Category Archives: Uncategorized

Remembering our former Director Bob Sallinger

The staff and board of EMSWCD were heartbroken to learn about the unexpected death of Bob Sallinger, a former board member of the District and Executive Director for Willamette Riverkeeper.  Our hearts go out to his beloved family – his wife Elisabeth and three children. His loss is devastating. He will be sorely missed.

Bob Sallinger faces into the camera. He wears a grey, bushy beard and long hair with a light green ballcap. He sits behind a spotting scoper.

Bob Sallinger was a fierce and effective advocate for urban conservation. Photo credit Vince Patton, OPB

For decades Bob was a fierce, relentless, and passionate champion for Oregon’s most precious places – our forests, rivers, and coastlines – and the birds and animals living in them. He was in the vanguard of a movement that recognized the importance of urban conservation and fought to protect and enhance our connection to nature even in the most developed parts of Portland. Bob was twice elected to our Board of Directors, in 2008 and 2012, and served until 2016.

His legacy in this single role was immense, and we are grateful for Bob’s vision which led to some of our district’s most important decisions and impactful programs including our commitment to racial equity and urban conservation. He was the driver in establishing the district’s community grant programs – under which we’ve invested more than $12 million in nearly 200 nonprofit organizations through our Partners in Conservation grants. Bob fought to ensure that a portion of the District’s Land Conservation Fund could be used to protect local natural areas and create access for people living in district areas with the fewest parks and greenspaces. Nadaka Nature Park, Grant Butte, and the natural area portion of Colwood Golf Course acquisitions wouldn’t be the same without his advocacy. His support was also critical in securing EMSWCD emergency funding for Outdoor School until, in 2016, voters approved statewide support of this cornerstone Oregon program.

At our board meeting last night his former colleagues, Directors Mike Guebert and Laura Masterson, both spoke about Bob’s influence on them and what they learned from Bob about being effective board members. “He was a dedicated steward of public resources and public funds,” said Guebert.  Board Chair Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky added, “Bob was one of the most interesting and well-rounded people I’ve ever met. Someone so committed to the community, hearing the voices of the people impacted, navigating city hall to navigating the bridges of Portland to rescuing Peregrine Falcons. He didn’t take people for granted.”

Bob’s contributions and advocacy made a huge difference in the district’s investments and direction and will hopefully inspire others to continue his legacy long into the future. “Those are huge shoes to fill. So much appreciation for him,” concluded Masterson.

Healthy Pastures Workshop – Free!

cows grazing in field of green grass

May 11th, 2024

10am – 1pm

100 SE Littlepage, Corbett, 97019

  • Are you grazing cattle, goats, or sheep?
  • Do you want to grow a better pasture?
  • Do you want to feed less hay?
  • Do you want healthier animals?
  • Do you want to have more resilient soil, less erosion, and cleaner streams
  • Do you want to learn how to use your animals to turn your farm into a carbon storage sink, rather than a source?

If you answered yes to these questions, this workshop is for you!

Join Mike Guebert, EMSWCD Director and farmer at Terra Farma in Corbett, to learn how easy it is to set up and manage an effective rotational grazing system that will accomplish all of the things listed above.

What you will learn:

  • Why rotational grazing is important
  • How electric fencing works
  • Demonstration of different fencing types, techniques, and product recommendations
  • Resources available to help offset initial costs
  • Overview of forage types, what to plant, and how to manage them throughout the year

Register now- Healthy Pastures Workshop

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Soil Assessment for Farmers – A Free Workshop!

Presented by Jen Aron of Blue Raven Farm – a seasoned farmer and educator extremely passionate about restoring farm ecosystems and weaving the complexities of soil into accessible and relatable content.

Monday, April 8th
9am – noon
Headwaters Farm
28600 SE Orient Dr., Gresham, OR 97080

Join us for a hands-on, in the field, workshop and learn about various tools and methods for assessing the health and productivity of your soil. Topics include:

  • Soil compaction
  • Soil structure
  • Infiltration
  • Root and cover crop analysis
  • Worm counts
  • And more!

This workshop is outdoors. Please dress for the weather and be prepared to walk on uneven terrain. Email Chelsea at chelsea@emswcd.org if you have accommodation requests.

Please note that Headwaters Farm is a no-pets and no-smoking zone (registered service animals are okay).

Native Plants Workshop at Symbiop Garden Shop

Image of a sword fern with the text Native Plants overlayed.

Wednesday, 9/27, 3-5pm

Symbiop Garden Shop

3454 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR

Come join us at Symbiop Garden Shop to learn about the many benefits of gardening with native plants! You’ll walk away with loads of information that will help you decide which native plants will work well in your yard.

We will introduce you to common native plant communities in Portland, show examples of species that do well in similar growing conditions , share successful planting tips that will help them thrive and more! A native plant slideshow will highlight characteristics and desired growing conditions of many local favorite native groundcovers, shrubs and trees.

Sign up at Native Plant Workshop – SymbiOp Garden Shop

Important: EMSWCD website will be temporarily offline tonight

Please note that our website will be temporarily go offline while we transfer everything to a new hosting platform. The website will likely go down between 5:00 and 6:00 PM tonight (January 3rd, 2017). Please check back in later tonight or tomorrow morning if you are unable to visit the website. You may also contact Alex at alex@emswcd.org if you have continued difficulty accessing emswcd.org or if you notice anything wrong on the website. Thank you!

Unlocking the secrets to soil health

Attention, farmers! Learn how to get the most out of your soil at an upcoming free workshop in Aurora, “Unlocking the Secrets to Soil Health Success in Organic Systems.” The workshop takes place on January 17th; see the flier for additional details.

RSVP for this free workshop: email Ben at ben@tilth.org or call (503) 580-4767.