New FY 2016-2017 Annual Plan of Work
The District’s Board of Directors has adopted an annual work plan for fiscal year 2016-2017 (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017).
This plan is a five-year look forward with resource concerns and planned actions highlighted for the current year.
Download the plan here:
Last Year’s Actions
You might be wondering what we accomplished compared to the goals we set for fiscal year 2015-2016.
Download last year’s plan here:
Here’s a summary of the goals from last year’s plan and the results achieved.
OPERATIONAL GOALS
GOAL 1:Â Increase capacity to provide assistance to small farms and rural landowners
The District recruited for a new conservation planner who is joining the team in August 2016. This individual will be focused primarily on small farms and urban conservation needs, freeing other planners to expand their focus on rural landowners.
GOAL 2: Leverage relationships with partners for mutual benefit
The Clackamas River Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) has been awarded significant funding for work to be done over the next several years. We partnered with several entities to develop the CRISP plan. Find that plan on our WeedWise website.
GOAL 3: Design a new District headquarters and meeting facility
The District’s procurement of architectural design services has yielded a conceptual building design acceptable to the District.
GOAL 4: Develop funding options for building the new headquarters
The District has received a preliminary commitment for funding. We will affirm this in summer/fall of 2016.
GOAL 5: Develop funding options for the Working Lands Legacy Fund
We are still working on this goal. The Working Lands Legacy Fund has been supported to date by a transfer from the District’s General Fund. We have applied for grant funding to acquire two properties.
GOAL 6: Increase funding provided from the District’s Conservation Fund to private landowners and partners
We will be able to report on this once the annual audit of the District is completed this fall.
GOAL 7: Increase outreach regarding manure management, water quality, invasive weeds, small farms, and protection of working lands
We held workshops with a variety of groups on these topics throughout the year.
GOAL 8: Continue repairs to the century-old barn at the District’s farm property in Beavercreek, Oregon
In fiscal year 2015-2016, we developed a plan to repair the south-facing wall of the barn, and we purchased custom milled rough-cut lumber for this purpose. We anticipate completing repairs in FY 2016-2017.
CONSERVATIONÂ ACTIONS
Planned actions for particular resource concerns are listed on each “conservation priority” page of the FY 2015-2016 annual plan.
Water quality actions
- Performed streamside plantings on the Molalla River using grant funds and on Johnson Creek through the CreekCare program.
- Promoted better habitats for beneficial insects. We spoke at a workshop focused on beneficial insects.
- Promoted more use of ground covers.
- Partnered on a pesticide sprayer calibration workshop.
- Distributed windsocks to agricultural applicators.
- Provided the 7-foot-wide no-till drill to cooperators through our Equipment Rental Program.
- Purchased a larger manure spreader to rent to cooperators.
- Promoted mud management practices through individual conservation plans and in presentations to groups.
- Provided tarps to cooperators who needed to cover small manure piles.
- Continued to develop a new program to assist landowners in the Clackamas River watershed with septic system inspections and critical repairs.
Water quantity actions
- Promoted soil moisture monitoring through individual conservation plans.
- Promoted more efficient application of irrigation water and promoted energy conservation.
- Provided financial assistance to several cooperators for irrigation conversions, setting up soil moisture monitoring systems, and replacing old pump systems with variable frequency drive pumps.
Weed (invasive species) actions
- Provided assistance to more than 1,200 landowners in Clackamas County to control the spread of noxious weeds.
- Surveyed 10,528 gross acres across 1,176 parcels and cataloged 4,126 new weed priority locations.
- Provided free control of priority invasive weeds across 4,219 gross acres on 371 parcels.
- Educated landowners on the identification and responsible management of invasive weeds.
- Provided administration and management of two Cooperative Weed Management Areas occurring within the county which help to coordinate information sharing and weed control efforts among 34 regional land management organizations.
- Tracked 37,533 known invasive weed locations to help prioritize the District’s weed control efforts.
- Worked with local partners to secure grant resources to support a major increase in weed control efforts in the Clackamas River Basin over the next five years.
- Maintained an equipment library to assist landowners with manual control of invasive weeds.
Wildlife actions
- Increased staff having conservation knowledge, skills, and abilities directly related to wildlife habitat.
- Removed an in-stream dam at Camp Adams.
- Incorporated fish habitat features in a project we are developing on Milk Creek.
- Presented workshops on streamside plantings and bank stabilization, and on native wildlife habitat.
- Installed a raptor nesting box and songbird nesting boxes on the District’s farm. We also offered nesting boxes as prizes at various public events. (We also gave away mason bee boxes.)
- Promoted the use of native plants in landscapes, hedgerows, and riparian areas.
Working lands actions
- We invested time, money, and energy in developing grant applications for two potential property acquisitions: a working farm near Molalla, and forest land along the Molalla River.
- Our in-house working lands committee met several times, and the District remained engaged in regional and state-level discussions about how to make sure working lands remain available and viable for future generations to use.
Worm (soil health) actions
- Delivered soil health workshops focusing on the four soil health principles needed to build high-functioning soils:
- Keep it covered
- Diversity above for diversity below
- Keep a living root in the soil
- Minimize disturbance
- Promoted soil building practices that support the four principles of soil health.
- Provided a no-till drill to cooperators.
- Provided soil testing as a service to cooperators interested in improving their pastures and fields.
- Supported the NRCS Multnomah/Clackamas County Soil Health Conservation Implementation Strategy.
Questions?
Please contact Lisa Kilders with your questions!
