Our 2022-23 fiscal year Annual Report is here! This year we are again offering a self-guided presentation of our Annual Report with an interactive Prezi Story Map. It’s a great way to see what our talented team has accomplished this year all across our District. Visit this page to learn how to use the story map and to see how we work to meet our mission of helping people care for land and water.
Join us for a morning of fun and community at the Mt. Hood Community College Volunteer Planting on Wednesday, December 13th at 10:00 AM!
We are planting a variety of trees to help manage stormwater, reduce summer heat, improve habitat, and beautify the campus.
Planting Event Details:
12/13 Wednesday 10 am Tree Planting, we hope to be done by noon, but it’s okay if you need to leave before that. Children are welcome to attend with an adult.
Meet in the Q parking lot- towards the bottom of the building 17th Street entrance of campus (see the area is circled in red on the map).
What to Wear and Bring:
Please wear clothes that are appropriate for the weather and can get dirty (we love layers!), along with closed-toe shoes/boots that will be comfortable on uneven terrain. If you have a favorite pair of work gloves, bring them but we will have some for you to use as well. If you have one, please bring a water bottle – save plastic!
Sign up below for the tree planting Wednesday, December 13th at 10:00 AM!
Continue reading
EMSWCD partnered recently with This Old House for a feature demonstrating how to plan the site for a rain garden and install it! Watch below as our Urban Lands Program Supervisor Kathy Shearin meets with landscape contractor Jenn Nawada to help Aaron and Autumn install a rain garden in their front yard. The section on rain gardens is in the first nine minutes of the video.
It is a great time to start pulling invasive species like the Tree of Heaven. We just delivered Weed Wrenches to Northeast, Green Lents, Southeast, and East Portland Tool Libraries so you can stop by and borrow them for free! Check the tool libraries website for hours and more details.
See more about Tree of Heaven here: https://wmswcd.org/species/tree-of-heaven/
Join either of two upcoming info sessions to find out if NRCS grants are right for you! There will be an in-person info session at Tastebud Pizza and on online Zoom info session two days later. These sessions will cover both EQIP and CSP grant programs. The EQIP deadline is coming up on November 17th.
A collaboration of USDA NRCS, OSU Extension and Pacific Northwest Community Supported Agriculture.
Part of my business is transitioning folks from grass to a more environmentally friendly landscape! Always looking for cardboard for this process. Continue reading
Sunset over a field of crops
Have you secured your farm’s future? We can help! Join us for a free farm succession planning workshop and lunch Thursday, October 26th, 2023 at the Multnomah Grange (30639 SE Bluff Road, Gresham, OR 97080). Check-in starts at 9:00 AM and the program runs from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
RSVP here! RSVP required by October 18th.
Questions? Contact Andrea Krahmer at (503) 789-2467 or Andrea@oregonagtrust.org
Brought to you by East Multnomah and Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Oregon Agricultural Trust, and Oregon Small Business Development Center.
Multnomah County Hearings Officer
Multnomah County Community Services, Land Use Planning
1600 SE 190 Avenue
Portland, OR 97233
Re: case # T3-2022-16220 – Proposed Portland Water Bureau Filtration Plant Project
The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) is a nonregulatory government agency representing residents of Multnomah County east of the Willamette River to the far end of the county. The mission of EMSWCD is to help people care for soil and water.
EMSWCD understands that Portland Water Bureau (PWB) is obligated by US Environmental Protection Agency regulations and the terms of a compliance order entered into between the PWB and Oregon Health Authority to have a system operational no later than 2027 that is capable of removing Cryptosporidium and other potential contaminants.
While EMSWCD supports the provision of clean, safe drinking water for all PWB customers, we are concerned about the proposed location of the water filtration facility. The proposed location for the facility is on land designated as a Rural Reserve. Consistent with its Rural Reserve designation, this location represents some of the very best farmland remaining in EMSWCD’s service area. It has prime agricultural soils, favorable topography, legal water rights, and is sizeable enough to support commercial farming operations. Siting this facility on Rural Reserve-designated land not only equates to farmland loss, but it also sets a negative precedent of constructing facilities intended to serve a primarily urban population on land that is protected for agriculture. Continue reading