We decided to write The Navigator, a guide to incentive programs that help save money by saving resources, after meeting with hundreds of landowners throughout rural Oregon to talk about installing a fish screen on their water diversions -- our primary reason for being in business.  

Many of these farmers were searching for a way to reduce their resource use since growing our food, conveying irrigation water, or even driving to distant grocery stores uses significant amounts of energy and water and, ultimately, costs a lot of money.

Our state and federal governments have many programs to help people improve energy efficiency, make the transition to renewable energy, and conserve water.  However, due to limited budgets and low population desities, little outreach is done in rural communities where energy use per capita is the highest and holds the greatest potential for individual savings.

As we stood in these farmers' fields and talked about great programs like the BETC (page 12) or EQIP (page 24), we knew we needed some type of guide where we would be able to circle a program description and say, "This program is for solar panels.  It will save you a lot of money.  Call Joe at Oregon Department of Energy.  He will point you in the right direction." But that tool didn't exist.

Two years later, after thousands of hours and dozens of drafts, we present to you The Navigator, a guide for understanding the tax credits and incentives that will help you save money by saving resources.  Since FCA's charter is to do work for rural communities, we have printed a first run of 25,000 copies to distribute mostly throughout rural Oregon.  However, to expand our distribution, save money, and reduce paper use, we created this online version of The Navigator so that all Oregonians can view and print this guide.

SUPPORT THE NAVIGATOR
If you would like to send a donation or letter of support to help expand FCA's efforts in the future, we would gladly accept them.  Please send your check or letter of support to: FCA, The Navigator, 14 Oak Street, Suite 302, Hood River, OR 97031.  Upon receipt, we will gladly send you confirmation for tax purposes. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you would like more information about The Navigator project, or would like to inquire about getting paper copies for distribution in your area, please email us at info@fcasolutions.org with a subject line saying, "The Navigator."  Also, attendees at these upcoming conferences may make arrangements ahead of time for pick up of cases of The Navigator during the conference!  (One case contains 44 copies of the magazine.)

Oregon Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) Annual Convention, November 4-7
at the Red Lion Hotel in Pendleton, Oregon.  To pre-order boxes for pick up at the conference,
contact us here.

Network of Oregon Watershed Councils 2009 Watershed Council Gathering, October 27-30
at the Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  To pre-order boxes for pick up at the Gathering,
contact us here.