Activity Report for the Period 7/3/2017 – 7/14/2017

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • External Engagement: Participated in monthly call with the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).
  • Boards/Committees: Met with person interested in serving on the board; prepared for and hosted July board meeting; prepared for and hosted personnel committee meeting during which a consultant was chosen to undertake the executive director performance review.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Met with potential facilitator for the strategic planning board-staff retreat; reviewed and approved FY17-18 annual work plan.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Worked on fulfilling request for production responsibilities as part of ongoing lawsuit; worked on annual performance reviews; met with staff and management team during 1x1s and team meeting.
  • Program Implementation: Reviewed Headwaters board briefing information; discussed Metro’s Grant Butte project and pending financial contribution conditions with staff.
Planned:
  • Will be on leave for a significant portion of this period.
  • External Engagement: Participate in monthly call with OACD; participate in Colwood grand opening ceremony.
  • Boards/Committees: Nothing planned.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Continue review and improvement of personnel policies.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with staff and management team during 1x1s and team meeting.
  • Program Implementation: Nothing planned.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Reviewing and finalizing annual work plans for Admin Team; working on performance evaluations for Admin Team staff.
  • Worked with Auditor Rich Winkel on finalizing the audit engagement letter; fiscal year end preparation and initial review of FY16-17 financial reports; prepared May financial reports for presentation at July board meeting; reviewed several contracts for Garlic Mustard control/Revegetation/MHCC/ IPM web tool.
  • Set up new presentation laptops and new staff computer systems; troubleshot various minor IT issues.
Planned:
  • Finish Admin team performance evaluations.
  • Continue working on FY16-17 review and prepare documents for auditor.
  • Procure additional Adobe Creative Suite license and setup for use.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • I visited a few potential venues for the strategic planning retreat and wrote up a quick comparison sheet of the top options.
  • I compiled some old board and committee materials in response to the recent records production request.
  • I've been doing some trouble shooting of IT issues around the office and helping get new staff PCs set up and configured correctly.
Planned:
  • I anticipate making a recommendation on how to proceed with our IT support arrangements and hopefully will begin making preparations for an initial systems evaluation.
  • I will be working on my self-evaluation and looking into training opportunities for FY17/18.
  • I will be doing some online training and data entry for our new ERISA notification system.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • The Grange project is all finished. I met with Bill Dodds and he is happy with the work, as am I.
  • I worked with Orient Electric to try and find the reason the smoke detectors randomly go off. They installed all new detectors and we are still having the same issue.
  • Steve's Recycling is finished with cleaning the grounds at the newly acquired property and has begun the cleanup inside the house.
  • I am waiting on the test results for the asbestos and lead paint testing we are having done.
  • I have met with three different demolition contractors and I am waiting on all of the bids.
Planned:
  • I will continue to solicit quotes from painters to paint the siding that has been replaced.
  • Jed and I will try to isolate the "offending" detector by taking all down with the exception of one in Kathy's office as that seems to be a valid starting point.
  • I will be getting quotes from hazardous waste removal companies for all of the gasoline, oils, etc. left behind by the previous owners.
  • Once I get the results I will be getting quotes for and having the asbestos removed.
  • Once I receive all of the bids I will be presenting the comparisons to Rowan and Andrew. Hopefully we will be choosing a contractor soon.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Survey project: worked with Lissa and marketing research company to finalize questions and survey flow. Continued working with company to adjust demographic targets as necessary. In the end we came up with excellent demographic representation among the respondents!
  • Material work: successfully reached out to staff and completed a lot of material edits, invoicing and production, including for several new business cards, office signage, conservation partner (CLIP) signs, Headwaters frontage logo sign, Headwaters postcards. Also performed final edits to grants tri-fold brochure and grants project outdoor sign.
  • Final branding and identity edits: added new content and section headers, cleaned up layout and text, reorganized pages, sent to management for review.
Planned:
  • Final survey project management and follow-up; report and analysis should come back in the next work period.
  • Performance review and other evaluations.
  • Continue edits and restructuring of the Marketing Plan.
  • Work with program supervisors to update program work planning.
  • Begin work on outreach campaign for Headwaters Farm Incubator Program.
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:
  • Annual Reviews for two Rural Lands staff.
  • Attended a demo of Landscape Conservation Project software. It may be a useful tool for both Land Legacy and Rural Lands.
Planned:
  • Annual Reviews for four Rural Lands Staff.
  • Self review.
  • ODA and Annual Reporting.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Jeremy (an engineering consultant) and I conducted a topographical survey for an Erosion Solutions design for a nursery.
  • Generated calculations, documentation, and maps for an alternatives analysis for an Erosion Solutions design for a nursery.
Planned:
  • Work with Jeremy and Clackamas SWCD to create an Erosion Solutions design for a nursery.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Completed the last five exit site visits for landowners graduating from the StreamCare program this summer. Assisted Chelsea with getting an online survey out to all of the landowners who graduated this summer as well. Did a site visit to a landowner in the Johnson Creek Watershed who was interested in the StreamCare program.
  • I went out with Chris and did a day of false brome control at Eagle and Tanner Creeks.
  • Completed my self review and started working on my work plan.
Planned:
  • I will finalize the Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan.
  • I am taking some folks from the Tualatin, Clackamas, and West Multnomah SWCDs to the Dianna Pope Natural Area and a few other StreamCare sites to have a discussion about mid-term maintenance of stream restoration sites.
  • I will be continuing work on a mitigation plan for a permit to relocate a road in the Dianna Pope Natural Area.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Completed several new customer site visits (or technical assistance discussions) since the last report. Three were a result of the recent livestock flyer sent out to residents in the Beavercreek area. More conservation projects to come!
  • Completed land survey focused on erosion control measures in Boring.
  • Attended an on-farm soil solarization demonstration out at J Frank Schmidts property. J Frank has been working with OSU on a solarization trial for the past couple of years and the demonstration day provided attendees with the results and findings of the trial. The take aways were to be sure you have the proper fabric, and rows are sufficiently irrigated to allow for germination of weeds but then maintain proper temps to cook the weed. If those two factors are met (different soils require different levels of irrigation), solarization is an effective and economical way to remove weeds. It's less than 1/3 the cost of hand weeding and or fumigation and just as effective.
Planned:
  • I have accepted an invitation to participate on a National Conservation Planning Advisory Committee to represent SWCD certified planners across the state. The committee is focused on addressing innovative solutions for implementing the NRCS Conservation Planning Policy among the partnership. The goals of this committee are to explore the barriers and potential successes in implementing the Conservation Planning Policy, and to assist in defining the areas where resources are needed and available to support conservation planners throughout the Partnership during the transition period. This committee includes participants from Missouri, Virginia, Oregon, Montana, North Carolina, Pensylvania, Washington and Iowa.
  • Diligently working on my Annual Reivew and Annual Work plans.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Chris is currently on vacation.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Vacation with family at the coast.
  • Chris and I controlled 20 square meters of false brome over 4 stream miles and 10 trail miles.
  • I wrote my self review and entered water quality and wildlife data.
Planned:
  • I will finish my 2017-2018 work plan, finish map illustration for the State of Beaver, and meet to discuss future projects.
  • We will begin second pass control of false brome.
  • Chelsea and I will conduct the monthly water quality sampling and wildlife surveys.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Worked with Lucas to send survey to recent StreamCare graduates.
  • Registered staff and partners at Clackamas SWCD and Tualatin SWCD for FarWest Show, where we will be exhibiting.
  • Hosted CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Area) Education and Outreach Committee meeting. Presented current draft of "Beaver Creek, the Watershed Beneath Your Feet" water quality mailer to the Beaver Creek Partnership.
  • Went on a "photography field day" with Lucas. Photographed a number of StreamCare sites and attended an exit site visit and an enrollment site visit. Attended a beneficial insects field day hosted by Clackamas SWCD and Headwaters Farm.
Planned:
  • Finalize and mail out postcard to potential Japanese knotweed sites.
  • Work on finalizing "Beaver Creek, the Watershed Beneath Your Feet" water quality mailer.
  • Work on outreach materials for FarWest Show. We're focusing on cover crops as the theme of the booth, "Keep it Covered."
  • Facilitate a joint meeting of Rural Lands and Equity Team to brainstorm equity goals for strategic planning.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Met with MHCC primary funders group to discuss next steps in the Design and Construction phase of the Clean Water Retrofit at the College.
  • Work with Metro on finalizing funding contracts for the IPM web tool and the Native Plants web tool.
  • Met with Rose CDC to discuss the creation of landscaping standards across all their propoerties along with identifying ways EMSWCD can help them become more sustainable and possibly become a demonstration for other CDC's.
  • Staff evaluations, Self evaluation.
  • Met with Suzanne, Angela, Andrew to discuss the "hand-over" of SPACE grant administration to Urban Lands.
Planned:
  • Preparing for pre-strategic planning board briefing.
  • Working on 3rd draft of Urban Lands 5-yr plan.
  • Finalizing contract for the MHCC Design and Contruction Phase for the top three projects 1-3 identified in the Campus Retrofit Assessment.
  • Finalizing new contract with OSU Extension for IPM Web tool.
  • Preparing presentation for Gresham Home-owners association.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Attended Natural Resources Charette and Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting #2 for Gabbert Butte; met with Johnson Creek Watershed Council and Columbia Slough Watershed council re: urban stormwater outreach to businesses; toured Headwaters Farm; attended Beaver Creek Partnership meeting.
  • Updated presentation on Sustainable Landscaping/Rain gardens for local realtor groups and submitted necessary paperwork.
  • Reviewed Linnton Mills Mitigation Bank materials and set up meeting with WMSWCD to discuss.
  • Provided technical assistance to five individuals and HOAs re: rain gardens, plants for noise abatement, naturescaping, and water conservation.
  • Updated individual work plan for 2017-18.
  • Updated Rain Garden Incentive program forms and information with feedback from City of Gresham, and provided materials to one new interested homeowner.
Planned:
  • Presentation to realtors on Sustainable Landscaping/Rain Gardens.
  • Meeting with local condominium landscape manager to discuss creating BMPs across multiple properties for more sustainable landscaping.
  • Meeting with staff to discuss urban CLIP & Rain Garden Incentive program streamlining/revamping.
  • Meeting soon with WMSWCD to discuss Linnton Mills.
  • Presentation to Gresham condo association on naturescaping to reduce water use & costs - rescheduled.
  • Set up Green Street maintenance workday.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Created plant labels for 50 plants at our office. Will be produced and installed in the next two weeks.
  • Worked on materials in support of strategic planning and program planning for FY 17-18.
  • Completed self evaluation for FY 16-17.
  • Met with Birch Community Services to learn about organization and promote our programs.
Planned:
  • Compile information for strategic planning, contribute to presentation materials, and prep for presentation.
  • Meet with team to discuss CLIP program.
  • Attend MHCC Retrofit Outreach meetings with community partners.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Finished self evaluation, work plan updates and job description updates in preparation for annual performance review.
  • Began gathering data and updating charts for strategic planning session board briefing.
  • Continued recruitment for Outreach & Education Internship.
  • Attended the Clean Rivers Coalition Outreach Forum in Salem on July 12th.
Planned:
  • Finish updates and send out workshop presenter professional service contracts.
  • Create workshop fliers, send host checklists, and open registration for fall workshops.
  • Begin initial outreach to newspapers, online calendars for fall workshops.
  • Deliver two sustainable gardening presentations and one tour of EMSWCD facility to teen youth at Sabin Community Development Corp.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Facilitated closing and possession of the newly acquired property adjacent to Headwaters. Participated in site visit for possible new ag fee acquisition property.
  • Worked with Rowan and Scot on arrangements for the initial clean up of the new property.
  • Worked on staff and district work plans for 2017-18 fiscal year. Continued with information needs and preparations for the 2017 strategic planning.
  • Gathered documents and files in response to public records request.
Planned:
  • Collate and produce final draft District work plan for 2017-18 fiscal year. Start working on District annual report for 2016-17.
  • Work with Rowan on preparations for the Headwaters Board briefing presentation. Assist Matt with preparations for the Land Legacy strategic planning discussions in July.
  • Continue working on information needs for the 2017 strategic planning.
  • Work on individual performance evaluations, and review of staff job descriptions.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • PIC 2017: Finishing last of PIC contracts; set up financial management in ZoomGrants.
  • Attended workshop on analyzing non-profit financials - Grantmakers of OR.
  • Completed new brochure for Grants Program with Alex.
Planned:
  • Performance review.
  • Prepare for Strategic Planning presentation to Board in August.
  • Attend Equity Grantmakers meeting.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Developed significant portion of Strategic Plan content for July LLC presentation.
  • Several meetings with conservation practitioners.
  • Continued to develop several possible conservation transactions.
  • Assessed Landscape conservation project tracking software.
  • Developed critical path for Oxbow.
Planned:
  • Continue to evaluate conservation project tracking software options.
  • Further refine strategic plan elements and develop new components.
  • Foundational material development.
  • Conservation opportunities pursued.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Presented Board Briefing for the Headwaters Incubator Program in prep of the November strategic planning process.
  • Prepared 2nd quarter invoices for farmers.
  • Working to get the newly acquired frontage property toward the demo phase including obtaining permits from the County and City of Gresham.
Planned:
  • Mid-season check-ins with incubator farms.
  • Beginning to get quotes on upcoming major summer projects, including: storwater management, compost site prep, among others.
  • Writing article on silage tarps for Growing for Market publication.
Headwaters Farm Stuart Moeller
Completed:
  • Applied nursery fabric around the hoophouses to manage weeds.
  • Thistle management and pollinator clean up.
  • Mowing and weed whacking.
Planned:
  • Pulling poly over hoop house #1.
  • Weed management and pollinator support.
  • General site upkeep.