Activity Report for the Period 5/29/2017 – 6/9/2017

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • External Engagement: Nothing undertaken.
  • Boards/Committees: Hosted June board meeting.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Continued revision of personnel policies.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Prepped for, attended, and testified at depositions; met with staff during 1x1 meetings.
  • Program Implementation: Nothing undertaken.
Planned:
  • External Engagement: Meet with local watershed councils to discuss Year 2 process and projects for Strategic Partnership Agreement.
  • Boards/Committees: Ad-hoc committee meeting; personnel committee meeting.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting/Reporting: Continue review and improvement of personnel policies.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with staff and management team during 1x1s and team meeting.
  • Program Implementation: Host water quality meeting with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Agriculture.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Prepared budget to actual reports as of the end of May. Presented final budget at the June board meeting which was adopted unanimously by the board.
  • Worked with Jed to respond to public records requests. Reviewed May payroll, May bank reconciliations and May retirement plan contributions.
  • Researched and ordered additional computer equipment for staff including a replacement printer for upstairs offices. Dealt with various minor office technology issues.
Planned:
  • Submit approved budget and requisite documents to various agencies per ORS guidelines.
  • Jed and I will meet with a candidate for IT support work next week and hope to select a firm to handle our IT support and have a contract in place by the end of the month.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • After conducting some monitoring and testing on the office's network the persistent lag problem many staff were experiencing seems to have been addressed. The cause of issue seems to have been a combination of limited bandwidth and some staff PCs having malicious software on them that was constantly accessing outside web addresses.
  • After quite a bit of research and detective work I believe I have finally resolved some billing issues we have been having with MODA.
  • I spend some time assisting Katie with fine-tuning the Urban Lands Internship position description and forming a strategy for targeted distribution of the announcement.
Planned:
  • I will be finishing up a first draft of my FY17/18 workplan and submitting it to Lissa for review.
  • I will be identifying possible locations for the strategic planning retreat and making inquiries about availability on our event dates.
  • Lissa, Alex and I will be meeting with one of the top candidates to take over EMSWCD's managed IT services contract to further evaluate their proposal.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • I met with Bill Dodds at the Multnomah Grange so that he could approve the design and layout for the handicap ramp railing as well as the handicap parking spots.
  • Rowan had a photographer coming by on the 7th, so I mowed most of the roadways and around the pollinator habitats.
Planned:
  • The Multnomah Grange project is scheduled to start June 12th.
  • We will be installing sings on the parking lot gates as well as having the drive approach painted yellow in an effort to keep the soccer people from blocking the entrance.
  • I will finish up wrapping the curing shed walls with house wrap to protect the insulation.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Survey project: reviewed bids with Lissa, selected a marketing and research company, drafted 30 survey questions, had kick-off call with company, reviewed and updated questions and service descriptions. The survey will begin early next week.
  • Updated designs or created new designs for several kinds outdoor signs, including signage for the office, Headwaters Farm and project sites. Retrieved bids for some signs and ordered others.
  • Created a draft Grants tri-fold brochure.
  • Worked with Lucas to put together a post on accepting comments on the DPNA Site Conservation Plan. Added a post on the upcoming 2017 Agricultural Census, and archived or updated other content across the site.
  • Wrapped up the Bike More Challenge and attended the Awards Party. EMSWCD staff logged 884 bike miles in May!
Planned:
  • Continue to work on the survey project.
  • Work planning for the 2017-18 fiscal year.
  • Get signs and any other end-of-year print items ordered.
  • Final touches and revisions on Branding and Identity document.
Information Technology Lissa Adams,
Jed Arnold,
Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Jed and Lissa responded to staff IT issues and questions as needed; see notes in their individual reports above.
Planned:
  • Jed and Lissa will respond to staff IT issues and questions as needed.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Working on the Rural Lands work plan for next fiscal year.
  • Completing our ODA Scope of work for next fiscal year.
Planned:
  • Sandy River Basin Partners meeting.
  • Meeting with ODA to review lessons learned from the Johsnon Creek Strategic Implementation Area.
  • In Peru for two weeks beginning June 16th!
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Attended the Johnson Creek Watershed Annual Celebration.
  • Calculated the hydrology for an Erosion Solutions project.
  • Submitted an article for Digger (the nursery industry trade magazine) that introduces what Districts are and what services they can provide. It will appear in the August edition.
  • Reviewed postcard, outreach email, and website content for Erosion Solutions outreach.
  • Presented at an irrigation workshop for participants of Rogue Farm Corps and Beginning Urban Farmer Apprenticeship.
  • Participated in a conference call for a local working group called Soil Health for Resilience.
  • Met someone who is interested in pursuing a career in conservation for an informational interview.
Planned:
  • Work with Jeremy and Clackamas SWCD to create an Erosion Solutions design for a nursery.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • I conducted eight exit site visits for landowners graduating from StreamCare this summer. The sites are all free to grow, look great, and the landowners seem happy.
  • I lead a Columbia Gorge Cooperative Weed Management Area meeting at Menucha. The meeting focused on garlic mustard control in the gorge and Chris presented on our efforts to contain garlic mustard in the Gorge.
  • I added an executive summary to the Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan and a few other elements. With the help of Chelsea and Alex, a link to the the document was sent out for review by neighbors of Headwaters Farm, partners in the Johnson Creek Interjurisdictional Committee, and on our Facebook page. The commenting period is open until June 26.
Planned:
  • I will be doing more exit site visits with landowners graduating from StreamCare.
  • I will be out with a crew doing some weed control on newly planted StreamCare sites.
  • I will be attending the 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area Field Day in Washington County.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Assisted in final survey of drainage areas at Headwaters to draft plan to enhance drainage of the east road and fields and to take water off Block 3 and move it down through DPNA.
  • Established training plan for NRCS Planner Certification.
  • Visited a local nursery to plan out road construction and specifications. Also reviewed irrigation installation timing for this summer.
Planned:
  • Planning for erosion control project. Working with Aaron to determine potential treatments. Meeting with an engineer on site to ensure we're moving in the right direction with area and flow calculations.
  • Taking NRCS trainings needed for certification. Trainings are online but I need to be on an NRCS computer (which we do not currently have in the office) which means I need to go to another office to engage these requirements.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Presented to the Columbia Gorge CWMA on our garlic mustard containment project including the projects history, process, current status, and lessons learned.
  • Garlic mustard control continues with crews tackling the most heavily infested sites with Jon and I working on the smaller sattelite populations.
  • Had a crew out to control ivy and begin preparing the site to plant this winter by controlling other weeds.
Planned:
  • Garlic mustard should be wrapping up.
  • False Brome control could begin.
  • Mapping, number crunching, reporting, and generally finalizing spring garlic mustard work.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • I made a rough draft of a hand drawn map of the Beaver Creek watershed for "The State of Beaver Creek" flier and distributed it for comment.
  • I presented EMSWCD's water quality work to a class of 30 fifth graders.
  • Chris and I have been wrapping up garlic mustard second passes at all small sites. We have been working with Verde to finish second pass control work at all large sites.
Planned:
  • We will finish second pass control work at all garlic mustard control sites.
  • I will work on final draft illustrations for "The State of Beaver Creek" flier.
  • Chris and I will begin first pass control of false brome.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Sent mailer to landowners in the Agricultural Water Quality Focus Area. Mailer informed livestock owners that EMSWCD offers free technical assistance and CLIP funding for projects on their property.
  • Worked with Lucas to mail solicitation for comments on the Dianna Pope Natural Area 5-Year Plan to neighbors of Headwaters Farm.
  • Sent Erosion Solutions email to nursery growers.
Planned:
  • Finalize CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Area) invasive weed fact sheets.
  • Work with folks from City of Gresham, Multnomah County, Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, and our own Jon Wagner to get a completed draft of a water quality mailer for Beaver Creek, 'Beaver Creek, the Watershed Beneath Your Feet'.
  • Finish writing and designing the habitat section of a document for farmers on attracting beneficial insects to their farm. This project is in collaboration with Lisa Kilders from Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Kathy attended a CSWC board meeting.
  • Kathy and Whitney went on a site visit with Nestani Condominiums in Gresham (across the street from MHCC).
  • Kathy met with Suzanne to discuss how Urban Lands might interface more with SPACE grants.
  • Kathy attended an Adult Conservation Education meeting at the new Education Center at the ZOO.
  • Work with partners to draft contracts and scopes of work for the MHCC project, the OSU IPM web tool, and the OSU Native Plant web tool.
Planned:
  • Meeting with PDX Greywater Partnership to discuss upcoming workshops and learning opportunities.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Responded to nine backlogged landowner inquiries regarding invasive species, native planting, tree health, and potential CLIP and SPACE grants.
  • Met with condominium association in Gresham to discuss naturescaping techniques that would enhance habitat and reduce landscaping costs.
  • Attended: the JCWC Annual Celebration, Columbia Slough Watershed Council Technical Meeting, UERC presentation: Environmental Identity of Latinas/os, and an Association of Conservation Educators Northwest (ACE NW) meeting.
  • Participated in Yard Tour 2017 post-event debriefing.
  • Worked with Kathy to draft EMSWCD comments on HB 2017; forwarded to Jay for submission.
Planned:
  • Attending stakeholder meetings and natural resource charette with Gabbert Butte Stakeholder Advisor Committee.
  • Attending Greywater 101 workshop.
  • Meeting with Nikkie West to discuss Audubon Backyard Habitat Program.
  • Meeting with Suzanne to go over grants program.
  • Schedule meeting with Kathy and Jeremy to review CLIP program and discuss collaboration opportunities with community gardens.
  • Meet with Gresham landowners to review completed rain gardens.
  • Follow up on last backlogged landowner inquiries; move forward with new ones.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Attended the Science to Policy Summit hosted by the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership.
  • Researched low income and affordable housing in Portland to explore potential CLIP outreach.
Planned:
  • Write summary of low income and affordable housing research to discuss with team as potential marketing research project or outreach for CLIP.
  • Attend EPA sponsored Greening the Jade workshops to discuss conservation programs in East Portland's Jade District.
  • Table at Explorando el Columbia Slough - expected attendance of 500.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Began fall 2017 workshop host recruitment efforts.
  • Began recruitment for Outreach & Education Internship.
  • Sent surveys to approximately 240 people who attended Fall 2016 Naturescaping & Rain Garden workshops.
  • Database work included documenting spring workshop attendance, matching participant registrations to contacts, and searching for and rectifying duplicate contacts.
Planned:
  • Continue fall workshop host recruitment and process incoming workshop requests.
  • Begin work on annual self evaluation and next year's individual work plan.
  • Collect results from workshop survey participants.
  • Begin assembling workshop attendance data in preparation for strategic planning.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Work with Land Legacy Program manager on developing program work plan. Pursue closing arrangements for acquisition project.
  • Assisted with processing grants and addressing grants queries while Suzanne is on leave.
  • Worked on refining Headwaters GIS information, and maps for new developments.
  • Continued with preparations and data needs for 2017 strategic planning.
Planned:
  • Pursue closing arrangements on acquisition project. Undertake orientation tour of ag focal area with Matt (new Land Legacy Program Manager).
  • Participate in meeting of regional environmental education grantors and grantees. Assist with contracting the remaining 2017 PIC grants.
  • Work with Rowan on preparations for the Headwaters Board briefing.
  • Work on staff and district work plans for 2017-18 fiscal year. Continue with information needs and preparations for the 2017 strategic planning.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Continuing to complete PIC contracts.
  • Setting up invoicing system in ZoomGrants, met with Lissa to discuss.
  • Hosted Equity Grantmakers group at EMSWCD.
  • Co-hosted Environmental Education grantee convening at EMSWCD to gain feedback on grantmaking practices and strategic approaches to funding in this area.
  • Served on CWSP grant review committee.
  • Working on strategic planning preparation documents for grants program and Equity Team.
Planned:
  • Continue to complete PIC contracts.
  • Will work on invoicing and reporting set up in ZoomGrants.
  • Conduct site visit with Rowan at Zenger Farm regarding new PIC grant.
  • Continue to prepare for strategic planning.
  • Work on annual work plan.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Developed draft RFP for Conservation Easement valuation assignment.
  • Met and spoke with some landowners interested in conservation.
  • Continued to meet/speak with leading regional conservation practitioners, relevant support professionals and EMSWCD Board members.
  • Developed draft individual work plan.
  • Developed conservation easement transaction workflow process.
  • Developed prioritized list of foundational program documents.
Planned:
  • Identify contact/transaction/management tracking and data management system.
  • Develop Ag fee process transaction workflow process.
  • Develop priority foundational documents.
  • Circulate appraisal RFP.
  • Continue conversations with conservation practitioners, especially OR SWCD's.
  • Develop LLP component of Org work plan, begin to develop strategic planning materials.
  • Priority landowner outreach/meetings.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Offered irrigation workshop and a farm tour for participants of the Rogue Farm Corps, Beginning Farmer Apprenticeship Program, and Headwaters Incubator Program farmers.
  • Provided tour of Headwaters Farm to staff and volunteers of Leach Botanical Gardens.
  • Set cover crop in areas around the farm not in active production.
Planned:
  • Permits for the road realignment.
  • End of fiscal purchases and planning for next fiscal year.
  • Beginning the mid-season farmer check ins.
Headwaters Farm Stuart Moeller
Completed:
  • Weed Management: pollinator habitat and around facilities.
  • Helped stretch loose plastic on one of the new hoophouses.
  • Assisted the hanging of a protective cover in the curing shed to separate produce from the spray foam insulation.