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Appendix A: Brief Narrative <br />Problemsllnconsistencies: <br />STAFFING: From the time this grant project was selected till even now we have run into <br />many obstacles, and inconsistencies given between grant administration staff and <br />leadership. Work inhibiting obstacles were March 1-August 31 restriction of migratory <br />birds, and March 31 -July 31 restriction for Northern Spotted Owl nesting and roosting <br />habitat, and Industrial Fire Protection Levels for the summer season. In the grant period, <br />the realistic work time frame for four of the project boundaries are fall only. Since the <br />grant was active, that has been equal to about six months at most. In combination with <br />the work restrictions and obstacles, FEMAlWashington State Department of Emergency <br />Management Division (WA EMD) and local agency turnover has impacted this project. <br />Kittitas County Conservation District (KCCD) has had two project contacts from WA <br />EMD, Brynne Walker and Courtney Merwin (she will be leaving at the end of March <br />2018). The frustration from having issues worked out with the previous contact, and <br />then to have the same questions/processes revisited, adjusted or repeated. Local <br />county turnover has occurred as well, Brenda Larsen, Kittitas Fire Marshal, left in April <br />2015 (who was the original applicant for the grant), Deputy Fire Marshal Josh Hink left <br />in March 2018, and Suzanne Wade, KCCD Wildfire Mitigation Fuels Reduction Project <br />Manager left in July 2016. Since that time , Rose Shriner has replaced Suzanne Wade <br />as KCCD staff, and there has been no replacement or re-hiring in the Kittitas County <br />Fire Marshal's office. KCCD has also had the financial manager, Sarah Leist leave in <br />January 2016, and was replaced by Miranda Nash at that time. Miranda Nash has been <br />providing financial support the remainder of the grant project period. <br />TIMELINE/ALLOWABLE WORK PERIOD: Per section q of the approved Scope of <br />Work, if work had to be done during March 1-August 31 st, a qualified bird professional <br />was sent to monitor pre-conditions and post conditions. Contractors were notified if site <br />conditions required site specific prescriptions by meeting the contractor prior to work <br />implementation on the project site. Please see Appendix D of for Migratory Bird <br />Breeding Survey reports conducted during this grant period. On the ground <br />implementation was followed by Attachment B Scope of Work, and buffers were kept <br />from OHWM. No work took place in the OHWM. Along the same lines of the allowable <br />work period, the confusion in the beginning of the grant (related to migratory bird <br />requirements among others), did not adequately allow for efficient project <br />implementation planning, since it took till mid 2015 to start implementing projects. An <br />extension was asked and approved in December 2016, to allow adequate time till <br />January 9, 2018, which helped the remainder five cost-share contracts be completed.