2025 Winter Meeting
Northwest Community Forest Coalition
Photo: Nason Ridge Community Forest
Our Winter Quarterly Meeting highlighted Community Forest Funding Efforts, Community Engagement Approaches, and Coalition Strategic Planning.
Photo: Community Engagement Session - Arch Cape Community Forest
The 2025 NWCFC Winter Quarterly meeting featured two significant updates on Oregon and Washington community forest funding efforts, including:
An update regarding Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s Community Forest Grant Program, from RCO Policy Specialist, Ben Donatelle.
An update on the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s Land Acquisition and Drinking Water Source Protection Grant program, from OWEB Drinking Water Source Protection Specialist, Audrey Squires.
The meeting also included updates on:
Advocacy Updates for Washington and Oregon Funding, from WALT and SNW Staff.
The Watershed Conservation Fund Effort, being implemented by Craft3
Community Engagement for Stewart Mountain Community Forest Effort, by Whatcom Land Trust
You can view the the timing and details for each session and the related materials below.
Meeting Materials
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Presentation: OWEB Funding Opportunties
Audrey Squires with Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Spoke regarding two funding opportunities available in Oregon, able to support Community Forest Efforts.
You can view her presentation from 0:31:00 - 0:31:00 in the Meeting Recording.Following this, Daniel Wear with Sustainable Northwest spoke about an incoming Oregon House Bill 3341 to secure continued support of the OWEB Program. Follow the link here to share your support of this effort.
Photo: Jetty Creek Watershed, Sustainable Northwest
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Update: Washington RCO Program and Advocacy Opportunity
During this session, Ben provided an update to the current status of 2023-2025 RCO Community Forest Applications, and the upcoming 2025-2027 application pool.
Following this, Vanessa Kritzer, with WALT spoke about upcoming advocacy which could take place in Washington to secure State support.
You can view this portion of the meeting from 0:17:50 - 0:30:45 in the Meeting Recording.
WALT highlighted an opportunity to engage in advocacy to increase awareness and support of the CFP Program.
Photo: Nisqually Community Forest, Rachel Lee, Washington Conservation Action
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Update: Craft3 - Watershed Conservation Fund Project
During the meeting, Brad Hunter, Senior Lender with Craft3, spoke to the effort underway, leveraging funding through the Washington Department of Ecology & the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan.
You can view his update from 00:45:30 - 00:55:40 in the meeting recording.
Photo: Ilwaco, Bear Ridge Community Forest, Springboard Forestry -
Presentation: Meaningful Community Engagement - Stewart Mountain Community Forest
Alex Jeffers, Conservation Director with Whatcom Land Trust, presented on the community engagement approach taken to with the Stewart Mountain Community Forest.
Alex highlighted the work done by Whatcom Land Trust, Evergreen Land Trust, the Nooksack Tribe, and a wide array of community members in the Stewart Mountain Area. You can view the presentation from 0:56:00 - 1:25:00 in the meeting recording.
The full presentation is linked below.