Activity Report for the Period 3/28/2016 – 4/8/2016

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Sections:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACTIVITIES
Jay Udelhoven
Completed:
  • Boards/Committees: Prepared for and attended EMSWCD Board of Director's meeting, Land Legacy Committee meeting, and the final two budget committee meetings.
  • External Engagement: Met with Mike Guebert and the Director/Deputy Director for Portland Parks and Recreation to discuss issues around the Colwood Golf Course and Natural Area; met with executive directors of Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and Johnson Creek Watershed Council to discuss PIC proposals and partnership opportunities.
  • Policies: Continued review of personnel policies and staff benefits.
  • Program Implementation: Prepared for and presented at the farmer succession training; met with Liv Brumfield from Congressman's Blumenauer's office to discuss the Farm Bill.
  • Vacation: Participated in the 2016 Pan International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship Competition in Irvine, California.
Planned:
  • Boards/Committees: Nothing planned for this period.
  • External Engagement: Will begin drafting partnership agreement for the watershed councils.
  • Policies: Will continue revision of personnel policies.
  • Program Implementation: Nothing planned for this period.
  • Vacation: Will be road-tripping with my parents from Florida to Wisconsin.
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
ACTIVITIES
Program Supervision / Finance & Budget Lissa Adams
Completed:
  • Prepared materials for and attended Budget Committee and Board meetings. Compiled all Approved Budget materials and submitted them to TSCC.
  • Worked with Equity Team to finish part three of the organizational equity assessment.
  • Reviewed draft Emergency Action Plan, commented on and passed along to staff for additional comments.
Planned:
  • Pull together results for Quarter 3 progress report.
  • Post Invitation To Bid on ORPIN for the Dianna Pope Natural Area culvert replacement project.
  • Getting lost in the southern California desert for a week.
Office Management Jed Arnold
Completed:
  • Completed comparable benefit survey of other locally active agencies.
  • Arranged for the 1 month trial of a new multi-purpose color printer/copier - will be installed on 4/12.
  • Caught up on some long overdue filing and updating of HR related paperwork.
Planned:
  • Meet with broker to review and authorize the FY 16/17 health benefit renewals.
  • Create a format that captures HIP farmer survey responses and enter relevant data.
  • Attending CONNECT training 4/19 - 4/21.
Facilities Management Scot Wood
Completed:
  • We have decided to move forward with the SE board room door porch and the door reopened as well as having the board room hardwoods repaired and refinished.
  • I helped Rowan install and pressure test the newly reconfigured irrigation risers. Irrigation is on and working wonderfully!!
  • Rowan and I solicited bids from walk-in cooler suppliers for the new cooler on the west side of the barn.
  • I started the first mowing of the season!
Planned:
  • Meet with SL Green's project manager and new site superintendent to finalize the details of the revised board room work.
  • I will be working with Rowan and an excavator to begin site prep for the new prop house and food storage building.
  • Hopefully we will soon be installing the new walk-in cooler.
  • More mowing to come!
Marketing & Media Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Drafted and completed design for a new welcome and information sign with posted hours, to be used at each office entryway.
  • Designed a new business card template. Revised and/or restocked other materials, including a late season spring workshop flier.
  • Assisted Urban Lands and Rural Lands outreach staff with various items: new email template, list management, image assets, print materials and post-event analytics.
  • Edited content and photos for a new "From our farmers" Headwaters blog on ways to save resources on the farm or in the garden; published and promoted.
Planned:
  • Continue work on the event display template.
  • Will start getting more into yard tour work: tour guide design, assisting staff with website updates and press outreach.
  • Continue work on District survey project: scope, questions and survey design, quotes from marketing/research firms.
Information Technology Alex Woolery
Completed:
  • Investigated issues with Outlook tasks on Jed's station.
  • Looked into security options for for out-of-office device use (tablets, laptops, etc.).
  • Quote follow-ups and new quotes: replacing an old computer station, SonicWall licensing, hardware solutions for improving performance on a GIS station.
  • Server network connections went down briefly on April 8th. Worked with Online Support to restart server and diagnose issue.
Planned:
  • Work with program managers to purchase new station and hardware.
  • Assist staff with software, device, network questions and issues.
RURAL LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Julie DiLeone
Completed:
  • Working with Johnson Creek Watershed Council and Clackamas SWCD to apply for ODA Strategic Implementation funding for riparian work.
  • Drafting job description for temporary hire.
Planned:
  • Program planning.
  • Chelsea's 6 month review.
  • Quarterly reporting.
Rural Water Quality Aaron Guffey
Completed:
  • Reviewed and modified an example Request for Bid from Metro for use to solicit for the construciton of the Diana Pope Natural Area Stream Crossing Replacement Project.
  • Began a discussion with Chelsea of a press release for the Diana Pope Natural Area Stream Crossing Replacement Project.
  • Guided a landowner through the CLIP application process for an irrigation project.
Planned:
  • Work with our design consultant and permitting authorities to acquire permitting for the Diana Pope Natural Area Stream Crossing Replacement Project, and then put the construction out for bid.
StreamCare Lucas Nipp
Completed:
  • Continued spraying in with a crew on StreamCare sites. Water conservation sprays and reed canary grass sprays were conducted as needed on StreamCare sites comprising 255.86 acres.
  • Attended the Society for Ecological Restoration Pacific Northwest Regional Conference. It was focused on monitoring and there was lots of good info and applicable research.
  • Chris, Chelsea, and I presented a Native Plants Workshop at the Corbett Grange. There were 45 people there and they seemed very engaged. A great venue to reach the rural audience.
Planned:
  • I will be continuing work with a crew that will be carrying out water conservatoin sprays around plants planted on grassy StreamCare sites and also spraying reed canary grass on StreamCare sites.
  • I will be working on StreamCare site visits, maps, and agreements for interested landowners.
  • A little vacation.
Technical Assistance Jeremy Baker
Completed:
  • Made a site visit to Arion (pasture).
  • Presented District info at Zenger Farms.
  • Provided Technical Assistance to landowner on wet area.
  • Attended our Nutrient Management Workshop.
Planned:
  • Continuing to familiarize self with EMSWCD.
  • Create ArcMap template for planning.
Weed Management Chris Aldassy
Completed:
  • Gave a presentation on native plants to about 40 Corbett residents at the Grange.
  • Garlic mustard control with crews and with Jon. We are tackling the heaviest most widespread infestations with crews and controlling the smaller, remote sites 'in house'.
  • Attended ODA's 'English Ivy' Forum. Several presentations on control timing, techniques, and efficacy tests for different control options. Also, a lively question and answer discussion.
Planned:
  • First round of garlic mustard control continues.
  • Site visits for new interested landowners. We will also be doing outreach to get permission to bush whack across someone's property to access a site on the Sandy River where gm was found last summer with no road access.
  • I'll be attending a lecture on "novel ecosystems" that is being funded by an EMSWCD SPACE grant!
Weed Management Jon Wagner
Completed:
  • Lead crews in control of 2950 square meters of garlic mustard over 37.5 acres at Menucha.
  • Outreach to four new landowners with Chris for garlic mustard.
  • Surveyed nine sites with Chris and controlled 4.25 square meters of garlic mustard.
Planned:
  • Water Quality sampling and data entry.
  • Garlic mustard surveys, outreach and control in house and with crews.
Outreach & Education Chelsea White-Brainard
Completed:
  • With Chris and Lucas, prepped for and hosted Rural Native Plant Workshop on 3/31 at the Columbia Grange in Corbett for 45 attendees. Consolidated feedback and debriefed following workshop.
  • Coordinated completion of nursery grower study with Pivot and ordered final report.
  • Worked with Chris, Jon, and Alex to update garlic mustard web pages.
Planned:
  • Promote Manure Connection.
  • Develop outreach materials for the weed program - clematis and ivy.
  • Work on updating Rural Lands web pages.
URBAN LANDS
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Kathy Shearin
Completed:
  • Attended Budget Committee Meeting.
  • Three plant ID requests via e-mail.
  • Presented Urban Weeds workshop at Leach Botanic Garden.
  • Visited yards for yard tour and select those that will be on tour.
Planned:
  • Taking some time off week of April 11th.
  • Attending CONNECT conference.
Technical Assistance Erik Carr
Completed:
  • Attending Society of Ecological Restoration regional conference and Oregon Forest Pest Detector training.
  • Met with PTA members at George Middle School to discuss courtyard garden opportunities; visited MultCo. CROPS farm to discuss blackberry removal; visited with Wisdom of the Elders work crew to discuss restoration planning at Zenger Farm.
  • Met with Columbia Slough Watershed Council to discuss future collaborative opportunities.
Planned:
  • Meeting with Greening Rockwood working group.
  • 3 site visits to discuss rain gardens and stormwater management.
  • Meeting with RiverHouse HOA conservation committee to discuss CLIP opportunities.
Outreach & Education Angela Previdelli
Completed:
  • Yard Visits! Kathy and I visited 18 yards to select our final hosts for the Yard Tour.
  • Tabled at Parks and Clean Water through Art event in North Portland.
  • Worked on outreach materials for Urban Lands.
Planned:
  • Equity Assessment Part 3.
  • Yard Tour host and volunteer coordination.
  • Attend CONNECT.
Outreach & Education Katie Meckes
Completed:
  • Host attendance & outreach updates. Restocked handouts, supplies. Gresham outreach to online calendar and Nextdoor. Prepped potential fall workshop dates and sent call to presenters for availabilities.
  • Attended Greening Schoolyards Taskforce meeting.
  • Wrote up a draft outreach plan for our "Conservation Corner" - how we can better showcase landscape demos and more pro-actively reach out to neighbors, community in general.
Planned:
  • General workshop season maintenance, communications, documenting, recordkeeping, database processes.
  • Continuing content creation for Urban Lands outreach materials overhaul.
CONSERVATION LEGACY
ACTIVITIES
Program Management Andrew Brown
Completed:
  • Progressed with agricultural property acquisition opportunity, including revised offer to purchase.
  • Worked on the organisation and creation of GIS geodatabase for external supporting information sources, including draft update schedule.
  • Collated information for third quarter quarterly report.
Planned:
  • Pursue due dilligence activities on ag property acquisition, and follow up with natural area land acquisition oppoerunities.
  • Work on the Headwaters 5 year plan, and Headwaters related GIS data.
  • Review of current draft Multnomah County Comprehensive Plan update, and City of Portland Comp Plan and Employent Zoning Project, for potential comments.
  • Collate and produce draft third quarter of FY 2015-16 quarterly report.
Land Legacy Rick McMonagle
Completed:
  • Worked with with partners on two Access to Nature sites.
  • Conducted due diligence on farm acquisition project.
  • Contacted landowners in Ag priority area.
  • Met with Liv Blumfield, Staff, Congressman Blumenauer.
Planned:
  • Continuing due diligence for farm acquisition project.
  • Meeting with landowner of forested property.
  • Meeting with partners regarding Access to Nature project.
  • Preparing quarterly report.
Grants Suzanne Easton
Completed:
  • Prepared the final PIC 2016 packet for the April 4 Board meeting, presented committee/staff recommendations: Board approved 24 grants totaling $759,600.
  • Prepared SPACE grants for Board meeting: Board approved 5 grants totaling $7,791. Attended meeting of the Greening Schoolyards task force sponsored by Intertwine - focused on collaboration to develop comprehensive strategies for promoting school gardens, naturescaping, and nature-based play areas.
  • Attended PIC grantee event at Zenger Farm - Mt. Hood CC Project YESS: educational workshop on integrating naturescaping into agricultural landscapes.
  • Mailed out EMSWCD signs to 8 SPACE grantees.
  • Reminders mailed out to SPACE grantees with over-due final reports.
Planned:
  • Site visit and meeting with staff at Native American Youth Association to review 2014 PIC project plans for completion.
  • Site visit and meeting with prospective SPACE applicant - Gresham Japanese garden.
  • Notify PIC grantees of awards. Prepare for contracting process.
  • Attend SPACE grantee event: Portland Ecologists Unite program.
  • On vacation week of April 11.
  • Attend CONNECT conference.
Headwaters Farm Rowan Steele
Completed:
  • Held Nutrient Management workshop with Nick Andrews of OSU Extension's Small Farms Program.
  • Put together 1st Quarter HIP invoices.
  • Farm activities: got irrigation system up and running, mowed cover crops and began discing for early season planting, conducting equipment trainings, troubleshooting temperamental emitters in prophouse, and equipment maintenance.
Planned:
  • Conducting tractor safety and operation workshop for incubator farmers.
  • Having trees along farm driveway taken down as per Gresham Fire Department code.
  • Hosting tour of Headwaters Farm for Chemeketa Community College and their group of partners interested in exploring the feasibility of an incubator farm.