Activity Report for the Period 2/3/2020 – 2/14/2020

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Andrew Brown, EMSWCD's Conservation Legacy Program Supervisor, is currently serving as Interim Executive Director in the interim. See his report here.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Dan Mitten
Completed:
  • Reviewed and prepared January bank statements for reconciliation. Prepared combined budget for 1st draft of FY20-21 budget.
  • Attended pre-board meeting with management team and Interim Executive Director. Attended February Board meeting, presented financials, and F&O 2nd quarter report. Met with F&O staff in 1X1s, F&O Team as a program, with TSCC in staff to staff meeting for budget cycle, ED search firm representative, and management team meeting.
  • Drafted questions to pose counsel on HR issues related to internal equity topic discussions and submitted to equity team for review.
  • Attended and participated in Annual Plant Sale.
  • Fulfilled two public record requests for calendar year 2019.
  • Worked on the final reporting for the Pacific Power EV Charging Station Grant.
Planned:
  • Will continue to develop drafts, draft the budget message, budget committee meeting agenda for budget committee meetings and TSCC hearing of FY20-21 budget.
Office Management Lindsay Nelson
Completed:
  • Participated in an Equity Team meeting.
  • OMSI: Went to OMSI with Dan to finilize details for Staff Appreciation Day, put together staff gifts, finalized scavenger hunt. Spent a day at OMSI.
  • Plant Sale: Met with the Plant Sale team several times, setup phone system for plant sale pickup, general support and training for pick-up day.
  • Compiled resources for February DEI small discussion group.
  • Finished board meeting minutes.
Planned:
  • Final preparations and training before Plant Sale.
  • Taking time off.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • I was able to install the new dishwasher in the copy room. It has been put to good use since then!
  • The electricians have finished the new service to the equipment shed and I met with solar panel company and their electrician to go over some things they will need from us during the solar panel install.
Planned:
  • I'm working with Dan and our concrete contractor to finalize the new contract for the front step replacement which hopefully will begin around the fisrt part of April.
  • I will be overseeing the concrete contractor as he pours the slab ans apron for the equipment shed shop as well as adding on to the composting toilet sidewalk.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Plant sale: order management, refunds, sorting, picklist creation and checking, created several different tracking lists, music, photos, answering calls and emails, helped sort orders, pickup day! Post-plant sale: more refunds, order questions, accounting, wrap-up. All in all a very successful event.
  • IT: helped with staff and board emails, set up Nick’s accounts and surface device, helped on-board Nick and get set him up on the device, resolved station-printer issues.
  • Board, committee, page and blog updates.
  • General catch-up on about 1,000 different items after plant sale.
Planned:
  • Finalize vehicle branding.
  • Commit various website updates and add new media content.
  • Work with staff on new blog posts, signage needs, media and outreach.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Drafted Rural Land's budget for next fiscal year.
  • Attended the Sandy River Watershed Council meeting.
  • Helped compile 2nd quarter reports.
Planned:
  • Serving on an interview panel for an ODA hire.
  • Attending NRCS' local work group meeting.
  • OWEB Small Grants Team meeting.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Aaron was unable to complete a report for this work period.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Chelsea and I received about 37,000 plants for StreamCare, WeedFree, and the Plant Sale.
  • Planting for this year was completed for all StreamCare sites. A little over 16,000 plants were planted on eleven sites.
  • Jon and I conducted monthly water quality sampling.
Planned:
  • Jon and I will conduct monthly water quality sampling.
  • I am going to present to the Johnson Creek Interjurisdictional Comittee on our work around modeling the effects of SteamCare work in Johnson Creek on reducing solar radiation reaching the creek.
  • I am taking some vacation in the next reporting period.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Jeremy was unable to complete a report for this work period.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • I had crews out installing ~14,000 trees and shrubs into previously weedy and controlled areas.
  • I had crews out controlling ivy in the Bridal Veil area.
  • I helped out with the plant sale.
Planned:
  • I'll be connecting with partners regarding project work in the gorge.
  • Meeting with our lone garlic mustard volunteer to line up work for the field season.
  • Hopefully finalizing USFS and ODOT agreements.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • I participated in Plant Sale.
  • I submitted WQ data to the EPA and helped USGS with our WQ data.
  • I have been working with Chelsea to finalize the activity book.
  • I attended the mapping and data meeting of the 4 county CWMA.
Planned:
  • Lucas and I will collect monthly water quality samples and conduct the wildlife survey.
  • I will submit last year's weeds data to Imapinvasives. Will take part in monthly equity meeting.
  • Chris and I will continue winter weeds control and surveys.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Equity: Met with small equity group to dicuss readings, podcasts, and videos on the subject of food and hunger. Began developing survey for CELs (Community Engagement Liaisons) to get feedback on the Equity Plan.
  • Hosted 4-County CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Area) committee meetings. Provided input on community engagement project in which the City of Portland, in partnership with the CWMA, is working with Spanish-speaking Community Engagement Liaisons to learn how to better engage the Spanish-speaking community around noxious weeds.
  • Sorted StreamCare plants by project site to be planted by Lucas and crews. Began promoting biochar workshop.
Planned:
  • Continue promoting and planning Spring workshops (biochar, wildlife, pollinators, soil health).
  • Work with CELs to develop process for community engagement on the Equity Plan.
  • Begin planning Spring outreach for StreamCare.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Native Plant sale 2020!
  • Attend Oregon Air National Guard Restoration Advisory Board informational meeting about PHAS and fire-fighting foam contamination.
  • Meet with CSWC Executive Committee meeting to discuss CSWC ED annual performance review process.
Planned:
  • Meet with VOZ and other partners to discuss projects and partnership going forward. Meeting with Backyard Habitat Certification Program to discuss ways to enhance partnerships east of 82nd ave. Solve Pest Problems User Interface improvement meeting.
  • Meet with Urban Lands team to discuss data needs (including demographic, social and natural resources).
  • Meet with MHCC Steering committee to continue discussing next phase of the demonstration project at the college.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Assisted with all things Plant Sale before and during pick-up day.
  • 3 site visits: to PIC grant recipient regarding native plant selection, SE Ivy removal/native restoration potential CLIP, and for Chinese community rain garden workshop/demo project.
  • Presented two potential projects at the Feb CLIP Team meeting.
Outreach & Education Monica McAllister
Completed:
  • Monica was unable to complete a report for this work period.
Outreach & Education Brandi Boersma
Completed:
  • Tabled at the Fix-it-Fair and gave a one hour presenation introducing Naturescaping to 35 engaged attendees.
  • Tabled at a Russian Family Fair at Leach Botanical Garden with Johnson Creek Watershed Council's Speak Creek Intern. This event will help inform our future Russian Language Workshop at Leach Botanical Garden.
  • All things Plant Sale sorting week and Pick-up Day: volunteer scheduling and management, event set-up and tear down, finalized posted notice of Photography and Videorecording, sorting week and Pick-up Day activities, customer service, and MailChimp reminder emails.
Planned:
  • Equity Team Meeting.
  • Tour of Conservation Corner to Blossom.
Outreach & Education Rhesa Napoli
Completed:
  • Spring workshop outreach for participants: created flyers, announcement to Troutdale Champion.
  • Added 3 more workshops, there are 3-5 more tentatively scheduled.
  • Participated in Plant sale sorting week, helping with refreshments for volunteers and Plant sale Pick-up day.
  • Participated in Small group equity discussion on hunger and food access.
Planned:
  • Additional Outreach for workshop participants: create facebook events, add to online calendars, neighborhood associations and other community partners.
  • Inventory of Workshop materials.
  • Inputing data for demographic information from workshop surveys from Naturescaping and RG participants.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Worked on finalizing the initial draft of the FY20-21 budget with CFO.
  • Assisted with the rollout of the research component of the ED search process.
  • Kicked off the process with staff to define organizational values for EMSWCD.
Planned:
  • Work with Dan to finalize FY20-21 budget, budget message and other preparation ahead of the first Budget Committee meeting in March.
  • Coordinate the organizaition values definition process with the staff and Management Team.
  • Prepare for and assist Suzanne with hosting the PIC Review Committee meetings for the 2020 PIC grant cycle.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Continue review of 2020 PIC applications. Prepared and sent out review packets to the PIC Review Committee.
  • Equity Team: Prepared and attended small discussion group on Food/Hunger. Worked on process for demographic input by staff. Working with Equity Grantmaker on technical assistance project to improve access to grant funds.
  • General: Prepared grant budget numbers for Dan/Andrew. Met with executive director search firm representative.
  • Attended two-day Oregon Farm to School and School Garden conference in Silverton.
Planned:
  • Prepare for and host PIC Review Meetings February 26th and 27th.
  • Equity: Facilitate next discusssion session. Continue to work on demographic info - consolidating input from program teams. Attend Equity Team meeeting.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Successful first Farm Succession Planning Workshop.
  • Gordon Creek property sale advanced.
  • Advancing new working farmland transaction.
Planned:
  • Gordon Creek sale transaction advanced.
  • New working farmland transaction advanced.
  • Outreach work to Metro and Farm Bureau.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Oversaw the installation of electrical to the equipment shed and facilitated the contract to pour a concrete pad in the shop.
  • Coordinated a Headwaters Farm clean up and organization work party.
  • Conducted the HIP/Headwaters Farm orientation to new incubator farmers.
  • Offered nutrient management support to HIP farmers.
Planned:
  • Onboarding the new Operations Assistant and getting them set up on various farm projects.
  • Offering a Headwaters Farm tour to a Metro Councilor.
  • Presenting HIP to the Clark County Food System Council.