1. Eligibility Requirements

Who can apply for a watershed council support grant?

As a state agency, OWEB follows state laws and state rules. Under Oregon Administrative Rule 695-040-0030,

(1) A watershed council, or a group of watershed councils, is eligible to apply for Watershed Council Support if:

(a) The council serves a unique geographic area. A unique geographic area is one that is not or has not been located entirely or partially within the boundaries of another existing watershed council support grantee that has received council support funding from OWEB;
(A) In the situation where a watershed council has been awarded shared funding for watershed council support, but serves a watershed area that is not served by another watershed council, that council may be eligible to apply independently if it receives prior approval from the Board.

(b) Council membership reflects the balance of interests or is actively seeking a balance of interests in the affected watershed as defined in ORS 541.388(2); and,

(c) The council has been designated by a local government as provided by ORS 541.388. This eligibility criterion applies if the council formed after September 9, 1995.

What does my application need to show in order for my council to meet the eligibility requirements?

A watershed council or group of councils must demonstrate that it meets all three rule criteria (above) to be eligible for OWEB watershed council support funding.

(a) The council serves a unique geographic area. A unique geographic area is one that is not or has not been located entirely or partially within the boundaries of another existing watershed council support grantee that has received council support funding from OWEB.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The OWEB Board has made a policy decision not to accept or approve any requests from councils that previously received shared funding to apply independently in 2011-2013. If a council has previously received funding through a multiple council or umbrella council arrangement, it is only eligible for 2011-2013 council support funding through that same arrangement.

OWEB staff will determine whether each applicant serves a watershed area that is not served by another watershed council applicant based on the watershed maps submitted with the grant application [Attachments]. If two or more applicants requesting council support funding appear to serve all or a portion of the same watershed area, OWEB staff will contact the affected applicants and authorizing local government bodies by January 21, 2011. Additional information to clarify council boundaries will be due to OWEB by February 4, 2011.

If the applicants and authorizing local governments cannot resolve the duplication and identify the single applicant that is requesting funding for that area by February 4, 2011, OWEB will decide which application will be considered for support for the area. OWEB will give preference to the council support applicant that has previously been awarded council support funds for that area.

(b) Council membership reflects the balance of interests or is actively seeking a balance of interests in the affected watershed as defined in Oregon Revised Statute 541.388(2)

OWEB staff will determine whether council membership reflects a balance of interests by comparing the council’s membership list to its bylaws and the land uses described in the application under Section II, Question 10. For example: if the response to Question 10 describes the watershed as has having 50% in forest land, but the membership list doesn’t show any forestry interest representatives, or the council bylaws states that there will be three positions for agriculture, but the membership list only shows one agricultural representative.

If OWEB staff believe that the applicant does not reflect, or is not actively seeking, a balance of interest in the affected watershed, OWEB staff will request the following by January 21, 2011:

1) Meeting agendas, sign-in sheets, or other materials to demonstrate that a balance of interests have attended council meetings in 2010.
2) Information to demonstrate how the council is actively seeking to increase its membership to represent a balance of interests for the watershed. Examples of activities include attending community meetings to recruit members or meetings with interest or stakeholder groups or community leaders to identify and actively recruit council membership.

(c) The council has been designated by a local government as provided by ORS 541.388. This eligibility criterion applies if the council formed after September 9, 1995.

If you have not previously received an OWEB watershed council support grant, either individually or through a multiple council/umbrella council grant award, your application must include either (a) the local government resolution recognizing the council for the watershed, or (b) proof – meeting agendas or minutes – that the council existed prior to September 9, 1995.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The OWEB Board has adopted one-time policy changes for the 2011-2013 council support grant cycle related to new applicants. If the level of available funding for council support does not support an average award of $100,000 per council (with the recognition that actual award amounts vary based on merit categories and umbrella status), the Board will not fund new applicants. As an example, if OWEB received 65 eligible applications, available funding would need to be at least $6.5 million in order for new applicants to receive a new council support award. A “new applicant” means a council that has never previously applied for or been awarded (either separately or as part of a joint/multiple council application) council support funding from OWEB. If funding availability allows a new applicant to receive an award, the award will be at the entry level of $37,500 regardless of merit.

What happens if my council does not meet the eligibility requirements?

Watershed council support applications are due to OWEB’s Salem office by 5:00 p.m. on January 18, 2011. OWEB staff will review all applications January 19-21, 2011, to make sure the applicants that apply are eligible.

If OWEB staff believes that an applicant may not meet the eligibility requirements, OWEB will send written notice to the applicant and its authorizing local government by January 21, 2011. The applicant must submit additional materials to OWEB’s Salem office by 5:00 p.m. on February 4, 2011.

If, after reviewing any additional materials submitted by the February 4 deadline, OWEB staff determines that an applicant does not meet one or more of the eligibility requirements, OWEB will notify the applicant in writing by February 14, 2010. The application will not be accepted and the applicant will not be eligible for funding during 2011-2013.

2. Eligibility for Umbrella Council Status

What is an umbrella council?

As defined in OAR 695-040-0020(4), "Umbrella Watershed Council" means a watershed organization that:

(a) provides support to and coordination for at least three watershed groups or councils, and has a coordinating council, shared staff and a single Watershed Council Support grant, or
(b) provides service to a watershed area containing three or more 4th field hydrologic units.

How do I know if my council is an umbrella council?

A type (a) “umbrella” council should demonstrate in their application that they have a coordinating council and at least three sub-councils. The application for a type (a) umbrella council should clearly show that the sub-councils have regular meetings, their own members, functioning boards, and their own project priorities. The coordinating council should not be the one that plans, coordinates, and implements all of the work in the watershed; it should coordinate efforts among the three or more sub-councils to share staffing and other resources. This should be shown in the answers to questions in Section III-VII, and by the required watershed map, council member lists, and bylaws.

A type (b) “umbrella” council needs to demonstrate through the description of the watershed area served by the council (Section II and required map) that its watershed area contains three or more fourth-field hydrologic units.

What happens if I claim umbrella council status in my application?

OWEB staff will read all applications to determine which applicants qualify for the umbrella types (a), (b), and (a) & (b). If OWEB staff believes that an applicant may not meet the umbrella status requirements, OWEB will send written notice to the applicant by January 21, 2011. Applicants will have until 5:00 p.m. on February 4, 2011 to submit additional information to OWEB’s Salem office.

If, after reviewing any additional materials submitted by the February 4 deadline, OWEB staff determines that an applicant does not meet the “umbrella” council definition, OWEB will notify the applicant in writing by February 14, 2010.