Activity Report for the Period 11/16/2015 – 11/27/2015

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • Partnerships: Met with watershed councils; drafted terms and options for a partnership; participated in interviews for the Columbia Slough Watershed Council Executive Director.
  • Program Implementation: Attended a meeting with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to discuss findings from the initial Johnson Creek Strategic Implementation Area analysis.
Planned:
  • Partnerships: Participate in interviews for the Columbia Slough Watershed Council Executive Director.
  • Boards/Committees: Prepare for and host EMSWCD Board meeting; develop recommendations for improvement to the EMSWCD Board-related policies and procedures.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Compiled 5 year, budget vs. actual financial data for revenue and expense trend analysis.
  • Met with Equity Team and Jay to give update and discussed next steps, to include doing an organizational assessment.
  • Contacted representatives from Oregon Savings Growth Plan and Benefit Plan Administrators to discuss possible retirement plan proposals.
Planned:
  • Work with Alex to compile priority list of marketing/media needs.
  • Work with Phyllis to organize and review November payroll.
  • Contact historian Laura Foster for update on District history project.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • Reviewed laws and regulations regarding requirements for noticing EMSWCD public meetings. Worked with Alex to develop a new public meeting press release. Noticing meetings by press release rather than classified ad posting should save EMSWCD several thousand dollars a year.
  • Researched and provided feedback on legal requirements regarding paycheck delivery.
  • Researched options for and purchased an external security camera system to help alivate saftey concerns regarding activity in the office's demonstration garden after hours.
  • Continued work on archived files. Only a few unsorted boxes remain!
Planned:
  • I hope to finish work with the archived files and have the conference room cleared before the end of the calendar year.
  • I expect to receive delivery of and distribute the employee branded gear within the next two weeks.
  • Assist Scot with exterior camera installation.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • Scot was out sick when this report was compiled and unable to submit an activity update.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Drafted and sent final PIC grants campaign email.
  • Met with management to review marketing work, and to prioritize work between programs in remainder of the fiscal year.
  • Continuing development and began testing plant sale store. Updated draft flier design. Met with plant sale team for initial feedback and planning next steps.
  • Developing and testing new website code and style rules for improved navigation and mobile device responsiveness.
Planned:
  • Continue development and testing of plant sale store, finalize flier and send to print, create final draft of plant sale mailer with updated plant list.
  • Work with Lissa and other managers to create a priority matrix for upcoming marketing projects.
  • Finalize navigation changes on development website and review with management.
Information Technology Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Installed updates on Surface3 tablet and tested. Some sporadic connection issues remain but the device is working better.
  • Replaced Lea's phone with a better working model.
  • Worked with Julie to renew hosting and select a plan for development website.
Planned:
  • Assist staff with network, software, printing etc. issues as necessary
  • Resolve any remaining issues with Surface3 tablet.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Met with Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to review the draft site evaluations in the Johnson Creek Strategic Implementation Area.
  • Attended the Lower Columbia Partnership's Science to Policy Summit.
  • Drafted job description for the vacant Conservation Technician position.
Planned:
  • Review the draft Dianna Pope Natural Area Plan and Weed Control 5 year implementation plan.
  • Update all Rural Lands job descriptions to the new format.
  • Review ODA's draft biennial report for the Sandy Ag water quality area.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Aaron was on vacation at the time of the report.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • I attended the Beaver Creek Conservation Partnership Meeting. The biggest news out of the meeting is that the pond at Mount Hood Community College raises the temperature of Beaver Creek by an average of five degrees in all summer months. Spawning salmon have returned to the watershed as well.
  • I met with SOLVe, the City of Troutdale, and Multnomah County to discuss long term management strategies and roles for lower Beaver Creek riparian areas. Primarily these are areas that SOLVe has worked on restoring for many years and need continued maintenance to become free to grow. The next step will be SOLVe working up a plan with history of work on each site and needs moving forward.
  • I went out with an ODFW employee to look at two StreamCare areas for possible enrollment into their Riparian Lands Tax Incentive Program. One landowner is ready to enroll, the other is considering it.
  • Worked on the Rural Lands Revegetation/StreamCare Five Year Implementation Plan.
Planned:
  • I will be receiving 4050 live cuttings of willow and dogwood. A contract crew will be installing them on seven sites in the Smith, Beaver, and Johnson Creek Watersheds.
  • I will be doing more site preparation on pollinator planting areas at Headwaters Farm.
  • I will be continuing work on the Rural Lands Revegetation/StreamCare Five Year Implementation Plan.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Chris was out on vacation at the time of the report.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Jon is currently on parental leave spending time with his newborn son.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Met with Pivot Group about market research for Erosion Prevention Campaign.
  • Worked with Lucas to develop a StreamCare outreach strategy.
  • Finalized work plan.
Planned:
  • Research methods to develop rural lands program messaging.
  • Begin planning rural native plant workshop.
  • Begin work on Rural Lands outreach plan.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Attended Beaver Creek Partnership Meeting.
  • Attended Learning Point Supervisor Boot Camp.
  • Reviewed, edited, & wrote a letter of support for an EPA Urban Waters grant proposal to support our Demonstration project at Mount Hood Community College.
  • Alex Woolery gave management team an update and requested prioritzation of and input about upcoming projects from each of the programs.
  • Presented Naturescaping and Rain Gardens presentation at the Fix-it Fair held at Parkrose High School.
  • Planning meeting to finalize species purchases, update the mailer and hand-out, and discuss testing of the online store for the Native Plant Sale.
Planned:
  • Work with partners to create a Memorandum of Agreement that captures the essence of our partnership regarding the large-scale demonstration project at Mount Hood Community College.
Technical Assistance Erik Carr
Completed:
  • Attended steering committee meeting for Enviromental Protection Agency's Making a Visible Difference project.
  • Attended Alliance for Community Trees/Arbor Day Foundation national conference in Denver.
Planned:
  • Scheduled to provide pollinator presentation to Rockwood community garden forum.
  • Plan to attend Cooperative Weed Management's Herbicide Forum.
  • Plan to attend Oregon Community Trees board of directors meeting and field day.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Tabled at Fix-it-Fair in East Portland.
  • Attended steering committee meeting for the Enviromental Protection Agency's Making a Visible Difference project.
  • Spoke with CONNECT Conference organizers. I am helping to develop the Urban Conservation track for this year's conference.
Planned:
  • Meeting with Gresham's Rockwood community groups.
  • Site visit with potential new workshop host at Gresham's Main City Park.
Outreach & Education Lea Wilson
Completed:
  • Roster prep and cancellation for two workshops during this period.
  • Finalized spring workshop availabilty and began host recruitment.
  • Updated conservation directory information.
Planned:
  • Conduct host check-ins and prep for the last workshop.
  • Process spring workshop requests.
  • Update native plant presentation slides to reflect new plants being offered at the native plant sale.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Andrew was out sick when this report was compiled and unable to submit an activity update.
Land Legacy Rick McMonagle
Completed:
  • Revised agricultural land easement management plan.
  • Researched potential Access to Nature project.
  • Worked with land surveyor on Oxbow Farm survey bid.
  • Researched potential Natural Lands project.
  • Finalized agriculture program's outreach brochure.
Planned:
  • Meet with Portland Public Schools.
  • Tour EMSWCD's Oxbow Farm.
  • Attend OR Tilth webinar.
  • Attend & present at Land Legacy Committee meeting.
  • Tour Columbia Slough lands.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Met with prospective 2016 PIC applicants.
  • Processed SPACE awards for November, reviewed new applications.
  • Attended Grantmakers Equity groups meeting.
  • Site visit - SOLVE - Heron Pointe, Fairview, PIC 2015.
  • Met with EMSWCD Equity team and Jay to discuss equity statement and moving forward.
  • Reviewed draft Watershed Council "White Paper" and provided comments.
Planned:
  • Attend Additional meetings with possible PIC applicants.
  • Field questions from applicants.
  • Prepare for PIC 2016 PIC grant review: contact review team member and prospective additions.
  • Prepare for Grants Committee meeting in Jan.
  • Follow-up on Garden Stakeholders meeting - summarize group role and objective, ideas for future strategy development.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Hosted the Headwaters Incubator Program applicant reviewer meeting, conducted interviews, and began making reference calls.
  • Met with state-wide farmer development organizations to discuss broader impacts of our work and other interactions and also met separately with Adelante Mujeres to talk about their proposed farm incubator in Helvetia and wrote a letter of support for that project.
  • Hosted the annual End of Year HIP Farmer meeting to build community, debrief the season, and get thoughts for next.
Planned:
  • Revisiting the five-year Headwaters Farm Plan and updating the Farmers Manual.
  • Making final selections on the next cohort of HIP farmers.
  • Visiting Oxbow Farm with Andrew and Rick M. to discuss possible future options for the site.