Activity Report for the Period 11/7/2016 – 11/25/2016

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • Boards/Committees: Prepared for and hosted Nov. '16 board meeting; attended Land Legacy Committee co-chairs meeting.
  • External Engagement: Attended a public hearing session in Portland for the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP); attended final OAHP work group meeting.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Continued review and revision of personnel policies; participated in a meeting with the Center for Equity & Inclusion to discuss how to create a more equitable hiring process.
  • Program Implementation: Participated in meeting about the potential future use of the Grant Butte Natural Area – various local entities are interested in using the site to house a facility that would serve local community with social services while integrating environmental outreach and engagement; reviewed opportunity to receive a donated agricultural easement within NE Portland; participated in a meeting with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, multiple soil & water conservation districts, and watershed councils to discuss lessons learned for Strategic Implementation Areas.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Met with staff and management team during 1x1s, team meeting, and all staff meeting.
Planned:
  • Boards/Committees: Attend Land Legacy Committee meeting; prepare for and host Dec. '16 board meeting.
  • External Engagement: Attend and present at Meyer Memorial Trust's Within Our Reach Conference.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Continue review and revision of personnel policies.
  • Program Implementation: Participate in recruitments for the Land Legacy Program Manager and the Urban Lands Senior Conservationist.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with staff and management team during 1x1s, team meeting, and all staff meeting.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Contacted vendors and obtained a quote for replacing failing yard signage.
  • Board meeting preparation and attendance including set-up logistics in Jed's absense, and preparation of financial reports.
  • Lots of audit follow up and research in preparation for draft FYE16 financial reports.
  • Met with Equity Team to debrief CDE training and CEI meetings, and discuss next steps. Attended Supervisor Bootcamp training with program managers. Attended risk management webinar.
  • Procured 2 new computers and coordinated installation. Worked with Jed and On Line Support to address ongoing issues with Lucas' computer - issues appear to be resolved.
Planned:
  • Continued follow up with VALIC regarding retirement funds transfer. Begin preparing for calendar year end payroll related duties.
  • Begin researching potential IT equipment needs as we enter into next fiscal year budget season.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • Distributed Land Legacy Manager job posting and processed incoming applications for the same.
  • I am in the process of collecting bids from prospective IT support service vendors.
Planned:
  • Write up an overview and recommendation for using an outside group to manage the district's ERISA notifications and COBRA obligations.
  • Finish up the projector installation in the board room and remove furniture that is no longer needed.
  • Work with Alex to get access to the Exchange server and make updates to the district calendars to allow for reservations of the new dividable rooms.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • Scot is currently on vacation and unable to submit a report.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Worked with Urban Lands through several rounds of revisions and review to finalize five new brochures on Naturescaping, rain gardens and native plant lists. Finalized and sent to print.
  • Plant sale: continued webhost configuration, initial issues importing the database and files to the development website. Once the development website was up and running, began configuring and setting up the plant sale store.
  • Final promotion of fall workshops and Rural Beneficial Insects workshop.
  • Drafted and sent second PIC Grant campaign email to about 700 people.
Planned:
  • Continue working on Urban Lands campaign sheet: assembling a dynamically updated, condensed summary page which can be used easily to pull data for reporting purposes.
  • Continue working on plant sale development and testing, and on related assets such as the plant sale mailer.
  • Finalize first draft of the EMSWCD Branding/Identity guide.
Information Technology Lissa Adams,
Jed Arnold,
Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Jed and Alex: met with a potential IT service contractor.
  • Lissa: procured two new computers, worked on individual station issues, began researching potential IT equipment needs.
Planned:
  • Jed and Lissa will respond to staff IT issues and questions as needed.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Sandy River Basin Partners meeting.
  • Met with Ecotrust to discuss their "Ag in the Middle" PIC grant.
  • ODA Stream Vegetation Assessment training to determine if we should do this instead of the planned assessment in our ODA Focus Area.
  • Met with our new ODA Water Quality Planner, Brenda Sanchez, to review some of the changes to the Ag Water Quality Plans ODA is proposing for the Biennial Reviews in boththe Sandy and Lower Willamette.
Planned:
  • Supervisor Boot Camp Part 3.
  • Reviewing marketing plan.
  • Reviewing Lucas' latest draft of the Dianna Pope Natural Area Management Plan before it goes to Jay for review.
Rural Water Quality Aaron
Completed:
  • Worked with construction contractor of the stream crossings at Headwaters Farm to complete punch list of final items, including clean up.
  • Attended the Oct IJC meeting.
  • Chelsea and I led a tour of the stream crossings at Headwaters Farm to neighbors on the North Fork of Johnson Creek.
  • Completed a draft of my Annual Performance Review form.
Planned:
  • Schedule my Annual Performance Review.
  • Complete draft of Workplan.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • I completed analysis of the continuous temperature data that we collected in StreamCare watersheds over the summer. The stream temperatures in the DPNA did not exceed the standard this year (Yay!). The South Fork Beaver Creek site, all Big Creek sites, and the Smith Creek site that didn't dry up did not exceed the standard either. The rest of Beaver Creek, Johnson Creek, and Smith Creek sites were well above the standard for the majority of the summer.
  • Jeremy, Rowan, Andrew, a consulting engineer and I met at Headwaters to tour stormwater issues and features and begin to come up with a plan around stormwater management at Headwaters Farm and within the DPNA.
  • I finished the second draft of the Dianna Pope Natural Area Site Conservation Plan and sent it out for review.
  • Attended a two and a half day diversity, equity, and inclusion course with several other staff.
  • Jon, and I did some bioengineering in a side channels that drain through the DPNA and into Johnson Creek at the recently removed middle crossing.
Planned:
  • I have another StreamCare site visit set up for this week.
  • Partner meetings: Western Invasives Network (WIN) Steering Committee meeting to plan the future of WIN after Vern Holm retires. Columbia Gorge CWMA Steering Committee to plan out BMP creation.
  • Site tour next week with Sandy River Basin Watershed Council at a site we will be hosting a volunteer planting event in the late winter.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Attended Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training (2.5 days). This was an incredible, eye-opening and empowering training focused on deep learning, honest exploration and open dialogue. I learned a great deal personally and professionally and highly recommend this training to anyone who really wants to increase diversity and inclusion in their lives.
  • Working in conjunction with Lucas, Rowan and Andrew, we toured Headwaters farm with an engineer consultant to identify the issues surrounding drainage concerns on the farm.
  • Participated in Ecotrust PIC grant presentation.
Planned:
  • Finalizing rain garden design for Multnomah Grange.
  • Coordinating a field survey of easement area at Headwaters as well as portions of Headwaters to begin planning drainage treatments for all areas of the farm.
  • Taking photos of pipeline install at a property for an irrigation conversion project funded by CLIP.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Had crews out controlling ivy in the gorge near McCord Creek. We swept through about 50 acres of land controlling about 1 acre of ivy.
  • While running crews I found several patches of Purple Loostrife. I cut the seed heads and dug the roots of each patch that I found. Unfortunately we found another patch the next day we were out with the crews.
  • Jon and I visited 2 sites to perform Clematis control. One in Corbett and one in Warrendale. 2.82 acres gross cover, and 0.21 acres net cover, cutting vines off of 35 trees.
Planned:
  • Jon and I are going to inject knotweed at a newly discovered patch.
  • Jon and I are going to head back to the gorge to tackle the Purple Loosestrife. We'll be bagging seeds and digging roots.
  • I'll be meeting two landowners in Corbett for Clematis control.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • I attended a two-day equity and diversity training with other staff.
  • I wrote best management practices for false brome, clematis and spurge laurel. Lucas and I created a field form for general weed species in Arc Collector.
  • Lucas and I installed willow fascines in a small field stream at Headwaters Farm to prevent erossion. Lucas and I completed monthly water quality sampling on Johnson and Beaver creeks. We also completed the first wildlife survey for the Diana Pope Natural Area. Chris and I controlled clematis on 30 trees with a net coverage of 0.1 acres.
Planned:
  • Chris and I will survey, outreach and control for clematis and Ivy.
  • I will complete a Dirtman and Water woman comic about rain gardens.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Successful "Beneficial Insects for Rural Properties" workshop on Wednesday, November 16th, with 30 people attending.
  • Worked on beginning stages of outreach planning for erosion prevention campaign.
  • Began planning and coordinating booth staffing for Northwest Ag Show.
Planned:
  • Update 4-County CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Area) invasive species fact sheets.
  • Work on outreach strategy for erosion prevention campaign.
  • Work on CLIP sign development.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Met with Jaime English to discuss incorporation of more naturescaped areas into Portland Parks.
  • Attended the Organic Land Care (Sustainably certified landscapers) annual gathering to discuss possibilities for continuing/jum-starting the certification program.
  • Presented Urban Weeds workshop.
  • Attended meeting with Trammel Crow (developer) and MacKenzie (Design firm/Consultant), (along with the CSWC ED - Corrinna, board rep - Bob Dolphn, and community members) to discuss possible green infrastructure options at a future development site (Blue Lake Corporate Park) very near/abutting Blue Lake, Fairview Lake and the Columbia Slough.
  • Attended tour of Grant Butte Wetland - and possible site for future community center.
  • Final proof of Urban Lands publications.
Planned:
  • Working with Jeremy to design/spec the rain garden designs for Multnomah Grange.
  • Presenting on Naturescaping and Rain Gardens at this weekend's Fix-it fair.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Attended Columbia Slouth Watershed Council's board meeting.
  • Met with Sara Ennis from SRBWC to discuss outreach efforts on Mount Hood Community College.
  • Attended EPA's Making a Visible Difference meeting with partner organizations.
Planned:
  • Attending second meeting for Grant Butte development, will include field trip to the site.
  • Tabling at first Fix-it Fair to promote Urban Lands programs.
  • Presenting to Hollybrook Neighborhood Association.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Sent spring workshop host recruitment emails out to potential host groups. 12 requests received so far with interest expressed from 7 additional hosts.
  • Finished off our fall workshop season with the highest attendance to date of 471 attendees!
  • Upcoming Events and Plant Sale webpage updates included cleaning up and moving some content to make it more accessible to users.
  • Sent post-workshop surveys to Fall 2015 Naturescaping & Rain Garden participants.
Planned:
  • Process incoming workshop requests and begin scheduling spring workshops.
  • Run database processes to track fall workshop attendance, perform general maintenance tasks, and prepare mailing list for Plant Sale mailer.
  • Research event management/registration platforms that integrate with MailChimp.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Pursued distribution of Land Legacy Program manager position annoucement to list-serves, organisations and potential candidates.
  • Followed up on existing Land Legacy projects and identified one potential new opportuity.
  • Tested online grants application system to ensure live deployment was operating smoothly.
  • Worked on EMSWCD database issues, and worked on developing authoritative GIS layers with other program staff.
Planned:
  • Process Land Legacy Program manager applications.
  • Prepare for and host School and community garden stakeholder meeting.
  • Prepare for and facilitate meetings to identify opportunities for incorporating climate change into EMSWCD's programatic offering.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Launched new PIC 2017 on-line application on 11/1 through Zoomgrants.
  • Organized Unconcious Bias mini-workshop for staff meeting.
  • Held on-line application training with ZoomGrants staff for prospective PIC applicants.
  • PIC outreach - working with Alex, email blast, distributing cards, notifying partners, other funders.
  • Attended presentation and participated in discussion on Ecotrust PIC 2016 project.
Planned:
  • Attend Grantmakers of Oregon and NW Washington Annual Meeting.
  • Continue to meet and speak with prospective PIC grantees. Begin preparing for PIC review process, and continued ZoomGrants set-up.
  • Hold 2nd convening of District garden program grantees to discuss progress on mapping and survey projects, colloboration opportunities and plans for 2017.
  • Process new SPACE applications.
  • Work on Grants Program Plan.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Closed the application window (six applications received) and met with reviewers to discuss qualified incubator program candidates for 2017.
  • Attended and helped facilitate the joint Farmland Access workshop (~60 attendees!).
  • Participated in the second annual Regional Farmer Development Program Summit which resulted in two working groups that EMSWCD staff will partake in: Farmland Access and Advanced Farmer Training.
Planned:
  • Conducting interviews and checking references for possible incoming farm incubator participants.
  • Presenting "State of Farm Incubator Program" address to the Board.
  • Off-Season projects: beginning the End of Season meetings with each farm; updating the Farmer's Manual; revisiting the Five-Year Headwaters Farm Plan; winterization; overseeing the wrap-up of the hoop house construction project, and more!
Headwaters Farm Stuart Moeller
Completed:
  • Worked on propagation tables.
  • Mulched and weeded around infrastructure.
  • Seeded and laid straw around areas impacted by new stormwater management features.
Planned:
  • Alas, this is the end of the season for Stuart, so we bid him farewell (at least for the time being). Take care, Stuart. Thanks for all your hard work this year!