HPRC&D makes grants and loans information available so the individual can make an application for either or both. Neither grants nor loans are as easy to obtain as they once were.
Our Centennial Cookbooks are still available! The cost is just $12 and can be purchased from board members or by contacting the High Plains office.
Biomass
High Plains RC&D has one of six nationally designated Biomass projects. When funded, the project will convert CRP grasses into pellets to burn with high sulphur coal to produce electricity.
Emergency Watershed Protection
Following any major rain event High Plains RC&D helps County Commissioners access the Emergency Watershed Protection funds used to prevent bridges from washing out and to clear out stream beds.
High Plains RC&D has some 20 partners which together are going to remove Eastern Red Cedar and Salt Cedar from the two rivers, use Eastern Red Cedar for economic development and do testing on Salt Cedar. Oklahoma Conservation Commission will do monitoring of changes in stream flow with help from USDA. $55,000 from U.S. Forest Service through Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Fiber, and $10,000 of state money from OEDA at Beaver is funding this project.
Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat
When a petition was filed to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken as an endangered species High Plains RC&D lead an effort to prevent the species from being listed as endangered. High Plains RC&D joined the High Plains Partnership, made up of five states from the Western Governor’s Association, to determine why the LPC was declining and what could be done to prevent the LPC from being listed as endangered. The result has been that in four years a 100,000 private land acres and 22,000 public land acres are in voluntary habitat improvement programs in the High Plains area with over $1.27 million to be used on research and cost share assistance. Today the LPC is a “species at risk”, and not “endangered.”
Great Plains Wildlife Heritage Trail
High Plains RCD has led the efforts to create a regional wildlife viewing trail in Western Oklahoma to promote tourism with the potential to add several hundred million dollars to Oklahoma economy.
Community Development
Allied Custom Gypsum
Planning Community Economic Recovery through Natural Resources
Geothermal Energy at Iochem
High Plains RC&D found the money (a loan) for the feasibility study for Brine Electric. High Plains RC&D is assisting in obtaining financing for the project. HPRCD also helped identify ways to utilize biomass to add to the steam. The geothermal plant will become a part of the iodine extraction plant, Iochem, near Vici, OK.
Senior Citizens
County Arts Councils
High Plains RC&D was instrumental in creating the Harper County Arts Council.
Unique to Area Projects
Agri-tourism
Big Man Mfg.
High Plains RC&D has worked with BIG Man Manufacturing located in Alva, OK in the marketing efforts of their electric cars. The car is currently used by the police on the Oklahoma State University Campus in Stillwater, Ok as well as by others such as Florida and Arizona.
Educational Opportunities such as income producing event
Turbines vs. Song Birds Study
High Plains RC&D worked with FPL Energy, U S Fish & Wildlife and the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife to hire a biologist and his assistants to study the affects of wind turbines on some 68 species of native song birds. The report showed there had been little affect on the songbird species.
Gasifier, opening markets for sale of product
Educational
Grape Growing and Wine Making
High Plains RC&D either alone or with other partners sponsor a variety of seminars or other types of outreach education in such areas as “Grape Growing and Wine Making,” “Women in Ag,” “Quai Symposium,” “Eastern Red Cedar,” and “Grassland Management.”
Women in Ag
Quail Symposium
Eastern Red Cedar
Grassland Management