Join us at Zenger Farm for a free workshop on purchasing and leasing agricultural land on November 2nd! Whether you are a farmer wondering how to get on land or a landowner looking to lease, this workshop has the information for you! This panel discussion and workshop is put on by partners Rogue Farm Corps, OSU Metro Extension Small Farms, EMSWCD, Friends of Family Farmers, and Zenger Farm. The focus of the workshop will be on the Portland Metro region and surrounding area.

Where: Zenger Farm, 11741 SE Foster Rd, Portland 97266 (map link)
When: Wednesday November 2nd, 4:30 – 7 PM, with potluck social to follow

Please join us! There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions, plus a potluck social afterward! RSVP is appreciated but not required. Please email Nellie McAdams at nellie@roguefarmcorps.org to RSVP or with any questions. Read more →

Update: Construction has begun! Stay tuned for project updates in this post.

When the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District purchased Headwaters Farm in Gresham five years ago, we saw it as an opportunity to do what we do best: promote clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat. We quickly found a project on the property that addresses all three at once: replacing the culverts for safe fish passage.

The North Fork of Johnson Creek flows through three culverts on Headwaters Farm that are either old, undersized, or perched (a perched culvert is one where the outlet is higher than the downstream water surface). All three act as barriers to salmon as they swim upstream to lay their eggs. Read more →

Our work plan for the 2016-17 fiscal year is now available! You can download the Annual Work Plan here.

The mission of the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District is to help people care for land and water. Our vision is that our lands and waters are healthy and sustain farms, forests, wildlife and communities. Each year we create a work plan to organize and prioritize our work, and set specific program goals to further our mission and vision. The work plan is organized by the work in our four programmatic units: Finance and Operations (The Finance and Operations Program focuses on the administrative aspects of the EMSWCD’s work, including board and committee management, budgeting and financial management, contracting, human resources, office management, facilities management, and marketing and media.), Urban Lands (The Urban Lands Program provides workshops, project consultations, demonstration projects and public events, such as native landscaping tours and native plant sales.), Rural Lands (The Rural Lands Program focuses on providing advice to farmers and other land managers on best practices, improving riparian habitats, and eradicating invasive weeds.), and Conservation Legacy (The Conservation Legacy Program focuses on helping new farmers get established, on protecting and restoring agricultural, natural resource, and access to nature lands as well as providing funding for partners and allies for conservation-related activities.).

You can also learn more about EMSWCD and the work we do in the District in the About EMSWCD section. Contact us at (503) 222-7645 or info@emswcd.org to find out how we can help you care for land and water.

We are seeking a part-time, seasonal Farm Operations Assistant to engage in a wide range of activities related to running and maintaining Headwaters Farm. The Headwaters Farm Operations Assistant will help support Headwaters Farm staff during the growing season while practicing sound stewardship, maintaining equipment, and operating tractors and other machinery, among other general farm tasks.

The application period for this position has closed. Thank you for your interest! Application materials should have been sent by no later than Friday, June 10^th, 2016.