Activity Report for the Period 1/1/2019 – 1/11/2019

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • External Engagement: Met with EMSWCD Board Director Till and Executive Director of NAYA for meet, greet, and tour; met with NRCS and WMSWCD to discuss rural lands conservation.
  • Boards/Committees: Met with incoming EMSWCD Board Director Rossi for onboarding; prepared for and hosted January Board meeting.
  • Policies/Planning: Reviewed and provided input on DEI plan; discussed and planned equity work session with EMSWCD Board Director Masterson.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Reviewed and submitted information responding to a public disclosure request related to a pending lawsuit; reviewed and approved Urban Lands position recruitment information and proposed candidate; met with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Discussed possible land acquisition with property owners and Conservation Legacy staff; reviewed and approved documents for Oxbow land transfer and Mainstem Farm Lease.
Planned:
  • External Engagement: Meet with Warren Jimenez, the new ED for the Intertwine Alliance, for a meet and greet; meet with Jonathan Blasher, the new Metro Nature & Parks Director, for a meet and greet.
  • Boards/Committees: Prepare for and host EMSWCD Board work session on DEI; prepare for Ad-hoc Committee meeting.
  • Policies/Planning: Continue DEI planning with Equity Team; review budgeting timing and needs with management team; review 2nd quarter progress report; update and finalized newly approved personnel policies.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Review PIC applications.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Dan Mitten
Completed:
  • Presented Financial Reports and Draft Budget Calendar at the Board of Directors Meeting held on January 7th. Reviewed reconciliation report and bank statements with outgoing Treasurer (Mike Geubert) and new Treasurer (Gabrielle Rossi).
  • Made changes and formatted Fleet Policy to include defined roles and responsibilities and submitted it to Jay for review.
  • Attended meeting with Andrew and Scot exploring Electric Vehicle options and charging stations.
  • Created 4th Quarter 2018 HIP Farmers invoices with Rowan.
Planned:
  • Implement Branding and Identity Guide with Alex.
  • Assist in evaluation of EMSWCD fleet options and costs associated with including electric vehicles and electric/gas combo.
  • Compiling information for FY18-19 2nd Quarter progress report for F&O program.
Office Management Lindsay Nelson
Completed:
  • On Vacation and Out Sick.
  • Set up, recorded, and took minutes for January Board meeting. Prepared servie awards to be presented at the meeting. Finished Personnel Committee meeting minutes.
  • Had my 1x1 with the consultant.
  • Placed a supply order. Sent out checks.
  • Added Dianna Pope to OACD's email list.
  • I processed both mine and Jay's credit card statements.
  • Mailed a Native Plant Packet to a community member. Picked up Plant Sale t-shirts. Met with Plant Sale Team. Staffed the Native Plant Sale Workshop (2x).
  • Started to compile new hire paperwork for the new CCL.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • Scot met with the electrician's to finalize the solar panels for the composter at Headwaters.
  • Scot began to put together potential costs for the kitchen remodel.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Plant sale: meetings with team, getting into heavy development, testing and refining store. Added all gallery images in, reformatted tags, implemented and tested several code customizations, set up payment system. Set up analytics. Feedback on MailChimp campaign. Promoting the sale via social media, answering and forwarding inquiries.
  • Obtained quotes and comparisons for Streamside poster with Chelsea, coordinated on printing, mailing and dropoff for various materials.
  • 1x1 consultant meeting.
  • Made round two edits to new DEI page, added new embedded content functionality and comment form, edited language. Reviewed with Chelsea and Suzanne before Equity Team meeting.
  • IT: followed up on fax, coordinated tech visit to fix, tested out. Minor general IT support and coordination with Dan and Lindsay.
  • Ranked photos for Headwaters photo contest, picked top 5's in 3 categories.
  • Minor edits to format Urban Clip map for Whitney.
  • Website updates, board meeting support, general catch-up from holidays, sick time and time off.
Planned:
  • Final plant sale development! Implement and test final fixes, real card transactions and refunds, final checklist, launch sale. Begin work on exporting orders for pick lists.
  • Monitor and maintain plant sale store while active, give support.
  • Finalize Branding and Identity guide edits.
  • Work with Rowan to edit and post Headwaters blogs.
  • Spring workshop preparations, get the new poster ready. Coordinate on printing streamside poster with Chelsea and with other agencies.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Met with the Equity team to work on the equity plan.
  • NRCS/West Multnomah Collaboration meeting.
  • CLIP team meeting.
Planned:
  • Sandy River Basin Partners meeting.
  • Equity Team meeting.
  • ODA and EMSWCD quarterly reports.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Collected and compiled results for water quality samples and downloaded time lapse footage to monitor the efficacy of a sediment basin.
  • Met with EMSWCD staff and the landowner to finalize creation of an Ag Management Plan for the Oxbow Property.
  • Worked with a nursery to develop an irrigation project as part of the CLIP process and presented to the CLIP review committee.
Planned:
  • Monitor an Erosion Solutions project at a nursery.
  • Create an Ag Management Plan to accompany an easement for the Oxbow Property to be sold to a nursery.
  • Engage in the diversity, equity, and inclusion process EMSWCD staff are participating in.
  • Attend all Oregon Association of Nurseries Mt. Hood Chapter meetings and events. Fulfill the responsibilities of treasurer on the Mt Hood Chapter board.
  • Connect with partners to explore opportunities for developing better solutions regarding cover crop useage on nurseries.
  • Amend budget according to the indications of the CLIP review committee.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • I had a crew out doing a followup treatment on blackberry and ivy on a StreamCare site in Big Creek.
  • I am working on the annual update of the Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan.
  • I worked up a white paper of sorts on our current thoughts of thinning needs on densely stocked StreamCare sites. In short, it is our understanding that sites can self-thin without forest/stand health issues. Sites will be monitored as they mature.
Planned:
  • I plan to complete a draft of the annual update of the Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan and circulate it for review.
  • Jon and I will conduct monthly water quality sampling.
  • I will attend the 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area's Pull Together event. This is the annual event for the 4-County CWMA that includes lots of great information about projects in the area, new issues with weeds and restoration, and new management methods.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Took a few vacations days around both the Christmas and New Years holidays and was away from the office.
  • Updated Headwaters Conservation Plan. Will be meeting with HIP farm manager (Rowan) for review in the coming weeks.
  • Attended the CLIP Team meeting. We reviewed one project proposal and continue to update CLIP processes and proceedures.
Planned:
  • Scheduled a site visit with a new landowner located along the Sandy River to discuss invasive weed removal and stream bank stability.
  • OCEAN duties this month included participating in the Oregon Conservation Partnership meeting (with OACD, COLT and NOWC) and chairing OCEAN's monthly meeting.
  • Close to finalizing speakers for the Wildfire Track at the upcoming Connect Training Conference (April 2019).
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Ivy control outreach.
  • Native Plants Presentation prep and delivery.
  • Reviewing and editing weeds website content.
Planned:
  • Project site prep.
  • Winter weeds work.
  • 4 County CWMA "Pull Together" event.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • I was on vacation for the holidays.
  • I prepared for a native plants presentation. I got caught up on emails, planning and other office buisness.
  • Chris and I gave a native plants presentation at the Corbett grange.
Planned:
  • I will attend the Pull-Together.
  • Lucas and I will collect monthly water quality samples and complete the monthly wildlife survey of the Diana Pope Natural Area.
  • I will enter water quality data, work on water quality monitoring plan, and continue to develop illustration outreach materials. I will compile annual weeds data and send it to IMapInvasives. I will complete the weeds portion of the quarterly report.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Promoted Native Plants workshop that was given by Chris and Jon to 28 people at the Columbia Grange on January 9th.
  • Completed the hiring process for the Community Connections Liason.
  • Facilitated Equity Team meeting, worked with Suzanne and Alex to develop DEI page on the website, worked with Julie to compile feedback on two sections of the Equity Plan.
Planned:
  • Begin planning and promoting late winter/spring workshops.
  • Print Streamside Forests poster to give out at Plant Sale. Coordinate with partners for combined printing.
  • Work with Lucas to develop content about StreamCare for a kiosk at Glenn Otto Park.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • All things recruitment for the Urban Lands Community Connections Liaison position.
  • Met with organizational consultants.
  • Meetings: attended MHCC Steering committee meeting, Equity team, EMSWCD Board meeing, Cooperative Landowner Incentive Program (CLIP) meeting. Solve Pest Problems Steering Committee.
  • Gave tour of MHCC demonstration to Multnomah County staff and two EMSWCD board members (Mike Guebert and Dianna Pope).
Planned:
  • Plant sale preparations.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Assisted with Community Connections Liason interviews.
  • Assisted with Plant Sale online store and EMSWCD Native Plant database web content; attended several Plant Sale planning meetings.
  • Facilitated January CLIP meeting.
  • Represented EMSWCD at MCDD's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Stakeholder meeting.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Plant Sale preparations in high gear. Have been and continuing to test the new online store and give feedback to Alex. Creating new sections and developing content to populate new store site. Working with Alex and team on final store needs, feature prioritization, cross-referencing tags, and ensuring accuracy. Responding to customer inquiries. Ordered supplies. Sent email announcement to 8,000 contacts to inform of plant sale, workshops, volunteer opportuntites.
  • Finished the Naturescaping Basics Workbook Chapter 5 rewrite.
Planned:
  • Draft "Plant Sale is Open" announcement that will be sent right after we open the online sale next Wedensday. Continue with plant sale preparations over the next month!Once plant sale is live, then it is time for supply preparations and site logistics planning. Yay!
  • Leading a tour of Conservation Corner for PCC Environmental Studies class on January 22nd, and hosting East County Partner meeting on January 24th.
Outreach & Education Brandi Boersma
Completed:
  • Fall Workshop attendance posting, Spring workshop (prepping materials, ongoing host recruitment, host and presenter scheduling plus confirmations, web posting, flyer edits, Google Maps List, created agenda to meet with presenters one-on-one), Google Maps List and finalized handouts of places to see native plants vs places to purchase native plants. Last Fall MailChimp survey completed, read Equity Plan draft, sent Alex info to add my doggo to staff page per his suggestion while my dog was in the office over the holidays :).
  • Plant Sale Tasks (Web Testing/Notes, Meetings, Worked on + Researched ADA verbage for FAQ/Volunteering, Finalized Refend Policy Verbage, Volunteer Recruitment, Communications, and Registration Management, Adding confirmed volunteers to SDAO Liability, Documenting for future Plant Sale)
Planned:
  • Plant sale everything, spring workshop everything, lots of outreach and scheduling plus volunteer and participant management, NEW PERSON!?
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Assisted Matt with troubleshooting and reviewing various documents related to the Oxbow disposition.
  • Worked on finalizing the agricultural management plan for Mainstem farm.
  • Participated in organizational assessment interview, Equity Team meeting, and CONNECT conference session planning.
Planned:
  • Collate quarterly report for the second quarter of FY17-18. Advance the 5-year EMSWCD strategic plan draft.
  • Assist Matt with due diligence related to Oxbow closing.
  • Work on developing budgets for fiscal year 2019-2020 for the Conservation Legacy programs.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Conducted initial review of PIC applications, mostly checking for complete application content.
  • Worked on setting up date for PIC Review Committee meeting; met with new PIC Review Committee member.
  • Equity: Attended Equity Team meeting; worked on sections of Equity Plan; worked on Equity webpage.
  • Assisted with Urban Lands position 2nd interviews.
Planned:
  • Review PIC applications; start preparing packets and ZoomGrants for reviewers.
  • Equity: Team meeting; work with Alex to put up equity webpage; attend Equity Grantmakers Network meeting.
  • Complete Grants Program quarterly report.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Oxbow PSA, Option and Interim Lease executed.
  • Mainstem lease executed.
  • Farm Succession workshop planning complete.
Planned:
  • Land camp presentation proposal submitted.
  • Oxbow closing due diligence advanced.
  • Sturm lease drafted.
  • Outreach event hosted.
  • Land Legacy Committee meeting prepared for.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Compiled and sent out 4th Quarter invoices.
  • Working on gathering signed leases and Farmer’s Manuals, getting insurance documentation, and End of Year Questionnaires from incubator farmers.
  • Working on updating the first couple of sections of the draft Equity Plan.
Planned:
  • Hosting the End of Year farm incubator gathering.
  • Wrapping up the installation of trusses in the hoop houses.
  • Working with incubator farmers on specific off-season business development goals and troubleshooting.