September 23, the U.S. The Secretary of Agriculture announced that the USDA Forest Service would invest $200 million in 58 projects across the country.

The investment is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is used for Community Wildfire Defense Grants, which is how they are distributed to programs across the country. The grant program is in its third year. 

Grants are awarded based on guidelines from the Department of Natural Resource’s 20-year Forest Health Strategic Plan, which aims to restore 1.25 million acres of forest to healthy conditions. 

“At a time when belts are tightening and Washington state is facing a budget shortfall, receiving these grant dollars is even more meaningful,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. “Investing in wildfire prevention can reduce the severity of fires and potentially save money in wildfire suppression, and I’m thankful for our federal partners’ continued contributions through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program.”

To read more about the grant winning programs across the country and their goals, visit the USDA’s page on Community Wildlife Defense Grant funded proposals.