Central Oregon Conservation District Awarded A Pair Of Grants

The Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District was recently awarded two grants to help the Central Oregon farming community.

DSWCD was one of 20 conservation districts nationwide to be awarded an Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant. This will allow DSWCD to partner with The Environmental Center to implement soil health improvement practices with Central Oregon youth and schools. he grant focuses on improved soil health through the creation of a school gardens workshop for Central Oregon educators and provides support to amend school garden soil. A soil health lesson will be created and presented in classrooms. Youth will get hands-on experience improving soil by planting pollinator corridors.

In addition, DSWCD will soon be able to provide assistance in water efficiency projects to more irrigation water users, via a grant from the National Association of Conservation Districts. With this grant, DSWCD looks to extend their ability to provide on-farm assistance to those who want to improve their irrigation systems and water management. They will also continue efforts to identify problematic private irrigation laterals that need improvement.

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