Activity Report for the Period 2/11/2018 – 2/22/2018

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • External Engagement: Met with new ED of CSWC; attended rural lands meeting with NRCS and WMSWCD; meet with Congressman Blumenauer, staff, and farmers at Headwaters Farm.
  • Boards/Committees: Prepared for board and budget committee meeting.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Had first round of budget discussions with management team; continued DEI planning with Equity Team.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Met with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Started review of PIC applications.
Planned:
  • External Engagement: Attend Multnomah County Farm Bureau meeting; potentially attend REDD opening.
  • Boards/Committees: Prepare for board and budget committee meeting.
  • Policies/Planning/Budgeting: Continue budget development; continue work on fiscal policies and procedures and personnel policies.
  • Supervision/Leadership: Meet with staff (1x1) and management team.
  • Program Implementation: Meet with BES and staff regarding urban farming and water quality enforcement; meet with partners and staff at NAYA to discuss potential demonstration project; participate in PIC Committee meeting.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Dan Mitten
Completed:
  • Budget preparations: compiled budget information for all programs; completed 1st thru 4th drafts of budget for management discussion and review; met with Management Team and incorporated changes into preliminary first draft for the Budget Committee meeting on March 4th.
  • Drafted Budget Committee Agenda and Budget Message.
Planned:
  • Will review Budget Committee Agenda and Budget Message with Executive Director and finalize.
Office Management Lindsay Nelson
Completed:
  • Set up, recorded and took miniutes for Ad-Hoc meeting, LLC Meeting and Board of Directors meetings.
  • Started researching wellness and commuting incentives for employees.
  • Daily and weekly operational duties: handling incoming and outgoing mail, processing invoices, sending out payments, IT support; answering phone calls, responding to emails, interacting with the public, and ordering supplies.
  • Provided support for the Plant Sale; answered questions about pick up day, created supply list for sorting week, helped create plan for t-shirt distribution.
Planned:
  • Completing Board and Committee meeting minutes.
  • Shopping for supplies for plant sale pick up day.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • I helped out Urban Lands as needed for the plant sale pick up day as well as worked on pick up day.
  • Along with other farm-related winter activities, I built additional hardening off tables to accommodate more plants this spring.
Planned:
  • I will be meeting with a concrete contractor to get a quote for the cost of cutting and replacing the concrete needed if we should move forward with the EV charging station.
  • I will be helping various farms with their deliveries.
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Plant sale: worked with pick lists, ran through extensive checks for accuracy; customer outreach and refund management; took photos and video during volunteer shifts and on pickup day; created customer lists and order-checking sheets for staff; planning and logistics. Issued about 100 refunds for orders that were shorted any plants due to nursery supply. Plant sale day: picked up music equipment and managed music, checked customer orders, helped with outreach booth and materials, helped staff and volunteers with setup, helped with breakdown and fulfilling orders, celebrated a very successful Plant Sale!
  • Post-plant sale: customer questions and assistance with orders and refunds. Tabulated total sales, refunds and fees. Updated websites and posts.
  • IT: looked into recurring email spoofing issue, helped with new laptop setup, assisted with printer issues, assisted staff with minor requests and questions.
  • Helped with getting materials to print, social media event promotion and updates, various website page and post updates.
Planned:
  • Finish asset set corollary for completed Branding & Identity guide.
  • Social media ads, material creation.
  • Begin working on Naturescaping workbook project.
  • Take two days off.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Worked with Management Team to develop the draft budget.
  • Helped staff the Q&A booth at our plant sale.
  • Attended a Metro meeting to give feedback on their capital grants program.
Planned:
  • One-on-one meetings with rural lands staff.
  • Discussions with USGS and partners about the next Joint Funding Agreement for work in Johnson Creek.
  • Meeting with engineer at Mainstem Farm to discuss options for addressing stormwater and runoff.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Communicated over the phone and held in-person meetings with EMSWCD staff and a nursery that intends to purchase an EMSWCD property regarding implementation of conservation practices on the property.
  • Compiled financials as treasurer of the Mt. Hood Chapter board of the Oregon Association of Nurseries.
  • Reviewed Energy Trust calculations for an approved CLIP microirrigation project.
Planned:
  • Monitor an access road/sediment basin project at a nursery.
  • Work with a nursery that intends to purchase an EMSWCD property to implement conservation practices on the property.
  • 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.
  • Work with a nursery to install an approved CLIP microirrigation project.
  • Work with a nursery to develop an access road project as part of the CLIP process. Assist the same nursery with irrigation efficiency.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Chelsea and I received about 48,000 plants to be planted on StreamCare and a Weed Control site.
  • By the end of Wednesday, contract crews have installed about 26,000 plants on about 20 acres of StreamCare Project Area (7 sites). This includes the planting of the streamside area at the Sturm Property.
Planned:
  • Planting will continue with about 18,000 plants to be installed the rest of this week and next week. An additional area will be planted at Oxbow Farm and the natural area at Mainstem will be planted.
  • I will be attending the Western Invasives Network Steering Committee Meeting.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Set up Headwaters weather station website training with Measuretek. Julie and I will be getting training on how to set up data downloads and reports for posting on EMSWCD web page.
  • Attended Johnson Creek Inter-Jurisdictional Committee meeting.
  • Attended and Chaired the CLIP Team meeting.
Planned:
  • Chaired the OCEAN February board meeting. Connect 2019 is moving along nicely. 162 people have registered to date and another 30-50 more should be signing up in the coming week.
  • Created and set up some office space in the west wing for NRCS employee Matthew Edwards.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Planting plant sale leftovers with Jon.
  • Had a crew out planting a 6 acre site along the Sandy that was previously Clematis, knotweed and ivy.
  • Water Quality Sampling with Jon.
Planned:
  • Giving a general weeds presentation to facilities folks at Menucha.
  • Presenting our fire related work at the ISEP.
  • Finish planting plant sale remaining plants.
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Chelsea and I recreated the activity book project with gorge creatures instead gnomes. I have been putting together a wildlife/naturescaping video. I helped with plant sale.
  • Chris and I have been planting leftover plants from plant sale.
  • Chris and I collected monthly water quality samples and conducted the monthly wildlife survey.
Planned:
  • Chris and I will finish planting plant sale plants at restoration sites. We will continue winter spurge laurel control.
  • I will attend the annual invasive species and exotic pests workshop.
  • I will finish the wildlife presentation. I will outreach spring work. I will work on draft of activity book.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • Attended the quarterly Lower Willamette Valley SWCD Conservation Education Program Meeting to share ideas and find area for collaboration among other SWCD's in the region.
  • Supported StreamCare planting by sorting 48,000 plants by project for Lucas to plant at 15 properties.
  • Began promoting our new Wildlife workshop, which will be presented by Jon Wagner at the Columbia Grange on March 6th.
Planned:
  • Finish guest blog post on StreamCare for the Sandy River Watershed Council's website. Finish informational page on StreamCare for informational kiosk at Glenn Otto Park.
  • Plan process for involving staff, board, and management team in development of our Equity Plan.
  • Continue planning new spring workshops and promoting those that are scheduled. Spring workshop topics will include wildlife, mud and manure, weeds, and office hours at the grange.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Plant sale went so smooth this year! Thanks to everyone who helped out!!!!
  • Attended Equity Team meeting.
Planned:
  • Meet with Management team to prioritize budget opportunities.
  • Attend: Cascadia Bio-Region Green Roofs presentation by landscape architect Randy Sharp, CSWC Board meeting, Beavercreek Partnership meeting.
  • Meet with former job applicant for informational interview.
  • Meet with NAYA and partners about possible collaboration.
Technical Assistance Whitney Bailey
Completed:
  • Visited OMSI restoration site and provided planting advice.
  • Got approval from CLIP Team on revised Fairview restoration project.
  • Conducted one site visit regarding rain garden installation, a potential CLIP project. Provided technical assistance on large-scale rainwater harvesting systems, xeriscaping and raised beds, native plants for naturescaping, etc.
  • Reviewed and provided comments on several PIC applications.
  • Finished bike shed green wall planters retrofit.
  • PLANT SALE.
Planned:
  • Presenting Fairview riparian restoration plan for CLIP Committee approval.
  • Site visit scheduled for another CLIP rain garden inqury.
Outreach & Education Monica McAllister
Completed:
  • Reviewed, researched, and prioritized various community tabling events EMSWCD has done in the past.
  • Researched various community and culturally specific organizations within the EMSWCD Urban Lands area. Read IRCO's Community Need's Assesment 2017 for Immigrants and Refugees.
  • Attended the 2nd Annual Regional Green Business Gathering at the Oregon Convention Center. Event focused on sustainability. Able to promote various EMSWCD programs with many businesses and organizations.
Planned:
  • Continue to create critieria (using DEI lens) to prioritize various tabling and community meeting events for EMSWCD to attend.
  • Continue to explore what relationships we currently have with various community partners. Plan how we will continue to strengthen current partnerships and foster new connections.
  • Attend Columbia Slough Watershed Council Gala.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Worked closely with the most amazing plant sale team to hold our most successful Plant Sale pick-up day event to date!
  • Took some time off to balance out extra hours worked earlier this month.
  • Met with Frank Granshaw to line up final tasks needed before he can launch the virtual tour of EMSWCD's Naturescaped Garden.
  • Met with a workshop presenter to discuss updates/improvements to Landscaping with Edibles workshop for next season.
  • Drafted up a recruitment plan for a part-time hire to assist with workshop coordination while I am on sabbatical leave.
Planned:
  • Meet with SRWC staff to provide additional guidance on their Salmon Safe Outreach Plan.
  • Finish draft lawn removal pamphlet so we can send it to print along with reprinting the Naturescaping, Rain Garden and Native Plant pamphlets.
  • Begin recruitment for part-time hire.
Outreach & Education Brandi Boersma
Completed:
  • Workshop Management and Coordination.
  • Plant sale: volunteer management, order sorting, and successful Pick-Up Day!
Planned:
  • Fix-it-Fair.
  • Workshop management and coordination.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Andrew was on vacation and unable to submit a report for this work period.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • 2019 PIC: Continued review of applications and preparation for review committee meetings.
  • Attend Intertwine workshop on February 14th: Creating Healthy Communities - The Connection between Nature and Health Equity.
  • Attended Equity Team Meeting, CLIP Team Meeting.
Planned:
  • 2010 PIC Review Committee meetings on February 27th and 28th - prepare for and facilitate.
  • Begin process of allocating recommended funding for PIC.
  • Attend Equity Team meeting.
Land Legacy Matt Shipkey
Completed:
  • Matt was unable to submit a report during this work period.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Rowan was unable to submit a report during this work period.