Travis Bloomer, a broker with Whitney Land Company in Oregon, sells farm, ranch, forest, and recreational real estate. He has a lot of background experience with rural property and worked for the Natural Resource Conservation Service for 15 years prior to becoming a real estate agent in 2013. He was the district conservationist for Baker County, and the Snake River Basin rangeland management specialist. He is also a partner in a working cattle ranch and likes to hunt, so he has experience with ranching, hunting and recreation, and is currently president of the Baker County Livestock Association and a member of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

“When I have clients who are new to land ownership, I offer advice, answer questions and can help them put a plan together,” he says. Maybe it needs improvements, and the new owner wants to know about cost-share programs.

Bloomer can often helping them create a plan, or put them in touch with a natural resource professional or organization that can help them develop a plan for their new property. “The typical options include the NRCS, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and sometimes a watershed council. You might also find a private resource professional who can help,” he says.

He recommends a planning process to identify problems and opportunities, which may involve resource conversion and how it might affect soil, water, plants, animals and humans. “Determine your objectives, inventory the resources, analyze the resource data, formulate alternatives, evaluate the alternatives, and make decisions. Then implement the plan, and evaluate it,” he says.

“Once we have the plan in place, or one of the other entities (soils and water conservation districts, Farm Service Agency, NRCS, watershed council, or wildlife organization like Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, etc.) have put the plan together, there are opportunities for funding,” says Bloomer.

“Funding sources include NRCS’s EQIP (environmental quality incentives program), CSP (conservation security program), WRP (wetland reserve program), and the Farm Service Agency’s grasslands program. They also fence off streams with CREP (conservation reserve enhancement program). In Oregon the SWCD (Soil and Water Conservation District) puts together OWEB (Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board) grants, for water projects. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has grants for access and habitat if land owners want to allow people to go into their property to hunt.” Or it may be a grant to help pay for fish-screening and fish passage. Whatever a person is looking for, there are many options available.