Activity Report for the Period 2/13/2016 – 2/26/2016

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • Boards/Committees: Helped prepare for and attended Partners in Conservation Grant Review Committee meeting.
  • External Engagement: Attended Multnomah County Farm Bureau meeting.
  • Policies: Began review of personnel policies with introduction to staff and request for input.
  • Program Implementation: Began FY16-17 budget preparations, prepared charts of 5-year expenditure analysis; met with Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission regarding FY16-17 budgeting; met with Evan Haas from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's Clean Water State Revolving Fund to discuss opportunities; began review of the Urban Lands 5-Year Plan.
  • Staff Supervision: Began Andrew's 6-month performance review.
Planned:
  • Boards/Committees: Help prepare for and host board meeting.
  • External Engagement: Participate in Multnomah County Farm Bureau's skeet shoot; meet with Daniel Newberry of Johnson Creek Watershed Council to discuss next year's plans.
  • Policies: Continue review of personnel policies.
  • Program Implementation: Continue FY16-17 budget preparations; continue review of the Urban Lands 5-Year Plan.
  • Staff Supervision: Complete Andrew's 6-month performance review.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Finished installing software and updates on new Surface 3 tablets.
  • Scot and I met with a structural engineer to determine if any seismic upgrades are needed; general conclusion is that the building and foundation are in very good shape; full report to follow.
  • Budget, budget, budget. Working with program supervisors and staff to get best estimates for FY16-17 budget. Creating blank template for FY16-17 budget input. Calculating salaries, benefits, and all administrative expenses.
Planned:
  • Respond to staff questions about possible new retirement plan options.
  • Preparing for first FY16-17 Budget Committee meeting on March 7.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • Lots of work helping out with plant sale: customer support, volunteer support and day-of staffing at the event.
  • Finished up research on other organization's alternative commute incentive programs and wrote up projected costs for EMSWCD to institute similar policies.
  • Lots of research into conference room improvement options and pricing for possible inclusion in FY16/17 budget proposal.
Planned:
  • Pick up sample from potential new embroidery vendor and hopefully (finally) order blank baseball caps.
  • Update personnel files.
  • Catalogue several addition boxes of archive files.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • Met with Lissa and Jay Kushner (structural engineer) regarding the possible need for seismic upgrades to the office building. The results from the meeting were very encouraging! There has been some recent seismic work done and the remaining foundation walls are in excellent shape and the structure is adequately anchored.
  • Plant Sale!!
  • I have been working with Rowan to complete numerous tasks to continue to improve and streamline processes at Headwaters. Some of the tasks included having new circulation fans and outlets in the prop house, splitting barrels for the field dunk sinks, ordered and received additional pallet racking for storage in the barn.
Planned:
  • We (Lissa and myself) will continue to sort through the permitting process for the board room structural work.
  • I will continue to work with the Safety Committee to finalize a draft of the EMSWCD Emergency Action Plan to present to management for input/approval.
  • I will be working with Rowan to re-configure the existing risers to make them easier to repair in the event repairs need to be made.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Continued plant sale support: order cross-checking, tracking shorted orders and contacting customers, packing list creation and printing, order reference sheets for staff, customer emails and calls, final reminder email. Set up music and info table on pickup day, answered questions about EMSWCD programs, resolved order questions, took photos and video.
  • Worked with Katie to finalize spring workshop email and sent to ~7500 contacts. Registrations are coming in quickly.
  • Worked with Chelsea, Rick and Andrew on Farm Succession materials and logistics, including email campaign and lists, postcard input and printing, quotes for event materials, District materials, press releases and outreach, and newspaper advertising.
  • Worked with Rowan and Scot on final steps for Headwaters time-lapse cameras. Two cameras are now configured, mounted and capturing footage!
Planned:
  • Create outreach material standard template for Urban Lands and other program materials.
  • Final plant sale processing including refunds, and right into Yard Tour planning.
  • Continue Farm Succession outreach, materials and coordination. Follow up with local media contacts on event listings and coverage.
Information Technology Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Assisted staff with printing, software and email/spam questions and issues.
  • Reviewed several quotes from Online Support for station monitoring and services, new computer stations and software licensing. Worked with Lissa to put together IT budget projections for 2015-16.
Planned:
  • Schedule additional round of wireless testing (first round delayed due to unforeseen issues)
  • Assist staff with network, software, printing etc. issues as necessary.
  • Continue research and assistance into IT budget needs and projected costs.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Drafting Rural Lands budget.
  • Completed the hire; Jeremy Baker starts 3/14 :).
  • Analysis of pesticide and metal soil test results from Headwaters and Oxbow.
Planned:
  • Working with other staff to update the CLIP application and agreement; develop a conservation plan template; update web content.
  • Draft 5 year plan for Rural Water Quality program area.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Assited in the building of a small human.
Planned:
  • Further communication with a landowner to develop an irrigation design as part of the CLIP process.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Lucas has been spending long days planting streamcare sites - the unseasonably warm weather is necessitating a rush to get stock in the ground as soon as possible. (-Jed)
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Installing native plants at several different weed control/restoration sites. Working with both Jon and Chelsea we've planted about 2100 trees and shrubs.
  • Winter weed surveys with Jon in the Bridal Veil area. ~ 4 miles of bushwhacking.
  • Attended CWMA Pull Together.
Planned:
  • Will respond to several calls about weeds projects with site visits.
  • Garlic Mustard surveys/planning, and possible control.
  • Planting is the priority until they are in the ground.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Attended the 4 county CWMA Pull Together.
  • Planted ~ 600 native trees and shrubs at 4 ivy and clematis control sites.
  • Surveyed 5 miles and manually controlled 6 square meter so daphne and 20 square meters of ivy.
Planned:
  • Water Quality sampling and data entry.
  • Finish planting at restoration sites.
  • Ivy surveys, outreach and control. And Daphne control.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Sorted plants for StreamCare planting - ongoing. Planted weed removal sites with Chris.
  • Attended 4-County CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Area) Pull Together.
  • Worked with partners and staff to finalize questions for nursery grower survey and compile contacts.
  • Worked with Andrew, Rick, and Alex to promote the Farm Succession workshop.
Planned:
  • Sort plants for StreamCare planting.
  • With Equity Team, complete Part 2 of the Organizational Self-Assessment Related to Racial Equity.
  • Continue promoting the Farm Succession workshop.
  • Begin promoting the Rural Native Plant workshop.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Attended Eco-Unite meeting discussing Genetic Diversity of Native plants with Adrienne Basey.
  • Our Annual Native plant sale went swimmingly - thanks everyone!
  • Met with Management Team to discuss major changes to budget for the 16-17 Fiscal year.
  • Convened the second meeting of the Sustainability Team - we reviewed a draft purpose statement and identified a number of organizational practices that could and should be audited. We are also developing a draft internal audit.
  • Attended the Beavercreek Partnership meeting where we got a presentation on the smolt surveys for the creek, a presentation on the 40-mile loop trail and the possibility for the trail to snake through the Beavercreek and MHCC area, and discussed possible implications to removing the dam at Mt. Hood Community College.
  • Met with Evan Haas, DEQ to discuss possible opportunities to use State Revoloving Fund Loans to finance some of our and our partners' work.
Planned:
  • Columbia Slough Watershed Council Board Meeting.
  • Composting Toilet discussion with ReCode.
  • Plant Sale Debrief/Lessons learned.
  • Meet with management team to discuss performace evaluation process.
  • Yard Tour meeting #1.
Technical Assistance Erik Carr
Completed:
  • Met with director of "Our NE 42nd Ave" to discuss potential stormwater retrofit projects in Concordia/Cully neighborhood.
  • 4 technical consultations, including 2 site visit in Gresham.
  • Assisting with native plant sale preparation.
  • Attend Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium at PSU.
Planned:
  • Plant sale preparations.
  • Collective Impact webinar by Alliance for Community Trees.
  • Plant sale event.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Plant Sale - Day of event and wrap-up.
  • CONNECT Conference coordination.
Planned:
  • Yard Tour kick-off meeting.
  • EPA - Equitable Development Workshop.
  • Vacation!
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Dove back in to all things workshops this week after Lea transferred baton back to me. Got up to speed on where we are at outreach wise and have a plan moving forward.
  • Put in a big plant order for spring season with Frank at Portland Parks.
  • Plant Sale clean up & recovery.
  • Had an initial meeting with Angela to establish dates and task & timeline for 2016 Yard Tour.
  • Input Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 workshops.
Planned:
  • Will be touching base with hosts to let them know i am back, and giving attendance updates next week.
  • Post event plant sale meeting is next week.
  • Will be inputting fall attendance and then running regular maintenance processes next week.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Prepared FY 2016-17 budget numbers for conservation legacy programs.
  • Reviewed PIC applications, prepared for and participated in PIC review committee meeting.
  • Worked on preparations for, and promotion of, the farm succession workshop scheduled for March 14th.
  • Recreated ag focal area web map with updated ownership and ag prioritization information.
Planned:
  • Work on Oxbow options operational plan.
  • Progress on ALE project management plan and BMP's.
  • Prepare motivation for additional capacity at headwaters Farm.
Land Legacy Rick McMonagle
Completed:
  • Worked EMSWCD Plant Sale.
  • Coordinated land acquisition project.
  • Contacted landowners in Ag Priority Area.
  • Met with Columbia Land Trust staff.
  • Planned for Farmer Succession Event.
  • Submitted draft FY16-17 draft budget items.
Planned:
  • Preparing for and promoting farm succession event.
  • Meeting with landowners in Ag priority area.
  • Researching Ag properties.
  • Attending Metro Nature in Neighborhoods presentation.
  • Attending Farm Tenure panel presentation.
  • Participating in PSU farmland transfer research project.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Review of PIC 2016 applications.
  • PIC Review Committee Meeting Feb. 24.
  • SPACE application review.
  • Attended Sabin School celebration of naturescaping and nature playground.
  • Verde-Cully Park site visit.
  • Attended Intertwine meeting on greening schoolyards.
Planned:
  • Continue analysis of PIC 2016 applications -prep for Board meeting.
  • Meeting 2: Equity Assessment.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Budget development.
  • Held new farmer orientation.
  • Attended Small Farms conference.
Planned:
  • Working with Gresham Fire Department, Environmental Management Services, and Multnomah County to finish the permitting process for upcoming developments.
  • Setting up nutrient management, tractor, and other pre-season trainings.
  • Oxbow plan development.
  • Host of farm projects: mounting gate on western entrance, addressing hydraulic leak on CAT D4E, demarcating field boundaries, improving water system in prophouse, and finishing dunk tables.