Thanks to everybody who attended our Naturescaped Yard Tour! The event took place on Saturday, May 14th. Six residential yards and two school yards were featured in the tour, each showcasing unique and creative ways of integrating naturescaping and stormwater management. In spite of a little rainy weather, over 400 people attended the tour! Stay tuned; we will post more information and photos from the event soon.
Update, 5/2/2016: The application period for this position has now closed. Thank you for your interest!
We are hiring for an Invasive Weed Technician! This position works with our Rural Lands team to map and control high-priority invasive weeds, with the long-term goals of restoration of native plant communities, protecting ecosystem processes and water quality, and preventing erosion.
The ideal candidate has excellent communication skills, a helpful personality, and experience in restoration, vegetation management and utilizing mapping technology and software. This position is part time (20 hours per week) and temporary; the job will begin in May and end on September 30th, 2016.
If you are a farmer, you can take part in a nationwide survey on cover crop use — whether or not you plant cover crops! The survey takes about 15 minutes at most, and is anonymous. You can also enter into an optional drawing for a $100 gift card for completing the survey.
Click here to take the survey! – Edit: survey is now closed.
Garlic mustard is a very invasive, fast-spreading weed, and Multnomah County has the worst infestation of it in Oregon. The roots produce a chemical that is toxic to other plants, and it can grow in most soil types. It can also grow in full sun or full shade, making it a threat to a wide variety of our native plants and habitats. You can help get rid of it, though – read on for some important tips about pulling up and getting rid of garlic mustard.
Many other plants are often mistaken for garlic mustard, especially before the flowers come up. Control is easiest when garlic mustard plants are in bloom (usually beginning in April), unless you can easily identify the rosettes (leaves) of the plant. Hand removal can be a successful technique in small patches that can be visited often and re-pulled frequently. Learn how to pull up garlic mustard and see more photos after the break! Read more
We would like to get a better understanding of your needs when it comes to preventing soil erosion. We are working with Pivot Group to conduct a phone survey over the next few weeks. Your answers will be compiled with other respondents to give us a better idea of the challenges you face and how we can help you address them.
Please contact Chelsea for more information: chelsea@emswcd.org or (503) 935-5376.
Thank you for supporting our 2016 Native Plant Sale! The plant sale pickup day went very well: a nice break in the recent rainy weather, and more than 10,000 native plants were sent on their way to new homes in and around the District, which will help restore native habitat, lower outdoor water usage and support beneficial wildlife. We also want to thank our amazing volunteers for helping us put together customer orders and distribute them on Saturday! Our Plant Sale would not have been possible without your efforts.
If you are looking for more native plants, or were not able to order all the plants you wanted, please see our Local Sources of Native Plants page. There are many great retail locations that offer native plants, and several other nearby native plant sales coming soon!
If you were not able to pick up your plants on Saturday or did not receive some of the plants you ordered, we will process a refund or partial refund for your order this week. You can email Alex Woolery, our Marketing and Media Manager, or call him at (503) 935-5367, if you have any questions about your order.
Due to icy weather conditions, the EMSWCD office is closed today, and our January Board Meeting is cancelled until further notice. Many of our staff will still be available by email; please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Our February Board meeting will take place Monday, February 1st. Please check back on our website for further updates. Thank you!
Update: the application period for this position ended on January 5th, 2016. Thank you for your interest!
We are excited to announce that we are hiring for a Rural Conservation Technician! This position provides on-site technical assistance to rural landowners on a wide range of conservation practices and methods, with the goal of reducing the potential loss of natural resources to soil erosion and water pollution.
The position is being offered at three levels and salary ranges, depending on experience: Conservation Technician, Conservation Specialist and Senior Conservationist.