Author Archives: Alex

EMSWCD Board Updates, February 2020

Laura Masterson (left) presents Allison Hensey with a service award

Laura Masterson (left) presents Allison Hensey with a service award

At the February Board meeting, At-Large 2 Director Allison Hensey resigned from her position on the EMSWCD Board of Directors. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Allison for seven years of dedicated service to the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. Among her many valuable contributions, Allison has done terrific work helping advance diversity, equity and inclusion at EMSWCD, and serving as our Board Chair over the last year guiding the organization through a time of transition.

Carrie Sanneman, formerly our Associate Director, has been appointed to the At-Large 2 position. To learn more about our Board members, as well as view upcoming meetings and agendas, please visit our Board section.

honey bee on red-flowering currant

Workshops open during inclement weather

updated January 15th, 2020

We have had a few questions about inclement weather, including possible snow on the horizon this week! Most EMSWCD workshops are currently set to remain open during inclement weather, unless otherwise noted. Update: the Farm Succession workshop set for today, January 15th has been postponed to March 11th. If any other workshops are cancelled or postponed, we will notify all registrants by email.

You can register for any of our workshops here!

Emily driving a tractor at Mainstem Farm

Free Farm Succession Planning Workshop Series

“The farm succession planning workshop series helped us create an important road map for the future of our family farm.”
-The Sturm family, 2019 Farm Succession Planning Workshop participants.

Update: the Farm Succession workshop set for January 15th has been postponed due to weather concerns. The first workshop in the series will now take place on January 29th and the series will extend to March 11th (see below for dates and full details).

EMSWCD is excited to once again offer a free farm succession planning workshop series for District farmers(the EMSWCD service area consists of all Multnomah County east of the Willamette River). Taught by a leading national expert, the workshop series will offer strategies to transition the farm and farm business, tax planning and so much more. One-on-one personalized counseling is also offered at no cost. The workshop will take place at the Multnomah Grange (30639 SE Bluff Road, Boring) on January 29th, February 12th and February 26th, and on March 11th from 1 – 4 pm, with a complimentary lunch at 12:30 PM.

Registration is required and space is limited – RSVP with Kathryn Nishimoto at (503) 594-0738 or kathykb@clackamas.edu.

Aerial of Gordon Creek farm

Gordon Creek Farm listed for sale

EMSWCD has put a farm property currently in its ownership up for sale. The listing for the property can be found here. All interested parties should direct inquiries to EMSWCD’s broker, Chris Kelly of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW Real Estate at (503) 666-4616.

EMSWCD acquired the property in 2018, when it was listed for sale. At the time EMSWCD was concerned that a sale could result in the local farming community losing access to one of the more productive farms within our District. To help prevent this outcome, EMSWCD and the farmer/owner entered into a partnership whereby EMSWCD purchased the property to ensure it would remain forever available for agriculture. At the same time, the farmer also granted EMSWCD an option to permanently protect other property in their ownership. Continue reading →