East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District awarded 2016 Partners in Conservation (PIC) grants totaling $759,600 to 24 conservation and environmental education projects in the District’s boundaries. The PIC program funds projects that address soil and water quality issues in the District, such as habitat restoration, environmental education, sustainable agriculture and stormwater management. 24 grants were awarded, including one multi-year PIC Plus grants. You can also download the full press release here.
Partners In Conservation Grants
Albina Neighborhood Tree Team, $20,000
The Albina ReLeaf Program
This project will improve the urban forest canopy in Boise and Eliot neighborhoods by removing and replacing trees, enhancing the quality and diversity of trees while reducing the burden of care on
low-income homeowners.
Coalition of Communities of Color, $20,000
REDEFINE: The Coalition of Communities of Color’s Initiative for Climate and Environmental Justice
Part of the REDEFINE initiative, this project will engage culturally-specific community-based organizations around environmental and climate justice, promote leadership in these organizations
and strengthen relationships between organizations of color and environmental groups.
Columbia Land Trust and Portland Audubon, $26,345
Backyard Habitat Certification Program (BHCP) – East County Investment Initiative
The BHCP provides technical assistance, incentives, resources and recognition to small lot private property owners to restore native wildlife habitat and manage stormwater. Through this project, Audubon and CLT will continue to develop the program in outer east county.
Columbia Riverkeeper, $14,400
Columbia River Monitoring Project
Columbia Riverkeeper will engage volunteers to adopt and monitor river sites, collect and report
critical E.coli data via a free smart phone and on-line app, coordinate river clean-ups, and complete
a restoration project.
Depave, $60,000
Depave Season 2016
Depave’s 2016 season will include five depaving and regreening efforts in East Multnomah County. These sites will be transformed into such uses as outdoor play spaces, community gardens, native garden spaces and stormwater infrastructure.
Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors, $25,000
Ecology Education in Elementary Schools
ECO will present hands-on lessons in 44 elementary school classrooms in East Multnomah County, along with service learning in nearby field sites.
Ecotrust, $60,000
Mapping and Convening an “Agriculture of the Middle Accelerator” in East Multnomah County
Ecotrust aims to re-build the “Agriculture of the Middle” – a mid-level scale of farms that are ideally suited to serve institutional food buyers, provide the greatest benefits to regional economies, and commit to on-farm management practices that foster environmental stewardship. The District service area will provide a pilot geography for this project.
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, $10,000
Grounding Rockwood
The project will work with culturally diverse families in the Rockwood area of Gresham to promote involvement in gardening, urban farming, environmental education and parks.
Grow Portland, $35,880
Planning for Community Garden Expansion in East Portland
Grow Portland will partner with the City of Portland Community Gardens program to help plan and fund five new community garden projects in East Portland to be constructed over the next six years.
Growing Gardens, $10,000
School Garden Assessment
The project will entail a survey of the six school districts in the EMSWCD service area to determine the location, status and funding levels of all existing school gardens. A final report and updated map will inform future planning for developing new school gardens and sustaining garden education programs.
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, $28,376
Outdoor Conservation Education Program
The LCEP Education Program takes students outdoors to apply watershed focused classroom lessons in the field, reaching 400 students in grades 3-6 and providing one teacher workshop to 20 teachers.
Multnomah County, $150,000 (PIC Plus)
North Fork Johnson Creek Fish Passage Restoration
The County fish passage restoration project on the North Fork tributary of Johnson Creek will replace the existing complete fish-barrier culvert at SE 267th Ave with a structure that meets the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife regulations for fish passage.
Northwest Youth Corps, $51,019
East Multnomah Youth Stewardship Project
The project’s objective is to provide 30 Portland area youth with a paid summer stewardship experience focusing on restoration projects in east Portland, Gresham and Troutdale.
Oregon Food Bank, $20,000
Underserved Communities at the Learning Gardens
OFB will expand the Learning Gardens program to develop and implement an outreach strategy to underserved populations, including communities of color, immigrants and individuals experiencing extreme poverty.
Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition, $11,000
100 Days of Stories
The project will collect video and written stories from people around the state about their experiences with Outdoor School, providing an opportunity to give voice to those who rarely have the chance to have their experiences, thoughts and opinions heard.
Outgrowing Hunger, $30,000
East Portland Neighborhood Gardens & Natural Garden Education
This project unites environmental education with restoration and conservation while building capacity among disadvantaged populations. This is done through garden-based environmental education, sustainable gardening mentoring, youth internships and ecological restoration projects.
Parkrose Heights Association of Neighbors, $12,510
Sacramento Outdoor Classroom
Sacramento Elementary School will build an outdoor classroom with the help of the Association of Neighbors, contributing an environmental educational space for implementing the school’s curriculum.
Portland State University, $13,185
Ecoroof Symposium, Education, and Research
PSU, in partnership with the Green Roof Information Thinktank (GRIT), will revive the Ecoroof Symposium to facilitate discussion and education about green roofs and to promote efforts to significantly increase their use in the Portland region.
Rose Community Development, $32,000
The Lents Youth Initiative Green Ring Watershed Partnership
The Lents Youth Initiative, OPAL Environmental Justice and Green Lents partnership will carry out efforts to improve watershed health and to engage youth and community in environmental education and habitat restoration in and around the Lents Green Ring.
Sauvie Island Center, $19,885
STEM on the Farm at the Sauvie Island Center
The Center offers teachers and students an engaging, hands-on day of outdoor environmental and gardening education that reinforces Next Generation Science Standards, along with more intensive classroom lessons.
Urban Nature Partners PDX, $20,000
Sustain and Strengthen Outdoor Opportunities for Youth
Serving 4th and 5th grade underserved youth, UNPP works to build long-term, one-on-one mentoring relationships with caring adults (primarily environmental professionals), facilitating experiential education in east side urban greenspaces.
Verde, $60,000
Let Us Build Cully Park!
Verde is transforming a brownfield into a new environmental asset. Set to open in 2017, the project restores habitat, creates space for recreation and environmental education for District youth, and provides new areas for community gardening. The involvement of numerous local partners and residents is establishing a community-based model for green infrastructure development.
Wisdom of the Elders, $20,000
Wisdom Workforce Development
The project provides low-income Native Americans experience to help pursue environmental career pathways through habitat restoration training and service learning.
Woodlawn Farmers Market, $10,000
Introducing Farmers Program
Woodlawn Farmers Market will launch the Introducing Farmers Program – a low-risk farmers’ market trial period and paid workshop opportunity for beginning small farmers, which will improve and expand educational workshops, and will help increase its customer base with greater marketing and outreach.