Current District Programs and Grants include:

Watershed Planning Grant for Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 62 (2514)

For detailed information about this program, click here.
POCD is the lead agency in our local WRIA 62, coordinating efforts for the Watershed Planning Unit. The Unit (committee) is made up of a diverse group of about 20 dedicated individuals including farmers, the Kalispel Tribe, PUD, Seattle City Light, Pend Oreille Environmental Team, Teckcominco, Ponderay Newsprint, real estate and development, private timber companies, foresters, county and city representatives, and state agencies all with an interest in grassroots watershed planning.

They are tasked with the development of a comprehensive, four-year watershed assessment plan. The creeks in each of the sub-basins are being evaluated under four different parameters including water quantity, water quality, habitat and instream flows. The Planning Unit's goal is to develop strategies, address problems identified and to make recommendations for corrective action. They have passed the half-way point and are currently interviewing prospective environmental consulting firms. The Unit meets monthly on the third Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon in the Cusick Community Center, The public is welcome.

  "Firewise Education Program" (a Multi-Agency National Fire Plan Implementation in cooperation with the US Forest Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service)

This grant deals with developing local community partnerships for educational opportunities directed towards fire prevention. Workshops on defensible space for homeowners and fire ecology were held last fall and spring. Firewise activities were incorporated into the Pend Oreille Water Festival and 6th Grade Conservation Days. In-class presentations to the first through sixth grades by the local fire districts are planned. The highlight of the project is to develop a "Fire Wise Training Trunk" for K-12 education to loan out to teachers when the grant is over. POCD also partnered with Fire District #3 on preparing a grant proposal to purchase wild fire fighting equipment and install several Dry Hydrants in the more populated areas of the county to increase their response efforts. That grant proposal was also funded and three dry hydrants were designed by NCRS and installed by Pend Oreille County Public Works and Fire District #3 last spring in southern Pend Oreille County.

"Family Forest Fish Passage Program" ( a Cost-Share Program for Small Forest Landowners to Improve Fish Passage )

A major key to restoring fish populations is removing barriers to fish passage. A single artificial barrier on a stream can keep fish from reaching many miles of habitat upstream.  To help protect fish (a public resource) state Forest Practices rules require that these barriers be removed.   Because eliminating fish passage barriers can be costly, especially for the family forest landowners, the Legislature established the Family Forest Fish Passage Program, a cost-share program that helps private landowners protect public resources.   If this is something you are interested in, then this grant may be right for you.

For assistance please contact our office @ 509-447-5370 

 

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