Author Archives: Alex

Film screening “Farmers for America” on November 28th

Join us for a screening of the documentary Farmers for America.

  • When: Wednesday, November 28th. 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
  • Where:
    Columbia Grange #267
    37493 NE Grange Hall Rd.
    Corbett, OR 97019

FREE! Snacks provided.

Let your friends know you can make it on Facebook.

Farmers for America film
Learn more
about the film

For questions or special accommodations, please contact Chelsea at (503) 935-5376 or by email at chelsea@emswcd.org.

students planting at a grant project site

Launch your conservation project with a Partners in Conservation grant!

We are now accepting applications for the 2019 PIC Grant cycle! The Partners in Conservation (PIC) program provides funding from $5,000 to up to $100,000 to support conservation projects and conservation education in the District. Please take a look at the new 2019 PIC Guidelines to learn more. To begin your application, visit our online grants management system, ZoomGrants.

Apply on the EMSWCD
ZoomGrants webpage

Applications are due by December 14th, 2018. We also made some changes this year to our funding model and grant categories this year. Some highlights:

  • PIC grant requests will be considered up to $100,000 and for up to two years of funding.
  • PIC Plus grants will not be offered this fiscal year.
  • Equity/Capacity Building will no longer be a stand-alone funding category. Equity criteria will be incorporated into other funding categories to reflect its importance in all grantmaking areas. Capacity building will be incorporated into the Environmental Education category to reflect a focus on supporting training and internal educational opportunities.

Learn more about our PIC Grant Programs and how to apply on the PIC Grants page.

A note about elections

We’ve received a number of questions about the elections this year and wish to provide some helpful information.

  • Oregon Revised Statutes determine soil and water conservation district board director eligibility criteria and election process. ORS 568.560 (3) details zone director qualifications. ORS 568.530 (2) – (4) details the write-in procedures.
  • The Oregon Department of Agriculture processes candidate paperwork, determines eligibility, and forwards to the county elections office.
  • The Multnomah County Elections Division counts votes for qualified candidates who filed the necessary paperwork by the identified deadlines.
  • The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD), as a government agency, does not participate in the election process and does not lobby for any specific candidate or issue.

EMSWCD has three Board Director positions on the ballot. As identified below, there are two incumbents running for the Zone 3 and At-large 2 positions. . In addition, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has informed us that, as of November 7th, 2018, two write-in candidates had been determined eligible and one candidate’s eligibility was under review for the Zone 1 position.

Zone 1 write-in candidates:

  • Gabrielle Rossi
  • Paula Gagnon
  • Rachelle Dixon (under review)

Zone 3 candidate:

  • Michael Guebert

At-large 2 candidate:

  • Allison Hensey

If you would like more information about Board Director positions, qualifications, and elections, please see our Board page or the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s website.
 

This post was first published on October 26th and edited on November 1st, 2018 for clarification and to include updates on write-in candidates. The post was again edited on November 5th and November 7th, 2018 to include further updates from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on write-in candidates.

Another success for the Working Farmland Protection Program

We are pleased to announce that our Working Farmland Protection program has closed on yet another important working farmland transaction. This September, EMSWCD acquired a 20-acre property in Corbett, ensuring a future for agriculture on this blueberry, raspberry and blackberry farm.

In the short term, the property will be made available for lease to agricultural operators. The property will likely ultimately be sold to a farmer with the protections of a working farmland easement – a legally binding blueprint for the future of the property which ensures it will remain in agricultural use. As part of the transaction, EMSWCD also secured an option to acquire a working farmland easement on another 20-acre property owned by the sellers. Continue reading →

Important information on applying for the SPACE Grant Program

Are you considering applying for a Small Projects and Community Events (SPACE) Grant? Please see the SPACE Grant webpage for detailed information about grant requirements and eligibility.

Check out our new online application system for SPACE grants! Applying for a SPACE grant is now done online through ZoomGrants, an online grants management system.

Visit the SPACE Grants
page to learn more

We hope you will find ZoomGrants easy to use and we are here to help if you have any questions. For all queries, please contact our Grants Manager, Suzanne Easton: Suzanne@emswcd.org.

updated October 2nd, 2018