Vandevert Ranch Stewardship Plan
Government Agencies and Programs
Bureau of Land Management – BLM has
jurisdiction over extensive federally-owned lands in Central
Oregon. (Other federal lands are controlled by the US Forest
Service and the National Park System). BLM has no jurisdiction over
the ranch but has been helpful in sharing experiences and providing
advice on the management of natural resources.
www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/index.php (541) 416-6700
Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS)
– COFMS coordinates fire response for the Deschutes National Forest,
the Ochoco National Forest, the Crooked River National Grassland,
and the Prineville District BLM. These four units are managed
cooperatively under the combined leadership of the US Forest Service
and the Bureau of Land Management. Although COFMS is not
specifically responsible for controlling fires on private land, the
service would play a key role in controlling a fire on USFS land
that threatened to spread to the ranch. www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fires/cofms/index.shtml
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – The
USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help
them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in
CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the
quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife
habitat. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments
and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 10 and 15
years. In 2004 the ranch took advantage of a Conservation Reserve
Program to plant 36,000 seedlings in 80 acres of the 110 acre
riparian zone.
www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/crp07.pdf
Deschutes Soil
and Water Conservation District – Delivers technical,
educational, and financial assistance to meet local conservation
needs – especially erosion control, water quality, endangered
species issues, protection from flood hazards, and other
environmental and natural resource issues. Commissioners are
elected by citizens of Deschutes County. District is funded by the
Oregon Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division. The
district has been in charge of monitoring the Conservation Reserve
Program for planting trees on the ranch (see above). 503 986-4700.
Farm Services Administration – See
Conservation Reserve Program. USDA Redmond Service Center (541)
923-4358
Four
Rivers Vector Control District
-
The district was
formed in 1985 to combat seasonal infestations of mosquitoes.
Using environmentally sensitive chemicals, the District fights
approximately 22 different species of mosquitoes, including four
capable of carrying the West Nile Virus. Bruce Landolt,
Manager, Phone: 541-593-1689. Email:
FRVCD@Bendnet.com See
http://udrc.org/property owner info/vector.htm
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- The Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA helps
America's private land owners and managers conserve their soil,
water, and other natural resources. The NRCS provides technical and
financial assistance for many conservation activities and has been
much more involved with the ranch than the Farm Services
Administration.
www.nrcs.usda.gov/ USDA Redmond Service Center (541) 923-4358
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) - The
department’s mission is to
protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats
for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. The
department has provided the ranch with advice on the fish habitat in
the river and the pond. ODFW has told us the placement of our pond
alleviates any concerns they might have about fertile fish from our
pond finding their way to the river (e.g. in a flood resulting from
snowmelt or a downpour). ODFW conducts fish surveys and did one of
the river within the ranch in the early 1990’s. www.dfw.state.or.us/
Deschutes Watershed District Office (Regional Office)
(541) 388-6363
Oregon Department of Forestry – The department collects and
shares information about the conditions of Oregon's forests,
protects forestlands, and conserves forest resources.
Responsibilities include: fire protection for private, state and
federal forests; regulation of forest practices; promotion of
forest stewardship; forestry assistance to 166,000 non-industrial
private woodland owners; and community and urban forestry
assistance. Every year the ranch is required to submit a
Notification of Operations to ODF. Unusual forestry work would
require specific approval. Stuart Otto at ODF has assisted the ranch with a
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) grant for a portion of the cost of 33
acres of fuel reduction underway in 2007 and 2008. egov.oregon.gov/ODF/ (541) 447-5658
Oregon Department of State Lands – Among other things, this
department manages submerged and submersible lands of the state´s
extensive navigable waterways. Along with the US Army Corp of
Engineers, State Lands had a role in approving the original
construction of the bridge. When Oregon became a state, the
federal government gave Oregon all the navigable waterways (up to
the ordinary high water mark) but left it to the state to determine
which waterways those were. “Navigable” has become a legal
distinction rather than a practical one. The state has never
declared the Little Deschutes (or for that matter the big Deschutes)
to be navigable. Theoretically the state could but it seems
extremely unlikely.
www.oregonstatelands.us (503) 986-5200
Oregon State University Extension Service
– The service provides research-based knowledge and education to
support, among other things, the sustainability of natural
resources. The OSU Extension Service is recognized as one of
America’s top-5 Land-Grant University Extension systems. For the
ranch, the service’s role has been to provide the latest and best
research and information on forestry practices. Steve Fitzgerald
has visited the ranch many times and has been very helpful.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ 541-548-6088
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
– OWEB promotes and funds voluntary actions to enhance Oregon's
watersheds. OWEB provides grants to carry out
"on-the-ground" restoration projects to restore aquatic habitat,
improve water quality, and restore biodiversity. In several past
years, starting in 2002, the department has funded projects, through
its Small Grants Program, to stabilize stream banks and improve fish
habitat in the Little Deschutes River as it flows through the
ranch. The program has been monitored by the Upper Deschutes
Watershed Council, a non-governmental agency. The stream bank
stabilization projects must be done between early October, when the
water drops in the river, and October 15 when brown trout spawning
season starts. www.oregon.gov/OWEB/index.shtml
503-986-0178
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – See Farm
Services Administration and Conservation Reserve Program.
United States Forest Service (USFS) – In addition to managing
the 8.5% of the land in the United States that is part of the
National Forest System, the Forest Service cooperates with State and
local governments, forest industries, other private landowners and
forest users in the management, protection, and development of
forest land in non-Federal ownership. Activities include cooperation
in urban interface fire management and urban forestry.
www.fs.fed.us/
US Army Corps of Engineers – Controls
any construction or earth-moving in the riparian area (the river and
the wetlands). The ranch developer obtained a permit from the Corps
of Engineers to build our bridge. The ranch must notify the Corp if
it places less than fifty cubic yards of material in the waterway.
For over 50 cubic yards the ranch must get the corps permission, as
it must for the OWEB stream stabilization projects.
www.nwp.usace.army.mil/home.asp 503-808-5150
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Governmental Agencies
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Stewardship Plan Table of Contents
