Western Governors’ Association explores USDA community navigator programs
On Jan. 15, Out West, the official Western Governors’ Association (WGA) podcast, explored community navigator programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Navigating complicated bureaucratic systems after natural disasters can be extremely challenging, especially for those living in historically underserved communities.
Community Navigators (CN) can help raise awareness about available resources and provide technical assistance when applying for grants or other government aid.
In this episode, WGA Senior Policy Advisor Jonah Seifer spoke with USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Meryl Harrell.
During the program, they discussed the department’s newly formed CN programs and how they can help disseminate funds more equitably and efficiently.
Seifer also spoke with Coalitions and Collaboratives (COCO) Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Bruno and Community Navigator Director Thérèse D’Auria Ryley, who are among the USDA partners charged with enacting the community navigators’ program on the ground.
CN programs
In the first half of 2024, CN programs provided training and technical assistance to more than 870 community members in more than 150 communities and organizations.
“Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) established community navigator pilot programs to partner with community-based organizations and work directly with communities to provide support and guidance to access programs, services and potential funding opportunities,” Harrell states.
These programs are co-created with other federal agencies and departments doing similar work to facilitate information sharing to assist communities in navigating the complex array of available programs and requirements.
She continues, “Several obstacles make it difficult for communities to successfully access USFS resources, including lack of awareness of available programs, limited community capacity or experience developing proposals for competitive grants.”
Harrell mentions numerous programs and funding opportunities available for communities to utilize, including the Watershed Research and Training Center, which conducts land and watershed management services; leads state biomass and fire resilience initiatives through partnerships with communities, organizations and public agencies; stewards the landscape; creates sustainable jobs and connects people to the land and to each other.
Another program she discussed was the Federation of Southern Cooperative, a catalyst for developing self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development, land retention and advocacy.
She adds, “Additional programs include the Hispanic Access Foundation, First Nations Development Institute and Coalitions, American Indian Native Tourism Association and Collaboratives Incorporated. These outreach programs focus on engagement and helping communities understand what opportunities are out there.”
According to Harrell, a CN program can help support communities and make things easier when they matter the most by eliminating stress when communities experiencing extreme situations where individuals are displaced and trying to figure out how to get basic necessities.
COCO
COCO was established in 2014 and traces its roots to the 1996 Buffalo Creek Fire in Jefferson County, Colorado.
This fire, which burned 11,700 acres, spurred significant flooding and prompted local water providers to collaborate on watershed protection, leading to the creation of the Coalition for the Upper South Platte in 1997.
Since its inception, COCO has empowered local groups by providing expertise, resources and funding, while supporting transparent, collaborative conservation efforts which safeguard the environment, strengthen communities and boost local economies.
“Our strategy starts with some simple fundamental concepts, and one is to build trusting relationships by working closely with the individuals within the community,” Bruno states. “We have to start by listening and not stop assuming we know their challenges.”
Drawing on over 20 years of experience in post-wildfire recovery, COCO established After the Flames, a comprehensive suite of services, tools and resources to provide direct support to communities after a fire.
“Our organization and others implement partnerships allowing us to work closely with communities on the ground to identify their needs while removing barriers,” D’Auria Ryley adds. “It all starts from the ground up, and we start from a place of listening and understanding to what makes a community thrive.”
Bruno continues, “Currently, California residents are the ones picking up the pieces, but they will lean towards our agency and other federal programs to help provide them with financial resources. However, if they don’t have the skills, tools, tactics or strategies in hand, success is going to be hard to obtain.”
Additional grant
In November 2024, the USFS started accepting applications for the Community Wildfire Defense grant to assist at-risk communities and will except applications until Feb. 28.
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program prioritizes at-risk communities who are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster. The grant is also for communities that are declared, designated or recognized by a government authority as having damage, loss or destruction to an extent and scale which is an unusual or abnormal increase in wildfire risk or hazard potential.
According to the November USFS news release, in the first two years of the program, USFS awarded $467 million to 259 projects across 36 states, two territories and 18 Tribes.
These projects directly support the agency’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy to treat up to 20 million acres of national forests and grasslands and 30 million acres of other federal, state, Tribal and private lands to reduce wildfire risk to communities, infrastructure and natural resources.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
