The Lone Rock Fire started  on July 13, 2024 near the community of Lone Rock in Gilliam County and travelled quickly into Morrow and Wheeler Counties due to hot, dry, and windy weather. Local ranchers, landowners, and community members fought tirelessly alongside multiple Incident Management Teams and paid fire personnel to protect structures and private property.  

66,004.56 acres affected in Wheeler County as of August 14, 2024.  

• 43,175.08 acres of Deeded Private Land
• 16,041.81 acres of Umatilla National Forest
• 4,973.04 acres of Bureau of Land Management
• 1.46 acres of Winlock Cemetery
• 133.52 acres of Unknown (roads, etc.)

26,463.37 acres affected in Wheeler County as of September 9,, 2024.  

• 26,357.87 acres of Deeded Private Land
• 81.83 acres of Bureau of Land Management
• 0.84 acres of Collins Cemetary
• 0.04 acres of Public Utility
• 22.79 acres of Unknown (roads, etc.)

More information and maps to come soon!

23,866.07 acres affected in Wheeler County as of September 23,, 2024.  

• 23,676.55 acres of Deeded Private Land
• 13.61 acres of Bureau of Land Management
• 20.86 acres of State of Oregon Highway Division
• 21.56 acres of Shelton Park (county)
• 37.78 acres of Eastern Oregon Pioneer Association (park)
• 35.51 acres of Oregon Foundation of Wild Sheep (non-profit)
• 60.20 acres of Unknown (roads, etc.)

More information and maps to come soon!

Wheeler SWCD is currently seeking data from ODF for all the smaller reported fires. Once received, the data will be displayed here. 

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

EQIP DEADLINE: November 15, 2024

• Cross-fences 
• Invasive/Noxious weed treatment
• Seeding

The application is the CPA-1200 Form - REQUIRED

The AGI elgibility is the CCC0941 Form - REQUIRED

The direct deposit for payment is the SF-1199A Form - REQUIRED

If you have not previously worked with USDA, you will need to complete the AD-2047 Form

Farm Service Agency (FSA)

Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) DEADLINE: December 5, 2024

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications in Gilliam and Wheeler counties for the Agency’s (FSA) Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to address wildfire damages.

EFRP provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land to enable them to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster. EFRP signup will begin on October 7, 2024 and end on December 5, 2024.

After applications are receive

d, local FSA county committees determine land eligibility using on-site damage inspections that assess the type and extent of damage and approve applications.

Eligible forest restoration practices may include:

• debris removal, such as down or damaged trees in order to establish a new stand or provide natural regeneration
• site preparation, planting materials and labor to replant forest land
• restoration of forestland roads, fire lanes, fuel breaks or erosion control structures
• fencing, tree shelters and tree tubes to protect trees from wildlife damage
• wildlife enhancement to provide cover openings and wildlife habitat.

In order to meet eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster occurred and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must also be owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land. The natural disaster must have resulted in damage that if untreated would impair or endanger the natural resources on the land and/or materially affect future use of the land.

An environmental review must be completed before actions are approved, such as site preparation or ground disturbance.

CRP Emergency Grazing (open until March 1, 2025)

• The owner of the ground must contact the FSA office to give permission to release information to grazer, or there must be a lease in place that clearly states CRP grazing is permitted.
• Grazer will advise the FSA office and clearly state:
  • What CRP fields they would like to graze
  • How many acres of range ground is fenced in with CRP
  • How many head of livestock they would like to turn out
  • How many days they would like to graze (90 days maximum)
• NRCS will draw up conservation plans stating how long grazing can take place
• Grazer and ALL individuals on the CRP contract must sign all grazing documentation
• ALL grazing documentation must be signed by ALL individuals BEFORE livestock can be turned into CRP
• Once livestock are removed by CRP, all individuals must sign CRP-118 stating the livestock has been removed

CRP Emergency Grazing (open until March 1, 2025)

Request for Land and CRP for Cattle Grazing

This survey aims to document landowners willing to provide grazing opportunities for producers affected by the Lone Rock Fire. We are collecting information on the availability of CRP, rangeland, and fallow land that can be utilized for grazing. Your participation will help us support the local agricultural community during this challenging time. Please provide accurate and detailed information to ensure effective coordination and resource allocation.

Please complete the survey at:
https://forms.gle/qAfgWzpcS81nvdqr7

Contact Information
Survey Disclosure Statement

The information collected in this survey will be used solely to document landowners willing to provide grazing opportunities for producers affected by the Lone Rock Fire. We will use the details you provide to contact you and to coordinate with ranchers who need land for grazing.

Your participation is voluntary. By completing this survey, you agree to be contacted regarding the grazing opportunities you are offering.

FSA, NRCS, and SWCDs from all three counties have worked quickly to gather data, sourcing potential assistance programs, seek declarations, and develop informational packets for all landowners within the fire perimeter. USDA offers a variety of programs to help farmers, ranchers, communities, and businesses that have been hard hit by natural disaster events. The agencies are working to obtain disaster designation in our counties to allow the use of all disaster related programs and obtain necessary funding. Reimbursement is not guaranteed at this point, but in the meantime, the agencies are providing those affected by the Lone Rock Fire with information and stressing the importance of keeping records, photos, and receipts for any expenses or losses they have endured as a direct result of the wildfires for if and when requests for funding assistance are approved.

A compiled packet has been developed for each affected landowner within the Lone Rock Fire perimeter. Wheeler SWCD is distributing these to the respective landowners. If you have not received yours, please reach out! 

• Letters with contact information
• Emergency Disaster Designation and Declaration Process
• ELAP - Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm Fish Program
• Feed Transportation Tool Spreadsheet and Instructions
• ELAP - Livestock Assistance
• Water Hauling Worksheet (July-December 2024)
• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
• Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)
• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
• Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP)
• Emergency CRP Haying and Grazing
• Emergency Loan Program
• Disaster Set-Aside Program - Farm Loans
• Expense Report Form

Downloadable digital tracking and worksheets

Producers who have not participated in a USDA program should contact FSA to establish farm records. To establish a farm tract number, be sure to have the following items available:

• Proof of identity such as driver’s license or Social Security number/card
• Copy of recorded deed, survey plat, rental, or lease agreement of the land (You do not have to own property to participate in USDA programs.)
• Articles of incorporation, estate, or trust documents for entities

DelRae Ferguson, District Conservationist

Wheeler/Gilliam NRCS

541.384.2281 Ext 107

delrae.ferguson@usda.gov

Kayla Mims, County Program Technician

Wheeler/Gilliam FSA

541.384.4251 Ext 100

kayla.mims@usda.gov

Wildfires can leave you needing answers. After a wildfire, many landowners ask about how and what tools are available to help restore their land.

Contact our local ODF contacts and use the links below to help you answer your questions about what to do after a wildfire impacts your land and what Oregon Department of Forestry resources might be available to help you.

Wildfire Cleanup: https://wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup

Replanting: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Working/Pages/Replanting.aspx

Matthew Brown, Stewardship Forester

ODF

541.575.1139

Matthew.T.BROWN@odf.oregon.gov 

Austin Reimer, Small Forestland Owner Forester

ODF

541.620.0145

Austin.B.REIMER@odf.oregon.gov

Wildland fires are a force of nature that can be nearly as impossible to prevent, and as difficult to control, as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.

Wildland fire can be a friend and a foe. In the right place at the right time, wildland fire can create many environmental benefits, such as reducing grass, brush, and trees that can fuel large and severe wildfires and improving wildlife habitat. In the wrong place at the wrong time, wildfires can wreak havoc, threatening lives, homes, communities, and natural and cultural resources.

The Forest Service has been managing wildland fire on National Forests and Grasslands for more than 100 years. But the Forest Service doesn’t – and can’t – do it alone. Instead, the agency works closely with other federal, tribal, state, and local partners.

This is more important than ever because over the last few decades, the wildland fire management environment has profoundly changed. Longer fire seasons; bigger fires and more acres burned on average each year; more extreme fire behavior; and wildfire suppression operations in the wildland urban interface (WUI) have become the norm. 

To address these challenges, the Forest Service and its other federal, tribal, state, and local partners have developed and are implementing a National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy that has three key components: Resilient Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and Safe and Effective Wildfire Response.

Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water runoff may increase and cause flooding; sediments may also move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs putting endangered species and community water supplies at risk. 
After a fire, the first priority is emergency stabilization in order to prevent further damage to life, property or natural resources on Forest Service lands. The stabilization work begins before the fire is out and may continue for up to a year. The longer-term rehabilitation effort to repair damage caused by the fire begins after the fire is out and continues for several years. Rehabilitation focuses on the lands unlikely to recover naturally from wildland fire damage.
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to address these emergency situations through its key goals of protecting life, property, and critical natural and cultural resources. 

Learn more about BAER at the link below

https://www.fs.usda.gov/naturalresources/watershed/burnedareas-background.shtml

Wildfire affects air, land and water throughout Oregon. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality monitors air quality and issues advisories when wildfire smoke degrades air. DEQ also regulates land and water quality during the cleaning up and rebuilding that may follow a wildfire.

Livestock Hay and Feed Donation Request

With the recent wildfires in Oregon, many livestock owners do not have enough feed to provide for their animals throughout this crisis. Oregon State University Extension is partnering with state and local emergency operations, county fairgrounds, and individuals across the state to solicit hay, livestock feed, and monetary donations. We are also helping to coordinate the transportation of donations to the affected areas in partnership with the Oregon Cattleman Association.

Hay will be needed for livestock and grain will be needed for swine and poultry. It is important hay and feed donations be of good quality (i.e., not moldy, or rotten as it may make the animals sick). If you can donate hay, feed, or help with the transportation of goods to neighboring counties, please get in touch with your local OSU Extension.

We are also accepting monetary donations that would be used to buy feed for displaced livestock. Our donations will go through our OSU Foundation partners. If you would like to donate, please send a check to OSU Ag Extension, Attn: Wildfire relief efforts – Amber Zambrano. 430 Strand Agriculture Hall, Corvallis OR 97331.

**Currently, we are only seeking donation pledges for hay and feed.** Once logistics are set up, we will then organize picking up the hay and feed to distribute it to those who need it. Cash donations are being accepted at this time.

If you know of anyone else who would like to donate, please share this with them.

Thanks for your support during this time!

USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant

USFS Landscape Scale Restoration Competitive Grant Program (Fall deadline)

OWEB Post-Fire Recovery Grant (not yet announced)

ODA Noxious Weed Grant Program (December deadline)

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery

Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (Wheeler County)

Virtual Fence Information Webinar - August 15th

https://rangelandsgateway.org/virtual-fence/webinar-1