Vandevert Ranch Stewardship Plan

Non-Governmental Organizations

Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC – formerly Deschutes Resources Conservancy) – DRC’s mission is to restore streamflow and improve water quality in the Deschutes Basin.  Objectives are to meet or exceed state water quality standards and to restore the natural hydrograph to the extent environmentally, socially, and economically feasible in the Deschutes River and its tributaries.  On July 25, 2002, the DRC and The Climate Trust signed a Carbon Dioxide Offset Purchase Agreement. Under the agreement, The Climate Trust provided the DRC with $780,000 in carbon dioxide offset funds to help landowners in the Deschutes Basin restore riparian areas. The Climate Trust funds were matched over a five year period by federal funds available through the DRC.  Under this program the ranch planted 38 acres in the riparian area and began receiving annual payments.  DRC also operates a Groundwater Mitigation Bank which will provide temporary (annual) mitigation credits necessary for the ranch to store water in its pond.   www.deschutesriver.org/Default.aspx  541.382.4077

Project Wildfire - Created by Deschutes County ordinance 8.24.010, Project Wildfire is the Local Coordinating Group for Deschutes County that facilitates, educates, disseminates and maximizes community efforts towards effective fire planning and mitigation.  www.projectwildfire.org 541-382-1675   

La Pine High School Forestry Program - In a unique arrangement with the La Pine High School Forestry Program, students are thinning the ranch forest to produce healthier trees and prevent the spread of forest fires.  The hands-on brush clearing and fuels reduction at the ranch is part of the program’s advanced forestry class.  www.vandevertranch.org/forestry.html

 Oregon Small Woodlands Association - OSWA is a 2,200 member group that promotes and advocates the interests of families and others that own small quantities of forestland.  The group includes experts on forestry, conservation and wildlife.  The group is focused on stewardship as well as commercial operations and supports a lobbyist in Salem.  The ranch foreman has been a member of OSWA for 24 years.  www.oswa.org/ 503.588.1813

 Upper Deschutes River Coalition (formerly the Upper Deschutes River Natural Resources Coalition) – The mission of the coalition is to protect Upper Deschutes River Communities by restoring and sustaining healthy fire-resistant forests, pure and abundant river flows, and wildlife habitat.  The coalition enables communities to act collectively on natural resources issues within the Upper Deschutes area.  Member communities include Vandevert Ranch, Crosswater, Oregon Water Wonderland, and about fourteen others.  http://udrnrc.org/index.htm

 Upper Deschutes Watershed Council - The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council seeks to protect and restore the upper Deschutes River watershed through collaborative projects in watershed stewardship, habitat restoration and community awareness.  The Council worked with the ranch, the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (OWEB) to develop and implement a fish habitat enhancement project along the Little Deschutes River.  The project, implemented in 2004 and added to in subsequent years, included large woody material placements to help improve fish habitat and reduce bank erosion.  In this reach of the Little Deschutes River flows are heavily regulated by the dam at Crescent Lake, resulting in unnaturally high flows in the summer and low flows in the winter.  The fluctuation in flows, combined with the presence of highly erosive soils, has led to bank instability along many of the bends in the river.  Ongoing photo monitoring helps track the site changes over time and document the reduction in bank erosion.  The project was funded through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board's Small Grant Program, with additional funding provided by Vandevert Ranch www.restorethedeschutes.org/default.aspx 541-382-6103

Wy'east Resource Conservation and Development - Wy'East Resource Conservation and Development plans, designs, and implements sustainable agriculture and rural community development projects in a service area that includes Central Oregon.  Wy’east hasn’t worked with the ranch directly but they work extensively with many of the same organizations the ranch does.  www.wyeast-rcd.org/  (541)923-2204