FCD Ongoing and Completed Projects

Firewise Home Assessments
Free firewise assessments are now available to Ferry County homeowners. Assessments focus on the ‘home ignition zone’ and offer specific recommendations for vegetation management and home maintenance that will reduce the risk to wildfire. Call now to schedule your appointment!

Position Available on the FCD Board
There is one appointed position on the FCD Board of Supervisors currently vacant. All registered voters who own or occupy land within Ferry County may hold office. For more information on serving as a conservation district board supervisor, click here.

Financial Assistance for Landowners
We are currently accepting applications from local landowners for cost share projects that implement conservation practices. Proposed projects must employ Best Management Practices and result in improved water quality to qualify for assistance.

Funded under our KWIP and Implementation grants, landowners are generally reimbursed for up to 50% of the costs of implementation. For an application or more information, please contact us.

Monthly Board Meetings
General meetings to conduct business are usually held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm at the District Office. All meetings are open to the public.

2008 Spring/Summer Newsletter

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Ongoing and Completed Projects

Implementation Grant

Headwaters of the San Poil

Nutrient Management Assessment Project

Kettle Watershed Improvement Project

Roberta Lake Wildlife Corridor

Forest Fuel Feasibility Study

Implementation Grant (IMPL)
Ferry Conservation District assists landowners to restore and protect water quality through education, cost share projects, and technical services. >>> more

Headwaters of the San Poil (HOSP)
The Headwaters of the San Poil (HOSP) is a water quality improvement project funded by a grant from the Centennial Clean Water Fund, which is administered by the Washington Department of Ecology. >>> more

Nutrient Management Assessment Project
Does your livestock contribute to water quality issues? The Washington State Department of Ecology has started asking this question. As landowners and stockowners, we have to know the answer. If you own animals, does their manure mix with surface water? Does the surface water flow into the ground water? How can we find out if there is a problem, and if there is a problem, how can we fix it? >>> more

Kettle Watershed Improvement Project (KWIP)
FCD has received funding from the Washington State Department of Ecology to conduct a water quality improvement project in the Kettle River watershed. The Kettle River and some of its tributaries are included on the state’s list of polluted waters [303(d) list] because they do not meet water quality standards for temperature, dissolved oxygen, and bacteria. Excessive quantities of sediment, which limit the available habitat for fish, have also been noted in some stream reaches. >>> more

Roberta Lake Wildlife Corridor (WICO)
As available land in Ferry County has been developed, wildlife habitat has become fragmented. There are large areas of good habitat on either side of the Curlew Lake Valley, but the bottom land that used to be pasture and hay meadows has been converted into home sites. As new residents move to Ferry County, this trend will no doubt continue. >>> more

Forest Fuel Feasibility Study
Forest in North Central Washington have increased fuel loads primarily due to the aggressive fire suppression from the last century. A major decline in logging and wood removal (90%) in the last decade, as well as increased insect and disease problems has dramatically decreased much of our forests over all health. Timber sale activities remain low and there is an increased emphasis in road closures that create an even greater threat to fire danger and our ability to suppress it (or access lands to manage forest fuels) .>>> more

Completed Projects
Here we will show you projects we have completed. The pictures show several different practices, all of which work toward the same goal: each was done to improve water quality. As you look through, we think you will be interested to see the different practices we can employ.

When livestock have troughs to drink from, they stay off stream banks. When the banks don't get trampled, the soil stays on the bank.
>>> See 2006 Annual Report PDF

A fence is another way to keep livestock out of the creek.

At high water, a rock structure like this pushes the river current back out into the channel and protects the bank.
>>> See 2003 Annual Report PDF

Using this bridge to replace an inadequate culvert opened five miles of upstream fish habitat.

In this practice, we have built a rock toe, or foundation, at the high water mark. Above that, we have planted trees and shrubs. As they fill in and grow, their roots will help to stabilize the whole project.
>>> See 2005 Annual Report PDF

Rocks and grass protect this piece of lakeshore from erosion by wave action. This keeps the soil on the bank, and the water much cleaner.