The South Fork John Day Watershed Council in partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, is excited to announce that they have been awarded $1,714,286 in Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding, to support a resilient, healthy watershed for agricultural producers.  Starting in 2021, funding will be available to all agricultural producers within the South Fork John Day Watershed.  This funding will provide financial assistance for privately owned lands to increase beneficial habitat through; 1) removal of Western Juniper, 2) thinning overstocked forests, 3) promoting native and beneficial vegetation over annual grasses and noxious weeds 4) protection & enhancement of Quaking Aspen through conifer removal, 4) providing reliable off-channel upland water, and 5) strategic grazing rotations. This funding will also work with agricultural producers to improve the health and productivity of their range and forest lands by assisting in strategic planning of restoration actions, and comprehensive grazing planning.

Project partners include South Fork John Day Watershed landowners, South Fork John Day Watershed Council, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Grant SWCD Weed Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

SFJDWC Press Release

USDA NRCS Press Release

Click here for Focus Area Map.  Landowners within the focus area are eligible to sign up, beginning in 2021.

More information on the RCPP? Click here

South Fork RCPP Landowner Survey