Prineville
Local Implementation Team
The Prineville Local Implementation Team is a collaborative partnership that shares the work of restoring sagebrush ecosystems within the range of sage-grouse in the Prineville area. This includes Crook, Deschutes, and northern Lake County. This is accomplished by identifying, prioritizing, and implementing landscape-level actions; that maintain and enhance culturally, economically, and ecologically healthy public and private rangelands.
The Prineville LIT’s Threats Reduction Plan (TRP) provides an overview of the threats that we wish to address and the work that partners have implemented. We use this document to guide funding requests, and direct restoration work to the areas where we expect to see long-term ecological benefits.
Meetings and Events
LIT Meeting
Monday, November 16, 2026
1:00 - 3:00pm PST
In-person (Crook County 4-H Clover Club, Prineville, OR) and Online via Zoom
Crook County 4-H Clover Club, 522 SE Lynn Blvd, Prineville, OR 97754
Meeting Location on Google Maps
Location Notes: navigate to the Crook County Oregon State University Extension office at 498 SE Lynn Blvd. Crook County 4-H Clover Club building is across the parking lot from the Extension Services office (east of the Extension Services office building). The LIT will be meeting in the large room (go right when you enter, south-end of the building).
Agenda Items:
Introductions
Update: Round-table updates from partnering organizations
Additional items will be added soon!
Discussion & Questions
If you are interested in joining the meeting virtually, please contact Rebecca Kelble at rebecca.kelble@crookswcd.com for the virtual meeting details.
Curious about meeting notes from past LIT meetings? Please contact Rebecca Kelble at rebecca.kelble@crookswcd.com.
Other Notable Events
Spring Development Workshop
FREE Event - lunch included
Tuesday, October 20, 9:00am-3:00pm, Joseph OR
Hosted by Wallowa Resources, Oregon State University, NRCS, and The Nature Conservancy
Designed for anyone wanting to learn more about developing practical, reliable water systems that work for the whole ranch
Looking for more details? Check out this flyer.
RSVP to Marci at mschreder@wallowaresources.org or 541-219-0830 or Brogan at bwatson@wallowaresources.org by October 16th
Juniper Markets and Supply Chains Discussion
October 27, 9:00am-12:00pm in Prineville, OR
Sustainable Northwest and Sustainable Northwest Wood invite you to a meeting to discuss current and future opportunities for juniper markets and supply chains
An opportunity for landowners, mills, agencies, and other critical stakeholders throughout the juniper supply chain to gather and discuss ongoing issues, opportunities, and markets for juniper
Draft agenda. More details about the meeting can be found through this link.
Sign-up for the event through Eventbrite.
Sagebrush Seed Collection Opportunity
Anticipate late October events
ODFW has an opportunity in the Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area to collect sagebrush seeds for restoration plantings in the Murderers Creek area
If interested, please reach out to Danial Somers (Daniel.j.somers@odfw.oregon.gov)
Planting in the 2024 Pine Fire Scar
November 7 and 14: time and location TBD
BLM has an opportunity in the 2024 Pine Fire Scar to plant 5000 sagebrush plugs and 2000 bitterbrush plugs
If interested, please reach out to Larry Ashton (lashton@blm.gov)
Bitterbrush and Sagebrush Planting Opportunity
Anticipate early December events
ODFW has an opportunity in the Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area to plant 1000 plugs of bitterbrush and 1000 plugs of sagebrush
If interested, please reach out to Danial Somers (Daniel.j.somers@odfw.oregon.gov)
The Caldera Film
The McDermitt Caldera straddles the Oregon–Nevada border, a vast volcanic landscape home to sagebrush steppe, working ranches, important wildlife habitat, and the ancestral lands of the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe. When geologists identified one of the largest known lithium deposits in North America there, the region was drawn into the center of the global debate over the energy transition. Tribal members, ranching families, wildlife biologists, and others are now confronting difficult questions about economic opportunity, cultural preservation, and the future of the places they call home.
The film is touring the Pacific-Northwest with local screenings in Oregon. Check out the website to learn about screenings near you!
Learn more about the screening events and the film at their website
2026 Wildfire Recovery Efforts
Wildfire Recovery Resources
Farm Service Agency (FSA) Disaster Relief Assistance
Check out the many programs available to provide assistance (funding) to farmers and ranchers due to Drought and Wildfire here.
While the programs are not up and running yet, FSA is recording names and contact information for people interested and will contact people from those lists as soon as the programs are up and running.
For those working through the Deschutes Farm Agency, contact Eileen Whitcomb to learn more about the programs and get your name on the contact list: eileen.whitcomb@usda.gov; 541-923-4358; webpage.
Oregon State University (OSU) Extension
OSU Extension is collecting wildfire resources for agriculture and livestock producers.
OSU Extension is leading efforts to collect and distribute hay/grain and monetary donations for post-fire recovery efforts.
Learn more about their resource list and contact information here.
America the Beautiful
Grant Awarded
For more information please reach out to Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District (541) 447-3548
Accomplishments
October 2026, the Prineville LIT’s Invasive Annual Grass Core Group finalized a concept paper detailing their plans to develop a program to address the threat of invasive annual grasses across the Prineville LIT geography. This concept paper is being used to help fundraise capacity and implementation funding, as well as gather together more partners.
In Fall 2026, the Prineville LIT worked with Oregon Department of Forestry to help them host a Wildfire Multi-Agency Resource Event to connect private landowners affected by the 2026 wildfires in Central Oregon with resources to recover and prepare for the next fire. A number of Prineville LIT partners (including NRCS, OSU Extension, Crook County SWCD, ODA, and others) were present at the event to share resources and information.
Removing Barriers and Restoring Habitat for Big Game in Central Oregon (OR)
In 2026, the Crook County Soil & Water Conservation District worked with a number of LIT partners including Crooked River Weed Management Area and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to submit a project proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund.
The project was selected for funding to treat 3000 acres for invasive annual grass management and remove 5 miles of fence on private property outside Paulina, OR. See the press release.
In Winter 2026, the Prineville LIT started a sub-committee called the Invasive Annual Grass Core Group to develop a program to address the threat of invasive annual grasses across the Prineville LIT geography. The group went through a “Conservation Readiness Assessment” to determine that the Prineville LIT geography was a good place to develop this type of program. If you are interested in becoming involved with this sub-committee, please reach out to Rebecca Kelble (rebecca.kelble@crookswcd.com).
In Fall 2025, the Prineville LIT, in cooperation with local partners, hosted Beaver Dam Analog Restoration Training events for agency personnel, members of the general public, landowners, and producers.
The Prineville LIT hosted Threat-Based Strategic Conservation workshops to identify places of “Conservation Readiness” in our LIT geography. Check out the outcomes of this process
The Prineville LIT hosted a meeting for ODFW to present the proposed changes to the sage-grouse habitat maps. The meeting included a presentation about the data used to update the maps and provided an opportunity for comments on the accuracy of the updates.
In Spring 2023, LIT partners used their consensus process and agreed to adopt the first version of the living TRP. LIT partners will update this document annually according to the protocol outlined in section 4.3.
Barbwire Juniper Removal project
In 2023 Pheasants Forever and Department of State Lands received Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to remove 1,232 acres of Phase I and II juniper within the Brothers PAC.
In 2024 Pheasants Forever and Department of State Lands received another round of BIL funding to remove additional acres of Phase I and II juniper within the Brothers PAC.
Barbwire Juniper Removal Project area. Treatments scheduled for 2023.
Intact Sagebrush-steppe in the foreground with Barbwire Juniper Removal Project area in the background.
Past Meetings
If you are interested in reviewing the notes from past meetings, please contact Rebecca Kelble at rebecca.kelble@crookswcd.com
Prineville Local Implementation Team (LIT) Meeting - Partner Meeting
31 March 2026 - Hybrid meeting (Zoom and 4-H Clover Building in Prineville, OR)
Covered round-table updates from partnering organizations, LIT Activity updates, and general discussion with questions. Participants heard updates about grant project submissions, the America the Beautiful Challenge project, the Invasive Annual Grass Core Group, Threats Reduction Plan, and LIT Coordinator activities.
20 organizations attended (23 individuals)
Prineville Local Implementation Team (LIT) Meeting - Partner Meeting
7 January 2026 - Hybrid meeting (Zoom and 4-H Clover Building in Prineville, OR)
Covered introduction to the new LIT Coordinator, round-table updates from partnering organizations, ODFW greater sage-grouse population update, update on America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative - America the Beautiful Challenge project, Strategic Invasive Annual Grass Partnership opportunity, update on the plan for updating the Threats Reduction Plan, general discussion & questions
21 organizations attended (41 individuals)
Partners
Prineville Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service - Bend Field Office, US Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of State Lands, Crook and Deschutes Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Crook County, Deschutes County, Crooked River Weed Management Area, East Cascades Bird Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Private Landowners
Contact
Want to be a part of the email list to learn more about new events and meetings for the Prineville LIT? Please contact:
Rebecca Kelble
Prineville Local Implementation Team (LIT) CoordinatorCrook County Soil & Water Conservation Districtrebecca.kelble@crookswcd.com