To: Board of Supervisors
From: Public Works
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Authorization for the Humboldt County Department of Public Works to Accept and Administer Funding Made Available by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) and Approval of the Associated Supplemental Budget (4/5 vote required)
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Authorize the Humboldt County Public Works Director, or a designee thereof, to be the authorized representative, on behalf of the county and the North Coast Resource Partnership (“NCRP”), and execute any documents, including, without limitation, professional services agreements, necessary to accept and administer funding made available by NASA for the project entitled, “Actionable Lidar-Based Data for Wildfire Prevention Planning, Response, and Rehabilitation on California's North Coast”; and
2. Approve, and authorize the Humboldt County Auditor-Controller to post, a supplemental budget request and make technical corrections as needed (4/5 vote required).
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Grant funds provided by the NASA Shared Services Center
DISCUSSION:
The NCRP was initiated in 2004 as a water management collaborative between the counties of Humboldt, Sonoma, Modoc, Mendocino, Trinity, Del Norte and Siskiyou. The NCRP is now a successful coalition of North Coast Counties and Tribes that has brought over $100,000,000 in highly competitive funding to the north coast region. The Leadership Council, the governing body for the NCRP, is comprised of representatives from each of the seven (7) NCRP counties and Tribal areas and acts as the North Coast Regional Water Management Group. The County of Humboldt is currently represented on the NCRP Leadership Council by Supervisors Madrone (Leadership Council Co-Vice-Chair), Bohn, and Wilson (Alternate voting member). In addition, the County of Humboldt has acted as the Regional Contract Administrator, as authorized by the NCRP Leadership Council, since 2005. The county’s role is to enter into grant agreements, on behalf of the NCRP, and oversee project implementation and administration within the terms of each funding source. County administrative staff work closely with NCRP lead consultant, Westcoast Watershed, responsible for coordination, strategic planning, funding applications, plan development, stakeholder engagement and outreach, and communications, as well as the consulting NCRP Tribal Engagement Coordinator, California Indian Environmental Alliance.
The NCRP was recently selected to receive funds from NASA to support the Actionable Lidar-Based Data for Wildfire Prevention Planning, Response, and Rehabilitation on California's North Coast Project. The project will process recently collected lidar data to create a unified point cloud and derived products to support wildfire planning, response and recovery for the twelve (12) million acres of California's north coast region. The result of the project will be actionable and locally scaled geospatial data that can be used to plan and prioritize the most important projects and activities to ensure wildfire resilience and resilience to other extreme events. Use of these data and assessments will save lives, protect community health and safety, and efficiently and effectively use taxpayer dollars.
In its role as the Regional Contract Administrator for the NCRP, the administration of funds, such as those offered through this grant, is the responsibility of the County of Humboldt, Public Works Natural Resources Planning division. Staff is now requesting that the Board authorize the Humboldt County Public Works Director, or a designee thereof, to accept and administer the NASA grant award.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Acceptance of the funding made available by NASA will bring $149,466 of federal funding into the North Coast to support the Actionable Lidar-Based Data for Wildfire Prevention Planning, Response, and Rehabilitation on California's North Coast Project. The recommended supplemental budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year will increase appropriations in the Public Works budget unit 1720289 by $149,466 (see Attachment 1). Acceptance of the grant funds will not impact the Humboldt County General Fund.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by protecting vulnerable populations and creating opportunities for improved safety and health.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
North Coast Resource Partnership, NASA
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board of Supervisors may choose not to accept the funding made available by NASA for the Actionable Lidar-Based Data for Wildfire Prevention Planning, Response, and Rehabilitation on California's North Coast Project. However, this alternative is not recommended because of the regional forest and community wildfire resiliency benefits that will be gained from implementation of the Project.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Supplemental Budget Request Regarding the Actionable Lidar-Based Data for Wildfire Prevention Planning, Response, and Rehabilitation on California's North Coast Project
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A