Enclosure 3A - Project Summary Form
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Wildland Urban Interface Fuels / Education and
Prevention / Community Planning for Fire Protection Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Heart of Oregon Corps
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
(541) 617-6040
(541) 383-0165
daveh@deschutes.org
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
Juvenile Community Justice, 63360 Britta Street. Building 1. Bend, OR 97701
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Janice Jaworski, Chairperson Heart of Oregon Corps
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Heart of Oregon Corps
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
(541) 617-6040
(541) 383-0165
jaworski@bendcable.com
Project Information
Project Title:
Trout Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction
Proposed Project Start Date:
Proposed Project End Date:
September 1, 2002
September 1, 2003
Federal Funding Request:
Total Project Funding:
$73,550
$180,870
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
No
Brief Project Description:
The Trout Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction project is a multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional
partnership that aims to:
(1) Reduce hazardous forest fuel in the wildland urban interface surrounding the community of Sisters,
Oregon;
(2) Preserve and enhance the viability of rare plant species such as the Peck's penstemon both on and off
federal lands;
(3 Increase public awareness of the importance of defensible space for wildland urban interface residential
communities throughout the Sisters School district; and
(4) Provide paid skill building and employment opportunities for local low-income and/or at-risk youth.
Project Location (latitude/longitude if applicable):
County:
Congressional District:
Trout Creek Conservation Area
Deschutes
2
Project Type: Check appropriate project type. More than one type may be checked. If only Box (4) is checked, use Enclosure 4.
(1)
(2)
Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Project
Wildland Urban Interface Education and Prevention Project
(3)
(4)
Community Planning for Fire Protection Project
Fuels Utilization and Marketing Project
If the applicant is an unincorporated area, define the geographic area being represented:
Enclosure 3B (Page 1 of 3) - Project Narrative Description
Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses longer than one page,
single space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
 project location
Address these
 project implementation
items as
 anticipated outcomes
applicable:
 measures and reporting
 interagency partners





project relationship to community or natural landscape fire plans
project time frames and income
specify types of activities and equipment used
amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc)
environmental, cultural and historical resource requirements
The Trout Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction project is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional
project covering 160 fire hazard acres in Deschutes County. The area is owned by the Sisters School District,
and is a protected conservation easement administered by the non-profit Deschutes Basin Land Trust. The
area is bordered by properties owned by private individuals, the Tollgate Homeowners Association and the
USDA - Forest Service respectively. The area is covered under the current Fire Plan for the Sisters/Camp
Sherman Fire District. Forest Service environmental and cultural assessments have been completed on the
area already; this project would begin the implmentation phase immediately. This proposal has been
developed by an already existing local coordination group comprised of the Sisters School District, the
Deschutes Basin Land Trust and the Heart of Oregon Corps, in consultation with the USDA-Forest Service.
Response:
The area is comprised of second growth pine trees that would benefit from thinning, shrub removal, clearing
and prescribed fire. The area also contains the fire evolved, protected species Peck's penstemon. Overgrown,
shady conditions on the property are limiting the population's health and vigor.
Due to the requirements of managing an area with a protected species, the project proposes a one year plan to
reduce wildfire risk in the forest-urban interface, manage the area for the benefit of the rare plant Peck's
penstemon, and provide paid job skills opportunities for local youth through a partnership between the Sisters
School District, the Deschutes Basin Land Trust and the Heart of Oregon Corps, a non-profit agency that
provides low-income and at-risk youth with paid opportunities for job skills education and growth. The
completed fuels treatments will meet Senate Bill 360 standards for eastside ecosystems in wildland urban
interface communities.
The Heart of Oregon Corps will coordinate the project. Phases include: (1) Marking and identification of the
area, particularly areas containing Peck's penstemon. (2) Forest clearing and trails development, using sixperson crews comprised of youth currently unenrolled in school, but who will enroll in the Sisters School
District's Alternative School as a requirement of their participation in the project. (3) Quarterly local
coordination group meetings which will include the USDA - Forest Service and can assist in developing the
Central Oregon Local Coordination Group meant to be operating by October 2002. (4) Future increased fuels
utilization. The Heart of Oregon Corps has been awarded $35,000 to produce a marketing strategy and model
for wood utilization. This process will utilize the experiences and products of the Trout Creek project, adding
to the project's overall benefit. (5) Future increased community awareness and involvement in fire prevention
and conservation. Projected, measureable outcomes include:
1. Protected conservation easement that meets all standards and requirements of a fire protected area,
including Senate Bill 360. This will be demonstrated by zero fires in the area for the duration of the project,
the maintenance or improvement of Peck's penstemeon proliferation, and the preservation of approximately
$60 million in property and home values.
2. Increased immediate and future economic opportunities for 20 low-income and at-risk youth in the Sisters
area. This will be demonstrated by the school enrollment, paid participation and conservation/fire protection
skills gained by at least 20 youth over the project's duration.
3. Improved community-governmental relationships through outreach and education of project goals and
results, demonstrated by Tollgate Homeowner's Association participation in meetings and area maintenance.
Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Within each criterion, subcriteria are listed in descending order of importance. Limit your responses to the areas provided.
1. Reducing Fire Risk. (40 points))
A. Describe how the proposal promotes reduction of risk in high hazard areas or communities, or natural landscapes.
B. Describe how the proposed project benefits resources on federal land or adjacent non-federal land, or how it protects the safety
of communities.
C. To what extent does the project implement or create a cooperative (1) fuels treatment plan or (2) community fire strategy
(include evidence of the plan if it already exists)?
D. Explain to what extent the affected community or proponent has been involved or plans to involve the affected community in a
qualified fuels education program (e.g., FIREWISE).
E. Explain how the proposal (1) leads to, enhances or restores a local fire-adapted ecosystem, and/or (2) mitigates or leads to the
mitigation of hazardous fuel conditions.
F. How will the proposed treatments or programs be maintained in future years?
Response: (A/E)The project's
first aim is to reduce fire risk in a current fire hazard area by developing a trail
system, removing dead bitter brush and tree limbs along roads and the trail system, and thinning of
suppressed and distressed trees in the area. The project will maintain and enhance the area's proliferation of
Peck's penstemon, a fire-adapted species.
(B)Trout Creek Conservation Area is owned by the Sisters School District, includes an area administered by
the Deschutes Basin Land Trust and is bordered by Federal lands and private residential properties.
Completed fuels treatment in the Trout Creek area would provide invaluable benefit to adjacent federal and
residential areas.
(C) The project is a multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional project aimed at protecting school buildings,
students and residential properties from the ravages of wildfire. The project falls within the parameters of the
Sisters/Camp Sherman Local Fire Plan, and will be monitored by a multi-agency local coordination group on
a quarterly basis.
(D/F) The city of Sisters has participated in the Firefree program. This project will build on the area's
established commitment to fire protection and increased community awareness and responsibility for fire
protection. A key goal is to complete sufficient outreach and information for the local Homeowner's
Association to participate with the Sisters School District in maintaining trails and implementing future fire
protection efforts such as controlled burn and trimming in the area once developed by the project.
2. Increasing local capacity. (30 points)
A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable economic
activity? How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long (please distinguish between essentially yearround and seasonal jobs)? How will this proposal link to toher projects (or proposed projects) to create year-round jobs?
B. To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities or natural landscapes?
C. Will biomass or forest fuels be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much?
Response: (A) The Trout
Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction project will utilize local youth skills and
labor and encourage school enrollment amongst youth who have ceased attending school. The Heart of
Oregon Corps is a local, non-profit youth training and employment program that reduces poverty, stimuates
economic growth and maintains the natural environment. The project will provide direct employment for a
minimum of 20 youth and one adult crew leader/skills trainer who will have the opportunity for year-round
employment and one adult on a limited, weekly basis to mark and delineate property. Importantly, the project
will also provide youth a life-time supply of work experience and job skills that relate to fire prevention,
conservation and the natural environment.
(B) The project will utilize the benefits of another grant-funded Corps project, a fuels utilization marketing
strategy that will produce a utilization replication model informed by the Trout Creek project. An
environmental studies/forestry class in the Sisters Alternative School will participate in creating marketable
wood products from the project. In these ways, the experience and benefits of the project will serve as an
example for replication for other similar need areas in Central Oregon.
(C) An estimated $5,000 in forest fuels will be utilized from the project, as the utilization marketing strategy
project of the Heart of Oregon Corps will be conducted and finalized within the timeframe of this proposal.
Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
3. Increasing interagency and intergovernmental coordination. (15 Points)
A. Describe how this project implements a local intergovernmental strategy or plan, or creates such a plan. Describe the plan if it
already exists.
B. Explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning through a “Local Coordination Group” for wildland fire
activities, or among federal, state, tribal, local government and community organizations. List the cooperators (a detailed list
of cooperators will be required for projects that are funded).
Response: (A) The Trout
Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction project affects and is managed by many
stakeholders. The Heart of Oregon Corps has broad-ranging goals for poverty reduction and youth job skills,
and a history of working collaboratively with many agencies and stakeholders to reach those goals.
Accordingly the Trout Creek project has been planned collaboratively and will be carried out similarly. An
already existing local coordination group, comprised of the Sisters School District, the Deschutes Basin Land
Trust and the Heart of Oregon Corps has met periodically to plan for the grant proposal and implementation.
This group will continue to meet quarterly once the project is implemented, with the added participation of
the Tollgate Homeowner's Association. The project falls within the goals and strategies of the Sisters/Camp
Sherman Fire Plan.
(B) The Sisters School District, which owns the area covered in this grant, will work with the Heart of
Oregon Corps to recruit up to 20 youth a year to attend school at the Sisters Alternative School and work the
project. The Deschutes Basin Land Trust will participate in quarterly meetings and train and assist work
crews on fire prevention efforts while also managing a protected plant species. The Corps will also work with
the USDA - Forest Service throughout the project. Finally, Tollgate Homeowner's Association members will
participate in planning and quarterly meetings, including special work to promote awarness and outreach
amongst private property holders, with the goal of their participation in future maintenance of the area once
cleared through this project.
4. Expanding Community Participation. (15 Points)
A. To what extent have interested individuals, groups, and communities been provided an opportunity to become informed and
involved in this proposal?
B. Describe the extent of local support or opposition for the project, including any cost-sharing arrangements.
C. What are the environmental, social and educational benefits or concerns of the project?
Response:
(A) The Trout Creek Conservation and Fuels Reduction project's Local Coordination Group is comprised of
nearly all the immediate stakeholders of the project's goals and potential results. It has met over several
months to outline key goals, and will continue to guide project implementation once the project gets
underway.
(B) All members will provide cost-sharing for the project. (Please see budget page for further detail).
Additionally, the group has consulted with the USDA - Forest Service as part of its planning process and a
fifth stakeholder, the Tollgate Homeowners Association, will take a more active role as the project gets
underway.
(C) The project will operate within and address a number of environmental, social and educational concerns,
including fuels reduction in the context of a protected plant species and within an area containing and
bordered by approximately 150 households, a current and future high school and middle school. Fuels
reduction is key for the safety of these people and existing buildings. Importantly, the project will implement
this goal by engaging currently unenrolled and at-risk youth, garnering immense added value to the project
through improving the school district's ability to retain students, involve youth in the community, and
ultimately, offer students a direct role in economic growth through wages and wood products marketing.
Finally, an environmental studies class at the Sisters Alternative School will integrate the work on the
conservation area into its curriculum using baseline assessments and follow-up studies through future years.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
Quarterly Local Coordination Group
meetings to guide the project. First
meeting after grant award will be to
finalize project implementation and
plan for Tollgate area participation.
Recruitment, hiring of Heart of
Oregon Corps crew leader/ skills
trainer and experienced property
marker.
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Quarterly: minimum of 4 meetings Heart of Oregon Corps to
per duration of grant.
coordinate. Sisters School
District, Deschutes Basin Land
Trust, Tollgate Homeowner's
Association, USDA - Forest
Service
By September 1, 2002
Heart of Oregon Corps
Recruitment, hiring of youth from
Sisters Alternative School for crew
work.
By October 1, 2002 and ongoing.
Heart of Oregon Corps, with
Sisters School District
Simultaneous property marking and
property clearing, trails development;
approximately one acre per week.
By October 1, 2002 and ongoing
Heart of Oregon Corps
Heart of Oregon grant for marketing
and fuels/wood utilization completed;
inform use of wood cleared from
Trout Creek
By May 1, 2003
Heart of Oregon Corps, Local
Coordination Group
Quarterly and annual reporting to
USDA - Forest Service on project
progress.
Begin January 1, 2003
Heart of Oregon Corps
Top of Form
Enclosure 4D - Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Personnel
Fuels Treatment Crew Wages
Property Signage Wages
Subtotal
$0.00
$51,450.00
$12,500.00
$63,950.00
Fringe Benefits
Crew Leader Fringe
$4,600.00
Subtotal
$4,600.00
Travel
Gas, Vehicle Maintenance
Subtotal
$0.00
$52,000.00
$37,500.00
$52,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$3,000.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
Contractual
Grant Admin, Util. Strat
$5,000.00
$250.00
$250.00
Subtotal
$5,000.00
$250.00
$250.00
Total Costs
Project (Program) Income1
Total
$0.00
$0.00
$140,950.00
$12,500.00
$153,450.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,600.00
$0.00
$4,600.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$3,000.00
$0.00
$3,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$5,500.00
$0.00
$5,500.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
Other
In-kind Planning
In-kind Volunteers
Subtotal
1
$37,500.00
Partner 2
$3,000.00
Supplies
Chainsaws, Safety Gear, etc
Subtotal
Partner 1
$2,000.00
Equipment
Vehicle Lease
Subtotal
Applicant
$2,100.00
$420.00
$0.00
$1,300.00
$6,500.00
$7,800.00
$2,100.00
$420.00
$0.00
$3,820.00
$6,500.00
$10,320.00
$73,550.00
$52,550.00
$54,350.00
$420.00
$180,870.00
$5,000.00
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of the
grant. Program income can be made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental fees
earned from renting out real property or equipment acquired with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale of
commodities or items developed under the grant or cooperative agreement. The use of Program Income during the project
period may require prior approval by the granting agency.
$5,000.00