Category Archives: News

Our 2020 Native Plant Sale is now open!

Mockorange (Philadelphus lewisii)

Our Annual Native Plant Sale is now open! The Plant Sale is a great way to get bare-root native trees and shrubs at a low cost. All plants are just $3 each, and a pollinator seed mix is available for $4. The sale takes place online at emswcdplantsale.com.

CLICK HERE
TO START
SHOPPING!

Update, 9:15 AM: Plants are selling out especially fast this morning, with 15 sold out so far. If you don’t find the plants you are looking for or they are sold out, please check out our Local Sources of Native Plants guide for a list of other sales and nurseries where you can find more native plants!

Please also see our Plant Sale FAQ page for answers to frequently asked questions about how our Native Plant Sale works.

Please note: Customers can purchase up to 15 of each species. If you are looking for a larger quantity of plants, we will connect you with wholesale suppliers that can handle larger requests. Contact Whitney for more information at Whitney@emswcd.org.

Workshops open during inclement weather

honey bee on red-flowering currant

updated January 15th, 2020

We have had a few questions about inclement weather, including possible snow on the horizon this week! Most EMSWCD workshops are currently set to remain open during inclement weather, unless otherwise noted. Update: the Farm Succession workshop set for today, January 15th has been postponed to March 11th. If any other workshops are cancelled or postponed, we will notify all registrants by email.

You can register for any of our workshops here!

Free Farm Succession Planning Workshop Series

Emily driving a tractor at Mainstem Farm

“The farm succession planning workshop series helped us create an important road map for the future of our family farm.”
-The Sturm family, 2019 Farm Succession Planning Workshop participants.

Update: the Farm Succession workshop set for January 15th has been postponed due to weather concerns. The first workshop in the series will now take place on January 29th and the series will extend to March 11th (see below for dates and full details).

EMSWCD is excited to once again offer a free farm succession planning workshop series for District farmers(the EMSWCD service area consists of all Multnomah County east of the Willamette River). Taught by a leading national expert, the workshop series will offer strategies to transition the farm and farm business, tax planning and so much more. One-on-one personalized counseling is also offered at no cost. The workshop will take place at the Multnomah Grange (30639 SE Bluff Road, Boring) on January 29th, February 12th and February 26th, and on March 11th from 1 – 4 pm, with a complimentary lunch at 12:30 PM.

Registration is required and space is limited – RSVP with Kathryn Nishimoto at (503) 594-0738 or kathykb@clackamas.edu.

Link

Upcoming EMSWCD Board and Committee Meetings

The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD), serving all of Multnomah County east of the Willamette River, has scheduled Board meetings, Budged Committee meetings and Land Legacy Committee meetings at the District Office (5211 N. Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217) for the months of January through June 2020.

Visit this page to see a calendar of upcoming meetings.

Nature Notes 10: Leave the leaves

Welcome to EMSWCD’s Nature Notes series! Nature Notes shares small moments and interesting observations from our property, as well as related natural history tidbits, on a weekly to monthly basis.

December 2ndth, 2019

Leave the leaves!

As 2019 draws to a close, you can help birds and pollinators (and save yourself some yardwork!) with some simple actions.

  • In your yard:
    Leave the leaves — and everything else! Beneficial insects (those that eat garden pests, pollinate flowers and vegetables, and feed birds) need shelter through the winter just like people do. They hide in the soil under leaf litter, between layers of bark and wood, in rock piles. Many pollinators also spend the winter in hollow standing stalks of woody shrubs. Birds depend on these insects for food through the winter and into the spring. Help them survive by leaving your garden natural this winter!

  • On your balcony, porch, or window:
    Many people help winter birds with feeders, but did you know you can also ensure a good crop of wild fruit and seeds next season by raising mason bees? These efficient early spring pollinators are safe and easy to raise, and their shelters take up no more space than a bird house. This is the time of year to start — call your local nurseries and farm supply stores to see if they have mason bee cocoons and nest supplies in stock.

Gordon Creek Farm listed for sale

Aerial of Gordon Creek farm

EMSWCD has put a farm property currently in its ownership up for sale. The listing for the property can be found here. All interested parties should direct inquiries to EMSWCD’s broker, Chris Kelly of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW Real Estate at (503) 666-4616.

EMSWCD acquired the property in 2018, when it was listed for sale. At the time EMSWCD was concerned that a sale could result in the local farming community losing access to one of the more productive farms within our District. To help prevent this outcome, EMSWCD and the farmer/owner entered into a partnership whereby EMSWCD purchased the property to ensure it would remain forever available for agriculture. At the same time, the farmer also granted EMSWCD an option to permanently protect other property in their ownership. Read more →

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