Discover how to care for the land in ways that benefit people, water and wildlife!

From stormwater solutions to native plants to water conservation, our free workshops help you save time, money and energy.

Workshop Descriptions

We’ve got a variety of workshops for you this season! 

You can take them all or just one. The choice is yours – go at your own pace and enjoy the process!

Find out how adding a beautiful rain garden to your yard helps improve urban watershed hydrology. Learn how to assess your property for the best rain garden location and size, choose the right plants, and how to construct and maintain your rain garden.

What is climate change? Why and how is it affecting the world around us? How are we contributing to it and what can we do to slow it down? Learn all this along with some practical tips we can each use/apply in our homes and yards to slow down or even (if we all do our part) turn back climate change.

Learn how climate change is impacting soil & water resources, and what that means for local plants, wildlife, and people. We’ll share how our choices and actions at home, in the yard, and in the community can increase our resilience to a changing climate. Tips range from building healthy soil and conserving water to selecting the right plants. You can be a part of the solution, starting right at home!

This workshop will give you insight and tools for incorporating edible plants into your landscape. From annual veggies and herbs to perennial berries and fruit trees, we’ll discuss design tips, ways to build fertile soil, and how to conserve water while producing a harvest. You will also learn about native plants that feature edible fruit and nuts, and how to invite beneficial insects to your garden. You’ll walk away ready to assess your site and make a plan for a beautiful (and delicious) landscape!

Create healthy, low-maintenance landscapes that mimic nature! You’ll learn what you can do to prevent pollution, support beneficial wildlife, conserve water, and create a beautiful outdoor space for people, pets, and wildlife! This is a shorter version of our 4-hour Naturescaping workshop.

Did you know that what you do at home and in your neighborhood can help improve the health of local waterways? After an introduction to the sources and effects of urban stormwater pollution, we’ll explore a variety of actions you can take to help slow the flow of rainwater and make every drop count for you, and for the environment! From lawn alternatives to de-paving, there are many ways to beautify your space and make a positive impact in your neighborhood and your watershed!

When it comes to attracting beneficial wildlife to an outdoor space, it’s all about food, water, and shelter. This workshop will provide a broad and brief overview of Naturescaping concepts, and then dive into simple and creative ideas for making your space a place where birds, butterflies, bugs, and more will want to come flocking. From plant shapes, colors, and bloom times to water features and tiny homes for bugs, you’ll find inventive ideas for attracting local wildlife to your space.

Find out 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.

 There are many simple and smart ways to use less water in your outdoor spaces. Discover how to reduce your water use, save money, and support a thriving landscape that benefits people, wildlife, and the planet!

Weeds – we all have them! Come learn how to identify the most common garden and landscape weeds, along with some of the other more notorious plant invaders of the region. We will walk you through how some of these aggressive plants take over in your yard, and how you can get the upper hand.

EMSWCD does not currently offer the following workshops or trainings

  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Graywater reuse
  • Composting toilets

If you are interested in any of these topics, visit greywateraction.org where you can find recordings from past webinars, videos, case studies, publications, and more!

If you would like to be notified of upcoming related events, please join our email list.

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Workshops in Other Languages

Comments, questions or workshop requests?

Contact Kathy Shearin, Urban Lands Program Supervisor:

Free culturally-specific natural gardening workshops.

How are these workshops different? Who are they intended for? Our workshops provide free educational opportunities for those who might not otherwise attend our traditional workshops or find them accessible. Offerings might include: workshops for people whose primary language is not English, more variety in workshop dates and times, non-traditional educational settings (such as a community garden), childcare and/or family-friendly activities, and so forth.

How can we host one of these unique workshops? You can contact Kathy at kathy@emswcd.org to find out what might be possible! Please note that this is a collaborative process that may take several months to plan before hosting a workshop.

Why are these workshops different? Why are they important? Please visit our Equity page to learn more about the need that these workshops are trying to fill! We greatly appreciate any feedback or suggestions you have to offer us on this topic.

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Recorded Webinars

Watch recorded webinars on water conservation, native plants, nativescaping, and more.

Online webinars are available anytime, and you may access them as many times as you like.

Do you need special accomodations?

If you need any special accommodations to fully participate in any of the programs or events listed, please reach out.

Contact Cat Ayala, Urban Lands Education and Outreach Coordinator:

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Partners in Conservation (PIC) Grants

Past PIC Grant Recipients

Special Projects and Community Events (SPACE) Grants

Past SPACE Grant Recipients