Activity Report for the Period 11/12/2018 – 11/30/2018

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • External Engagement: Met with the James Holt, the new Executive Director of the Confluence Environmental Center as a meet and greet; met with staff from Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management, the chair of the Local Emergency Planning Council, and an external consultant to discuss the local hazmat plan and rail response plan; hosted watershed councils to discuss the Strategic Partnership Agreement; attended OACD strategic planning meeting.
  • Boards/Committees: Met with three associate board director applicants; prepared for annual meeting and December Board meeting.
  • Policies/Planning: Reviewed and finalized FY17-18 Annual Progress Report and Annual Audit; continued work on policy updates.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Finalized contract with organizational consultants; met with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Reviewed the conservation easement and farm lease templates for the Land Legacy Program.
Planned:
  • External Engagement: Meet with Deputy Director of APANO for meet and greet; meet with NRCS and WMSWCD to discuss rural lands conservation and tour a Sauvie Island restoration project.
  • Boards/Committees: Host annual meeting and December Board meeting; prepare for and host Personnel Committee meeting.
  • Policies/Planning: Continue work on strategic plan, DEI plan, and policy updates.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with counsel from Multnomah County regarding a lawsuit; meet with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Review documents for Oxbow land transfer.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Dan Mitten
Completed:
  • Prepared F&O section of the FY17-18 Annual Report with F&O team members. Finished compiling financials for F&O program for the report based on Final Audit Draft of Financials.
  • Compared cash logs, bank deposits, and accounting system deposits to ensure accurate recordings.
  • Reviewed Fiscal Policy to determine if revisions are necessary. Two minor revisions noted and one larger possible revision requiring GAAP best practices input from Bookkeeper and Auditor. Researched previous CFO's draft investment policy.
  • Attended: meeting with Organizational Consultants, November CLIP meeting, Plant Sale meeting. Held Admin Team meeting and 1x1 meetings with F&O staff.
  • Prepared and reviewed financial reports for Board meeting. Prepared FY18/19 to Date Budget v Actual Financial Reports for program managers for analysis.
  • Reviewed Draft Audit Finanicials received from Auditor. Clarified some information and received updated Final Draft for Board Approval.
  • Worked with bookkeeper on payroll processing for November.
  • Submitted OSGP retirement plan contributions for month of November.
Planned:
  • Will discuss fiscal policy with Executive Director to determine if proposed changes warrant immediate revision or should be kept on file to incorporate into formal annual update in Spring of '19.
  • Will review draft investment policy for Executive Director and Board consideration for submittal to the Oregon State Treasury and possible implementation.
  • Will prepare presentation for F&O program at Annual Meeting on Dec 3rd.
  • Will present 17-18 Financial Audit at EMSWCD Annual Meeting.
Office Management Lindsay Nelson
Completed:
  • Read through the drafted Equity plan, started to read through Jay's input on the plan.
  • Board/Committee meetings and Annual/December meeting preparation: finished meeting minutes. Set up, record, and took minutes for LLC meeting. I ordered, picked up, and dropped off Employee of the Year plaque.
  • Ordered supplies, sent out checks, sorted and distributed supplies ordered.
  • Meetings: met with Admin Team, with all staff and consultants, Plant Sale team.
  • Set up meeting space for the Garlic Mustard meeting. Coordinated a meeting time for DEI meeting for Jay.
  • Dropped off branding gear to Hilers Emblem. Took work jackets there.
  • Researched end of the year celebration venues. Spent some time searching for a venue for 1x1 interviews with consultants.
  • Spent some time placing applications and resumes in assigned folders for the UL CCL position. I responded to over 60 applicants via email, twice.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • I have been doing research on electric and hybrid vehicles as well as the charging stations.
  • The solar panels that will power the forced air system for the compost boxes are almost complete!!
Planned:
  • I will be on vacation for the next week and a half
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Materials/outreach: 3 new staff business cards sent to print. Worked on event display designs. Follow-up with press on articles.
  • Website: Board/Committee updates, policy updates, reports, archived and updated posts and pages. Took photos, formatted photos and text for Whitney's Nature Notes post, posted and shared.
  • Plant sale: exported product data and cleaned data off website. Formatted tables for import to new store, created a second version for Whitney to update descriptions and tags. Imported products, began developing plant sale and exploring setup and options. Presented to plant sale team and worked out next steps.
  • Social media / outreach: posts and cross-posts for workshops, partner events, restoration projects, updates, job, other jobs and opportunities, climate/conservation articles, farming articles. Promoted FFA documentary film event.
  • IT: investigating issues with email including improper junk mail routing, spoofing issues. Phone system followup with contractor, assisted staff with software, licensing, printing, computer inventory and other questions.
  • Took four days off in this work period.
Planned:
  • Plant sale development.
  • Organizational and IT support as necessary.
  • Continue working on outstanding materials.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Compiled information for last fiscal year's annual report.
  • Attended Sandy Watershed Council's climate change workshop.
  • Miscellaneous meetings: Sandy watershed Council Board meeting, Johnson Creek Interjurisdictional Committee, SPA check in, Check in meetings with Rural Lands staff.
  • Lower Willamette Agricultural Water Quality Biennial Review meeting: ODA introduced a measureable objective for bacteria.
Planned:
  • Next draft of CLIP guidelines and procedures by December 11th meeting.
  • Taking a tour of StreamCare sites with Lucas because it's been a while.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Collected water quality samples to monitor the efficacy of a sediment basin.
  • Met internally and with a nursery to discuss development of an Ag Management Plan. Worked on a draft of the plan.
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.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • I attended Invasives 2.0 put on by the City of Portland. It was a ten-year retrospective as they enacted their weed control codes ten years ago and also information on their scope moving forward.
  • I took Lindsay and Dan on a tour of the Rural Lands area. We drove through the gorge to highlight weed control efforts, visited StreamCare sites in Big Creek, and looked at Headwaters and the Dianna Pope Natural Area.
  • I met with a landowner who wants to enroll in StreamCare who heard about the program through another satisfied participant. Also met with a couple of landowners who are enrolled in StreamCare to check in on progress at the site and make sure we were all on the same page about boundaries.
Planned:
  • I will have a crew installing around 1000 stakes on three StreamCare sites.
  • I will be receiving and overseeing a crew planting over 7000 plants in two new pollinator meadows at Headwaters Farm.
  • Julie and I will be doing a tour of StreamCare sites to talk about potential future maintenance and any necessary changes in methods.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Attended and participated in the OACD Fall Business Meeting in Newport.
  • Reviewed EMSWCD policies and provided feedback to Jay.
  • Met with Wildfire Track co-planners (Jim Cathcart and Tom Salzer) to establish track sessions, speakers and time ranges for each.
Planned:
  • Working with Matt on drafting Ag Management Plan for Mainstem Farm.
  • Working with Julie to plan out how to move forward on possible Ag Focus Areas and workshops around the county.
  • Updating Headwaters Farm Plan.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • I presented our post fire work to the Oregon Invasive Species Council.
  • Had crews install 1,500 live dogwood stakes at a restoration site in the gorge.
  • Hosted the Pacific NW Garlic Mustard working group meeting here at C.C.
  • Weeds outreach to new landowners and initial consultations.
Planned:
  • Headed to the Oregon Interagency Noxious Weed Symposium.
  • Reporting to USFS regarding post fire work.
  • Weeds outreach to new landowners.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Lucas and I collected monthly water quality samples and conducted the wildlife surveys.
  • I finished the annual wildlife report for the Diana Pope Natural Area. I entered water quality, wildlife and weed data. I attended the Garlic Mustard Working Group meeting and made and distributed comic notes.
  • Chris and I conducted follow-up weed surveys at weed control sites within the Eagle Creek burn zone.
Planned:
  • We will continue winter weed surveys, outreach and control.
  • I will beginning creating a Powerpoint presentation about bring wildlife to your yard. I will format our annual weeds data and send it to IMapInvasives. I will work on outreach illustation projects.
  • Chris and I will attend the INWS.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • With Matt and Rowan, planned and promoted the screening of the documentary, Farmers for America, which played at the Columbia Grange on November 28th.
  • Finished filming for Headwaters video. Filmed interviews with Rowan and three Headwaters farmers. Began editing.
  • Worked with Katie on T-shirt design for Plant Sale.
  • Created mailer for English ivy outreach.
Planned:
  • Finish production and editing of Headwaters video.
  • Plan and promote Native Plants workshop, which will be presented by Jon and Chris at the Columbia Grange.
  • Finalize and print "I ❤ Streamside Forests" poster.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Attended City of Portland's Invasive plant strategy summit.
  • Attended Solve Pest Problems steering committee.
  • Presented Weeds workshop at St Aiden's church.
Planned:
  • Attending Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) Watershed Approach event.
  • Attending Climate Resiliency in the Sandy event.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Consulted with BES and Blossom regarding sewer line replacement and rain garden restoration/redesign.
  • Attended: UERC Lunch & Learn, Benton SWCD Soil Solarization Workshop, Plant Sale meetings #3, #4 and store review, Webinar: Lending to Landowners using Clean Water State Revolving Funds, MHCC Climate Change Symposium, GriT Tour of Japanese Garden Green Infrastructure, Gabbert Butte SAC meeting. Facilitated November CLIP Team meeting. Participated in CONNECT Team Planning Call #3.
  • Continued work on Urban CLIP Eligibility GIS layers & mapping, invasives funding decision spreadsheet, and revisions to Rain Garden web content.
  • Working on finalizing riparian restoration CLIP project. Working on bike shed green roof specs with landscapers.
  • Researched green wall re-planting options.
  • Posted Nature Notes 7: Natural Leaf and Snow Management.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Plant Sale: Lots of general planning and coordination. Most notable is time spent documenting instructions for how to do specific processes and to help next year's event staff stay happy and sane. Prepared address list for Plant Sale Postcard.
  • Scheduled a East County Collaboration meeting with City of Gresham, Backyard Habitat, Watershed Councils.
  • I have been training Brandi on Plant Sale volunteer recruitment and other essential event info.
  • Trained Brandi on how to use the MailChimp program, and on the smaller steps involved for Surveying workshop participants.
Planned:
  • Work Frank Granshaw to make a plan for finalizing text in the maps field notes as some of the last steps before launching the Virtual Walkabout Tour.
  • Schedule a tour for PCC watershed studies class in January.
  • Attend December Grant Butte Partnership meeting on December 12th.
Outreach & Education Brandi Boersma
Completed:
  • Beginning to attend plant sale meetings.
  • Get information download from Katie, began utilizing MailChimp and working on important contacts.
  • Met with Katie and Kathy to discuss future at EMSWCD.
  • Attended pollinators workshop. Tabled at Fix-it-Fair.
  • Gave equity moment presentation on gender pronouns.
  • Began scheduling Spring workshops, ongoing outreach and correspondance, database and attendance updates.
  • Began reading conservation corner plan.
  • Ongoing social media use.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Andrew was out of office and unable to submit a report.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Site visits: City of Portland - Wood Garden; ECO - Kingsly Bundy Park; AWL - Sandy River raft trip; Columbia Riverkeeper - Sandy River Delta; Grow Portland - Ventura Elementary School.
  • Coordinate with fellow grantmakers: Attended PEAK Northwest Fall meeting at MMT for Grant Managers; met with new Gray Family Foundation program officer.
  • Planning green workforce development grantee convening with Meyer Memorial Trust and Ecotrust staff.
  • Met with new Program Officer of Gray Family Foundation.
  • Planned and prepared for Green Workforce Convening, co-hosting with MMT and Ecotrust.
  • Attended SPA meeting, updating group on PIC program changes.
  • 2019 PIC - Meeting with prospective applicants, fielding questions via email and phone; prepared PIC review committee documents for board packet; worked with Alex on final email blast. Applicant site visit: Tucker Maxon school.
  • Met with June Key Delta reps and Master Gardeners on November 16th to consider options for the Center's garden.
Planned:
  • 2019 PIC: Respond to inquiries and meet with prospective applicants; finalize PIC Review Committee members for December board approval.
  • Continue meeting with 2019 PIC applicants, assist as needed in application process.
  • Co-host Green Workforce Convening.
  • Finalize December SPACE awards.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Draft of Oxbow PSA okayed, Ag Management Plan drafted for internal review.
  • Working farmland easement template finalized for EMSWCD management review.
  • Planned for and conducted film screening outreach event (with Rural Lands).
  • Prepared for and managed November LLC meeting, including a decision on a new land conservation opportunity.
  • Provided feedback to Metro on potential open space bond measure.
  • Working farmland easement template finalized.
Planned:
  • 2 easements for Oxbow transaction drafted.
  • Participate in Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts Community Conservation Gathering.
  • Oxbow Ag Mgmt Plan substantially advanced, as well as other Oxbow PSA elements.
  • Mainstem lease substantially finalized.
  • Additional farm succession workshop outreach.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Invited four new farms to join HIP for 2019 and provided those not accepted with a list of resources for strengthening future HIP applications.
  • Presented Headwaters Incubator Program (along with Rural Lands and Land Legacy) following the screening of Farms for America.
  • Supported the construction of a solar panel stand for the areated compost boxes.
Planned:
  • Conducing End of Year Meeting with HIP farmers.
  • Developing an End of Year Survey Monkey questionnaire to capture relevant data from HIP farmers.
  • Updating the Farm's Manual for 2019.