Category Archives: Archive

Notes on the plant sale – updated Thursday, March 6th

Although our plant sale is over, there are plenty of other native plant sales in and around the District! Here are just a few upcoming plant sales.

Other Upcoming Native Plant Sales

Several other organizations in our area have great native plant sales! Here are a few upcoming ones:

Friends of Baltimore Woods Annual Native Plant Sale – Saturday, March 29th, 2013, 10am to 3pm
Audubon Society of Portland – Audubon’s Native Plant Sale is scheduled for April 12th and 13th.
Backyard Habitat Certification Program– pre-order forms are sent out late February or early March, and plant pick-up is on the weekend of April 5-6. Please note this sale is only available to Backyard Habitat members, so registration is necessary.
Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation – THPRD has a single-day sale on April 26th, with staff on hand to help you choose the right plants.

Farm Infrastructure and New Farmer Development

It takes a lot to get a farm business off the ground. Growing skills need to be honed to specific microclimates, markets must be explored and established, and there are business and legal structures to develop, budgets to put together, and weed and pest management strategies to define, to name just a few essentials. However, much of this can’t happen without sufficient capital to make the initial investments in land, equipment, and farm infrastructure.

Our goal with the Headwaters Incubator Program is to identify individuals with farm experience, but who lack the capital necessary to launch their own farm business. To do this, the District makes available tools, equipment, and infrastructure essential to successfully producing in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, these items are so critical that the majority of staff time and budget for Headwaters Incubator Program’s inaugural season was committed to developing these basic assets, including a barn, greenhouse, irrigation system, wash station, and walk in cooler. Read more →

Recognizing our Executive Director, Jean Fike

Laura Masterson
Board Chair
East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District

Dec 2, 2013

Last week I received the news that our Executive Director, Jean Fike is going to resign effective later this month. At the District, we can’t help but be saddened by this loss as Jean has led us through a very successful and exciting expansion of programs over the last nine years. At the same time, we are thrilled for Jean and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, where she has accepted a job as Manager of their Northwest Region.

During Jean’s tenure the District has expanded its ability to protect the natural and agricultural resources throughout East Multnomah County. She oversaw the establishment of a new headquarters on N. Williams Avenue in Portland, creation of a grant program that invests nearly a million dollars annually in East Multnomah County, establishment of the Headwaters Incubator Farm to train the next generation of local farmers, and expansion of a land acquisition and easement program to ensure protection for the most important natural resource and agricultural lands in East Multnomah County. During that same time established programs like the Conservation Technical Assistance and Sustainable Urban Landscapes also extended the reach and range of services they offered, protecting our most valuable riparian areas with StreamCare and teaching Naturescaping classes in underserved neighborhoods. Read more →

Happy World Soil Day!

In honor of World Soil day, we celebrate all the soil does for us. Learn about your soil from some of our favorite soil websites!

Use the web soil survey to map and discover the properties and qualities of your soil.
For smartphone users, the SoilWeb app will enable your smart phone to map the soil right under your feet! Available for both Android and iPhone.
Get to know the texture of your soil. The jar test will show you how much silt, sand, and clay your soil has.
The soil is alive! See what lives in your soil and how these microscopic creatures are essential to soil health.
Learn how some farmers have changed the way they manage their soil, with great results!
Use this checklist to evaluate the health of your soil.
Great advice for gardeners on growing healthy soil.
Check out the soil health section of our web site.

Be a soil scholar!

To learn even more, join us at Soil School on April 5, 2014. There will be three tracks: one for farmers, one for beginning gardeners, and one for experienced gardeners. Click here to register!

Outreach and Education Specialist position

Your Local Conservation District is looking for a detail-oriented person with excellent communication skills to help coordinate our events and volunteers and serve as a community connections representative. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of three years of experience with project and volunteer management and event coordination. Additionally, this candidate will excel at community outreach, work well with a wide variety of people, and have experience building successful partnerships in traditionally underserved communities.

Position is in Portland Oregon and is full time with competitive benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer; persons of color strongly encouraged to apply. This position is now closed; applications will be reviewed next. Thank you to all applicants! For details about the job, please see the Outreach and Education Specialist page.

Grants Specialist and Outreach position

Help get funding to great local projects – your Local Conservation District is looking for a detail-oriented person with excellent communication skills to help administer our grants programs. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of three years of experience with community outreach or with grants and contracts; work well with a wide variety of people; and have experience building successful partnerships in traditionally underserved communities. Position is in Portland Oregon and is full time with competitive benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer; persons of color strongly encouraged to apply.

The application period for this position has closed. To read about the job description, please see the Grants Specialist page.

Welcome to the new EMSWCD website!

We are happy to announce the launch of the new EMSWCD website!

What’s NEW?

a new design and a complete reorganization so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. (visit this page for tips on using the new website).
Greater accessibility with mobile devices and a wider range of browsers. (Note: visitors using Internet Explorer 6 or older will encounter some issues).

Other highlights include:

A completely new section dedicated to land conservation
Updates from Headwaters Farm in From the Farm
Grants program news, and project highlights from grantees.

You can read more about all of our programs in the About section, or simply click on any section in the menu to learn more. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Extended deadline for Headwaters Farm Incubator Program application

We’ve gotten feedback that more time is needed for 2014 Headwaters Farm Incubator applications. If you are one of the individuals who is interested in farming at Headwaters but didn’t have time to apply, you’re in luck!

The Headwaters Incubator Program will be accepting applications until November 15th.

For more information on how to apply or what the program offers, please visit the EMSWCD’s farm incubator page or contact Rowan Steele, Farm Incubator Manager (contact page / 503-935-5355).

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