Activity Report for the Period 10/9/2015 – 10/21/2015

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • Boards/Committees: Reached out to SDAO and other SWCDs regarding board training and development.
  • Partnerships: Reviewed BHCP partnership proposal with staff.
  • Engagement: Submitted SDAO Board application; identified Angela as staff that will help with CONNECT and Julie as staff that will sit in on the Oregon SWCS annual meeting.
  • Program Implementation: Met with Mt. Hood Community College, Salmon Safe, and the SRBWC regarding Urban Lands demo project; met with EcoTrust, American Farmland Trust, and COLT to discuss creation of new ag land trust in Oregon; started to update CLIP cost-share program.
Planned:
  • Boards/Committees: Prepare for Nov '15 Board meeting.
  • Partnerships: Respond to Portland Audubon and Columbia Land Trust regarding Backyard Habitat Certification Partnership proposal; work on watershed council partnership.
  • Engagement: Prepare for, present at, and attend OACD conference.
  • Program Implementation: Attend and speak at the Parkrose Community Orchard Groundbreaking; meet with Multnomah County regarding comprehensive planning.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Prepared quarterly budget vs. actual financial reports.
  • Gathered input from management team regarding technology and training needs and put together summary table.
  • Worked with Scot and landscape contractor to install overflow raingarden on southside parking strip.
Planned:
  • Begin reviewing marketing plan with Alex.
  • Continuing retirement plan research.
  • Continuing research and evaluation of board room partitions and repairs; especially with regard to occupancy limits and seismic upgrade requirements.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • Ordered most of the employee branded gear. Ordered samples of a newly identified option for jackets and basebal caps.
  • Began researching old PIC grants to identify locations of funded work for mapping project.
  • Surveyed staff on wants/needs for a retirement plan provider and compiled response data.
Planned:
  • Attend BOLI Annual Employment Law Conference.
  • Continue work on grants mapping.
  • Research improvements to conference calling system.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • Scot Wood was on leave while this report was being generated.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Met with Jay, Andrew and Jed to go over a new online, device-friendly format for weekly, quarterly and other reports. Designed and developed responsive grid report format. Your feedback is strongly encouraged!
  • Concluded research into plant sale plugin alternatives, met with plant sale team, decided to continue developing existing plugin.
  • Met with Urban Lands team to put together a Rain Garden Incentive campaign with digital, print and social components. Designing materials and fielding for quotes.
  • Several content and design tweaks to Grants section of website. Continued imagery replacement throughout website.
Planned:
  • Create an event flier and draft mailer for Plant Sale, continue development and updates to store plugin.
  • Continue work on Marketing Plan, presentation and supporting data/analytics.
  • Final HIP application promotion, continued grants, workshop and other promotion.
Information Technology Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Set up user account, software, templates, etc. for Chelsea's station.
  • Assisted staff with network, printer and email issues.
  • Installed Adobe Creative Suite software on Andrew's station.
Planned:
  • Assist staff with network, software, printing etc. issues as necessary.
  • Server drive arrived, will work with Online Support to install on Wednesday, 10/28.
  • Install server license manager software for ESRI ArcGIS upgrade.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Continued work on the FIP application- due 11/2.
  • Attended Supervisor Boot Camp training.
  • Welcomed Chelsea and began orientation.
Planned:
  • Continuing work on the FIP application- due 11/2.
  • Attending the Gathering for Conservation Nov 2-4.
  • Preparing for Lower Willamette Local Advisory Committee meeting on Nov 10.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Explained the current status and process of the CLIP program to a landowner who applied for pasture fencing.
  • Reviewed the design and met with the design consultant to clarify loose ends as we prepare to submit permitting for the culvert replacement project.
  • Participated in a webinar from the Freshwater Trust presenting their tools to prioritize, track, and verify restoration work, which could inform our processes.
Planned:
  • Will attend the October IJC meeting.
  • USGS will be installing temporary gaging station at Headwaters Farm. I facilitated the logisitics of its installation.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Completed first draft of Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan. Reviewing Julie's edits and making changes as needed.
  • Retrieved all but one continuous temperature monitors from Beaver and Johnson Creeks when doing water quality sampling with Jon. Uploaded data. Initially it looks like these two creeks were warm this summer.
  • Reviewed and interpreted easement we hold on property adjacent to Headwaters.
Planned:
  • Rowan and I are going to prepare more areas at Headwaters for pollinator plantings.
  • Meetings! Columbia Gorge CWMA Steering Committee Steering Committee and General Meeting, Beaver Creek Conservation Partnership.
  • Field tour and meeting with Chelsea to orient her with my work at the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Attended Forest Pest Detector Training. Some nasty little critters here, on our way, and hopefully some that never show.
  • Writing rough draft of Weeds Implementation plan.
  • Work on the ground; Ivy and Clematis control. Led contractors, site survey, inventory, planning. Ivy: 42 net acres controlled, 8 gross acres, 72 trees. Clematis: 4 trees, 45 gross sq/m, 22 net sq/m. Knotweed: 10 sq/m gross, 3 sq/m net. 9 linear miles of landscape inventory.
Planned:
  • Crews out for control.
  • Garlic Mustard working group meeting.
  • Working on implementation plan.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Crews controlled 9 acres of ivy over 40 acres of public and private land.
  • Surveyed 9 miles of forest for ivy, clematis and garlic mustard on public and private land.
  • WQ sampling.
Planned:
  • Ivy control with crews and outreach.
  • Garlic mustard working group.
  • Surveys and inventory.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Began working 10/19/2015.
  • Scheduled and attended meetings with staff to learn roles, outreach needs.
  • Read program materials to get aquainted with program activities.
Planned:
  • Continue scheduling and meeting with staff.
  • Erosion Prevention Campaign: Investigate market research methods.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Teleconference with Portland Parks, Rick & Andrew about City of Portland's "Employment"/Industrial Zoning Overlay.
  • I was a radio show guest this week on Weston Miller's (OSU Extension) show "Grow PDX" on X-RAY FM.
  • Met with Urban Lands staff to discuss outreach material needs.
  • Met to discuss Urban CLIP.
  • Plant Sale planning meeting.
Planned:
  • Attending a project management training at Learning Point.
  • Beaver Creek Partnership mtg - Erik Will Attend.
Technical Assistance Erik Carr
Completed:
  • 2 technical consultations on potential SPACE grant applications; 1 technical consult for residential stormwater mgmt.
  • Attended a stakeholders meeting hosted by ODA to discuss the impact of Asian Gypsy Moth found in Forest Park and St Johns.
  • Attended Salmon Safe partnership meeting with staff of Mt Hood CC and Sandy River Watershed Council.
Planned:
  • Draft of greywater reuse presentation.
  • Urban lands team meeting on program outreach needs.
  • Beaver Creek Partnership meeting at Mt Hood CC.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Attended Intertwine Fall Summit.
  • Plant Sale Meeting #1 - Prepared documents and lead the meeting.
  • Helped write/edit equity statement with the Equity Team at EMSWCD.
  • Met with Habitat for Humanity with the Urban Lands Team to discuss possible projects.
Planned:
  • Help coordinate development of new outreach materials for the Urban Lands Team.
  • Create map of low-income housing sites affiliated with Home Forward.
  • Present to Gresham's Powell-Valley Neighborhood Association.
Outreach & Education Lea Wilson
Completed:
  • Roster prep and cancellation/wait-list management for five workshops during this period.
  • Drafted letter for outreach ot neighbors and residents about tree removal.
  • Met with Erik, Kathy, Alex to develop plan for Gresham rain garden workshop and additional outreach.
Planned:
  • Continued promotion and host check-ins for November and December workshops; four upcoming workshops will require roster prep, managing cancellations and filling waitlist requests.
  • Acquire permit for removal of nuisance trees and create signage.
  • Reviewing webpages from new perspective for educational value and clarity.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Reviewed City of Portland Comprehensive Plan.
  • Drafted response to CoP Employment Zoning Project.
  • Responded to LLP property queries.
Planned:
  • Attend OACD conference.
  • Ag focal area parcel prioritization.
  • work on HIP 5 year plan.
Land Legacy Rick McMonagle
Completed:
  • Met w/AFT NW Regional Rep & Attended Listening Tour.
  • Participated in confer. call w/ Portland Parks re: zoning issues.
  • Handled new land inquiries.
  • Prepared draft threat analysis to Corbett area farm.
  • Managed ALE appraisal distribution.
Planned:
  • Contacting landowners.
  • Preparing for & meeting with ALE project owners.
  • Researching potential Access to Nature project.
  • Meeting with Zenger Farm re: farm project.
  • Doing Natural lands property tour w/CLT.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Meetings/consults with prospective PIC applicants: David Beller, Grow Portland; Anne Greenwood, Humboldt Neighborhood Assn.
  • Community Grant Program Coordinators meeting - discussed application review process, equity lens.
  • Set up meeting of "garden" grantees and partners to discuss mapping and strategy.
  • Met with staff to review CLIP application/guidelines.
  • Attended Intertwine Summit.
  • PIC Outreach - cards printed, promoting through partners, working with Alex on website.
  • Worked with EMSWCD equity committee to develop statement of purpose.
Planned:
  • Continue to meet with prospective PIC applicants, PIC outreach.
  • Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors and Sauvie Island Center events.
  • Continue work on baseline to inform next PIC review process.
  • Plan for new members and term limits for PIC Review Committee.
  • Meeting w/ Coalition of Communities of Color on PIC 2014 grant.
  • Attend OEC Environmental Justice series.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Facilitated the development of farm access roads.
  • Provided outreach and worked with prospective applicants (tours, emails, phone calls).
  • Coordinated the development of a pollinator meadow, beetle bank, and hedgerow prep.
Planned:
  • Organize and conduct the 2016 HIP farmer selection process.
  • Write RFP for Urban and Regional Planning workshop on EMSWCD equity.
  • Revisit Headwaters Farm Plan, Farmer's Manual, and the End of Season Questionnaire.