Category Archives: News

Nature Notes 6 – Winter gardening for birds and pollinators

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.

October 15^th, 2018

Winter Gardening for Birds and Pollinators

The goldenrod has gone to seed, and honeybees are scouring the last of the fall asters. Here at EMSWCD, we employ a few simple practices to reduce the fall garden work and help birds and pollinators survive the winter. Read on to learn what you can do!

Did you know…

: Standing stalks provide shelter for pollinators, so leave them standing if you can.

Birds feed on seeds and insects through the winter. In the spring they will need lots of insects to feed their young. You can help birds by leaving lots of habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects to shelter safely through the winter.
Adult butterflies, ladybugs, and many other beneficial insects overwinter in rock crevices, under bark, and in leaf litter. They lay their eggs in stems, on twigs, and under leaves. Pollinators and their larvae shelter in hollow standing stalks, and beetles take refuge in clumping grasses.
A natural winter garden is a healthy pollinator hotel!

We are pleased to announce that our Working Farmland Protection program has closed on yet another important working farmland transaction. This September, EMSWCD acquired a 20-acre property in Corbett, ensuring a future for agriculture on this blueberry, raspberry and blackberry farm.

In the short term, the property will be made available for lease to agricultural operators. The property will likely ultimately be sold to a farmer with the protections of a working farmland easement – a legally binding blueprint for the future of the property which ensures it will remain in agricultural use. As part of the transaction, EMSWCD also secured an option to acquire a working farmland easement on another 20-acre property owned by the sellers. Read more →

Important information on applying for the SPACE Grant Program

Are you considering applying for a Small Projects and Community Events (SPACE) Grant? Please see the SPACE Grant webpage for detailed information about grant requirements and eligibility.

Check out our new online application system for SPACE grants! Applying for a SPACE grant is now done online through ZoomGrants, an online grants management system.

Visit the SPACE Grants
page to learn more

We hope you will find ZoomGrants easy to use and we are here to help if you have any questions. For all queries, please contact our Grants Manager, Suzanne Easton: Suzanne@emswcd.org.

updated October 2^nd, 2018

Nature Notes 5: National Pollinator Week!

June 18^th, 2018

June 18th-23rd is National Pollinator Week!

This week, EMSWCD is celebrating all the things pollinators do for us, and all the things we can do for them.

Did you know…

: A native bee on a native plant, Cusick’s Checkermallow

One third to one quarter of our food – and nearly all our flowers – depend on pollinators! Do you want to live in a world without chocolate or coffee? Without roses or honeysuckle? Neither do we.
Wild pollinators are more efficient than honeybees, so many crops produce higher yields when wild bees are present.
Wild pollinators are generally less aggressive than honey bees, since most are solitary and don’t have a large hive or store of honey to defend.

May 23^rd, 2018

May is Native Plant Month!

This month in celebration of Native Plant Month, we’re highlighting a variety of native plants, all of which you can come see any time at our Conservation Corner!

May is Native Plant Month in Portland for good reason — everything is blooming in all the colors of the rainbow. Check out these beauties in our gallery below, or come explore our grounds and see all these and more in person! Read more →

From our farmers: Making the jump

This is a farmer-contributed post in our “From our farmers” series, written by Nicki Passarella and Irina Schabram of Amica Farm, both enrolled in our Farm Incubator Program.

Amica Farm is the product of two female friends who forged a bond through hard work, sweat equity and a deep love of agriculture and community. We work with one-half acre of land, growing an extensive array of annual vegetables, herbs and strawberries to sell directly to our community at two weekly farmers markets.

As first year farm business owners, having the opportunity to utilize the Headwaters Farm Incubator Program (HIP) has already proven invaluable in our first months of participation. The obvious places of gratitude to start with include land, water, propagation space, and the ability to share orders to get bulk pricing and keep shipping low. There are also scheduled learning sessions with industry professionals about farm financials, record keeping and more. A less tangible benefit is the community with other farmers at Headwaters and the direct support from EMSWCD staff we are experiencing. Read more →

Nature Notes 3: May is Native Plant Month!

May 7^th, 2018

May is Native Plant Month!

This month in celebration of Native Plant Month, we’ll be highlighting a variety of native plants, all of which you can come see any time at our Conservation Corner!

This week we’re seeing purple everywhere with common camas, Henderson’s shooting star, Menzie’s larkspur, and Oregon Iris in full bloom. Read more →

Working Farmland Protection Program Makes Strides

We are pleased to announce that our Working Farmland Protection Program has closed on an important farmland transaction! This February, EMSWCD acquired a 14-acre farm property directly adjoining its Headwaters Incubator Farm property on the outskirts of Gresham.

Acquisition helps ensure a future for agriculture on the property. With its proximity to EMSWCD’s Headwaters Farm Incubator Program (a launching pad for aspiring farmers), there are exciting opportunities to extend programming for current and graduating participants of the Incubator Program onto this property. The property also enjoys nearly 400 feet of frontage along Johnson Creek, a stream which EMSWCD has long worked to improve through its StreamCare program (a voluntary program with private landowners that restores native vegetation along important waterways).
Read more →