Blaine County Climate Smart Communities Initiative Project

We are thrilled to announce that The Keystone Concept, The Wood River Land Trust, and Blaine County’s 5B Climate Action Network (5B CAN) have been selected as a recipient team of the 2025 Climate Smart Communities Initiative grant!

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) has awarded 21 innovative community-led projects nationwide, totaling $2.2 million, to bolster climate resilience planning and adaptation efforts. This grant provides $99,000 in funding to our team in the Wood River Valley, paired with technical support, expert training, and peer learning opportunities, all aimed at helping us advance our climate resilience strategies over the course of the next 12 months (August 2025 - August 2026). Learn more about this project and our work, that begins in September 2025, in Blaine County’s August 13, 2025 Media Release.

**March 19, 2026**

Blaine County CSCI PRogram awards $60,000

to fast-track climate action projects as demand nearly triples available funding 

Background

This effort builds on the momentum of the Wood River Valley Collaborative Forest Enhancement Project, funded by the USDA Forest Service and the Idaho Department of Lands in 2019, and directly supports the goals of the Blaine County Climate Action Plan. Through the Blaine County CSCI project, we will work with community partners to identify and provide funding support for high-priority nature-based solutions that address strategies outlined in Blaine County’s Climate Action Plan and Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA).

Project Awards

The following projects were awarded a total of $60,000 in early March to implement nature-based solutions across Blaine County in Summer 2026. These projects address strategies outlined in Blaine County’s Climate Action Plan and help build health and resilience in Blaine County communities and across the region’s landscapes. In addition to these funded projects, an additional five projects that were not funded through this program will be provided with technical assistance and directed toward alternate funding support to continue to advance important climate action across the region.

  • Rooted in Hailey – Urban Forest Management City of Hailey — $20,000 

  • Hailey Greenway Riparian Restoration Wood River Land Trust — $10,000

  • Bellevue Tree Inventory City of Bellevue — $10,000 

  • Protecting Biodiversity & Resilience in Two Kipukas Craters of the Moon — $10,000 

  • Grants for Grass Project Big Wood — $10,000  

What’s Next for Blaine County’s Climate Smart Communities Initiative

and investments in healthy and resilient landscapes?

Blaine County’s Sustainability Department is thrilled with this opportunity to partner with Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), The Keystone Concept and Wood River Land Trust to continue investing in planning tools and on-the-ground climate action that helps the region accomplish the goals outlined in our Climate Action Plan – specifically under the umbrella of the 5B CAN Land, Water and Wildlife Conservation Task Force. This funding opportunity and CSCI partnership represents a continuation of the successful efforts of the Wood River Valley Collaborative Forest Enhancement Program that began in 2019 with funding from USDA Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands and will conclude in Spring 2026.

In-order to continue building momentum under this proven approach, Blaine County’s Sustainability Department is currently in discussion with stakeholders across the valley, including: 5B Restoration Coalition, municipalities, local NGO’s and others to develop a cohesive and effective approach for coordinated project development and funding resources to support healthy and resilient landscapes across the county. Stakeholders can expect to hear more from Blaine County throughout 2026 as we move forward with this CSCI project and investigate the future for advancing this important work in a strategic and cohesive fashion with invested stakeholders.

Project Timeline:

  • December 11, 2025 - Blaine County CSCI Project Solicitation Announced

  • Jan - Feb 2026 - Project Solicitation Period. Blaine County explores future healthy & resilient landscapes efforts with stakeholders (via conversations, surveys, etc)

  • February 13 – CSCI Project Application Deadline

  • March 19 - Blaine County Project Awards Announced

    • March - April – execute agreements for projects

  • May 2 - Host Blaine County CSCI + Trout Friendly Workshop in Hailey / Ketchum - agenda TBD

  • July - Host CSCI Community Workshop #2 in Hailey / Ketchum - agenda TBD

  • July 31, 2026 – all projects must be completed

For further information about this project contact Caroline Dean, Project Manager, via email at cjdean@umich.edu.