Organization

Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development

"Making things happen in the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon."

The Organization

The Wy’East Resource Conservation and Development Council (Wy’East) is a locally led rural development organization serving the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon area. Founded in 1994, Wy’East employs strategies for sustainable development that builds community social cohesion, economic viability, and conservation of natural resources. This is achieved through collaboration with communities to connect and pool resources to accomplish mutual goals towards building a sustainable communities. Wy’East is organized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Wy’East is located on the east side of the Cascade Range in North Central Oregon. Bounded by the Columbia River on the North and the Cascade Range on the West, the area comprises the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, and the counties of Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes.

Our Vision & Mission

Wy’East envisions communities and individuals to protect, restore, enhance and sustain communities and natural resources. To bring that vision into reality, Wy’East mission invests in people, partnerships and resources to achieve solutions leading to a sustainable future in the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon.

What Makes Wy’East Unique

Wy’East helps people care for natural resources and improve the quality of life in their communities. The RC&D Council made up of volunteers representing public and private sector sponsors and other local organizations undertake community driven actions that are strategically focused on Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon resource conservation and economic viability. RC&D priorities are set by area residents to meet their needs. Wy’East strives to encourage and improve the capability of volunteer, locally elected, and civic leaders to plan and carry out projects for resource conservation and community development.

Wy’East provides a focal point of local leadership and bring together private citizens and local, state and federal agencies to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon area.

Wy’East has successfully carried out projects making technology available address economic and environmental issues in agriculture.

Wyeast has a proven capacity and strength of leadership to engage and accomplish projects that benefit local communities and the region.

Our Customers

We serve over 216,000 people living in the six Oregon counties in the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon. Our primary customers include:

Rural communities’ individuals and businesses needing financial and technical assistance to address their diverse and unique needs.

Farmers and ranchers, people who own, operate, or live on farms and ranches.

Other members of the private sector who support production agriculture and natural resource conservation.

Governments and units of government with responsibility for natural resource use and management.

Non-profit organizations whose mission aligns with aspects of natural resource management

What we do

The RC&D provides an effective forum for member organizations to analyze community needs, develop plans to meet these needs, and coordinate the resources required to accomplish these plans.This is what we do:

Planning Charrette: Wy’East assists members and locally led community groups to organize, then find practical solutions to problems and issues. The charrette is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a feasible plan that represents transformative community change.

Grant Proposal Writing: RC&D forms partnerships with locally led groups to write funding proposals to government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Assistance includes all aspects of the grant writing like planning, conducting funder searches, proposal writing, and submission of the proposal and follow-up with funders.

Project Implementation: RC&D provides grant administration, evaluation, and general project management in partnership with locally led groups not eligible or desire to manage grant funded projects.

Region Wide Initiatives: RC&D builds partnerships that address regional natural resource conservation and development strategies. `

The Impact Wy’East Projects

In 2006 as a result of Wy’East projects 1,388 citizens received direct benefits as a result of environmental and economic development projects.

Attendance at 10 workshops and tours was 577 citizens.Subjects covered renewable energy and sustainable agriculture in orchards.

Assisted two new startup businesses and retained one business.

Provided information technology decision support tools so agriculture producers could change pesticide management to minimize agriculture chemicals polluting water quality and irrigate crops using less water and improving income.

Wy’East Resource Conservation & Development Council prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. Wy’East Resource Conservation & Development is an equal opportunity provider and employer.