Winter 2011 eNewsletter

Winter is a great time for Planning & Preparation!

Invasive Species

Get Ahead of Garlic Mustard Now!
The key to controlling aggressive invasive plants, such as garlic mustard, is to attack infestations early this spring before the plants have a chance to go to seed! Garlic mustard is a priority for control because it quickly invades shaded woodland habitats and alters soil chemistry. That makes the woods less hospitable to our native plants and dramatically decreases forage for native animals.


Garlic mustard is a biennial plant. In its first year it appears as a low growing rosette with kidney-shaped scalloped leaves that smell like garlic if you crush them. In our climate, many of these rosettes overwinter and as soon as the weather begins to warm up they grow very rapidly. In the second year, in early spring, the plants grow tall (12-48 inches) and feature white flowers with four-petals each that quickly transform into seed pods.

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Education & Outreach

Planning Your Vegetable Garden
Nothing much is going on in the garden right now so it's a great time for planning! If you've never installed a garden before, consider your site carefully. Choose a location that receives plenty of sunlight, allows easy access to water, and is roomy enough for the size of garden you feel capable of managing.

Consider the shape of your beds- you may prefer keyholes, squares or rectangles, or a mix of these to give your landscape more visual interest. Raised beds give you greater control of the garden environment and require less bending. Make sure your beds are as wide as you can reach across to weed, harvest and plant. Try not to step on or compact the soil so that roots can easily burrow down and absorb water and nutrients. Also, allow space between your beds for moving equipment such as wheelbarrows and hoses so you don't damage your plants. Mapping is a great way to manage all of these elements visually.

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Grants Awarded

Think about applying for a grant to achieve your goals!
This is a great time to plan a conservation project for your property, or get together with your neighbors for a project with larger impact. Grants are available to help fund your conservation project from federal, state, regional and local programs.

West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District has awarded $23, 169 in grants for 8 area conservation projects under its Financial Incentives for Sustainable Habitats, or FISH, program. FISH grants are dedicated to improving watershed health and native wildlife habitat as well as raising awareness throughout the District.

The following projects received funding this round:
Bridgeview Moorage Ivy Removal: $3,360
Graff Hedgerow: $980
Deer Creek Restoration Expansion: $2,158
Arnold Creek Restoration: $3,025
Pendleton Creek Trail & Habitat Enhancement: $4,374
Puhl Ivy & Holly Eradication: $1,555
Sauvie Island Grange/Charlton Road Ivy: $5,188
Tryon Creek Native Plant Propagation: $2,529

The next FISH grant application deadline is May 16, 2011. Visit http://www.wmswcd.org for application criteria and forms or contact Urban Conservationist Mary Logalbo at 503/238-4775, ext. 103; mary@wmswcd.org

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Healthy Streams

This is planting time for native bare-root seedlings!
Now is the time to start plant native seedlings for restoration or just to attract native wildlife - including birds, bees and butterflies, to your garden, farm or woods. Bareroot seedlings are an affordable and easy way to establish native trees and shrubs on your property. Many species are available and most can be purchased in bulk for less than $1.00 each from wholesale nurseries. You can buy small quantities from local conservation districts and organizations such as the Audubon Society, Tryon Creek Watershed Council, and East Multnomah SWCD for $2 to $3 each. Some shrubs which are easy to establish include Oregon grape, snowberry, mock orange, and elderberry.

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Forestry

Write Forest Stewardship Plans!
The West Multnomah SWCD has just completed its first Forest Stewardship Plan with a landowner in the McCarthy Creek Watershed. The landowner now has a comprehensive document that lays out a work schedule for the next several years, and has already used the plan to secure financial assistance to improve the health of his woodland.

Forest Stewardship Plans are promoted nationwide and hundreds of landowners in western Oregon have created them. Our Forest Conservationist, Michael Ahr, is available to help you complete one on your land.

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Farming

Winter fertilizing and the T-Sum 200 Method
Direct fertilization is one of the most overlooked components to maintaining healthy pastures and maximizing forage for livestock. In our District (as in much of Western Oregon), nitrogen is not only one of the most important nutrients for grass production it's also in short supply. It also moves around a lot in the soil and a major source of water pollution in our streams and water bodies. Not to mention that inappropriately timed nitrogen application can be a major loss on investment for landowners. So knowing when and how best to apply nitrogen is very important.

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Sauvie Island

Coming soon -- Get rid of old and unwanted pesticides!
Check our website regularly because we're scheduling a Pesticide Clean-Up event on Sauvie Island in the next few months. West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, is hosting the first Pesticide Collection Event for Sauvie Island and the surrounding area. Farmers, rural landowners and area residents are encouraged to bring out-of-date and unused pesticides and hazardous chemicals to the event. The event is FREE and anonymous. We'll have more soon at www.wmswcd.org.

Welcome! 

Please Welcome Our Newest Colleagues!
Jennifer M. Nelson, JD
Jennifer recently moved to the Portland area from Chicago, Illinois to work with our offices as a Small Acreage Outreach Intern through the end of May. After specializing in environmental law during law school, Jennifer completed a judicial clerkship before working for several years as an Assistant Public Defender in northwest Georgia. She recently returned to graduate school for an MS in Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. There, under the guidance of the Environmental Change Institute, Jennifer investigated water quality management options for the Tualatin River in the face of environmental change with a focus on ecosystem services and human well-being in the basin. Jennifer's teaching experience during graduate school (Environment & Society) as well as her volunteer experience with several environmental non-profits over the years fostered her interest in the kinds of community outreach she will be doing as a Small Acreage Outreach Intern for WMSWCD.

Jennifer enjoys cooking, photography, hiking, racquetball and volunteering for MIKE, a kidney education program for middle and high school students in Portland.

Michelle Delepine
Michelle has an Honors B.S. in Natural Resources from Oregon State University, College of Forestry. She also has recently completed work for a M.S. degree in Geography from the University of Victoria in Victoria, B.C.

In the past, Michelle worked with OSU Forest Sciences, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Marion Soil and Water Conservation District. While with Marion SWCD she helped develop conservation plans, inventory invasive species and create a very impressive herbarium!

Michelle's interests include invasive species ecology, urban habitat conservation, and ecological restoration. She is excited to be assisting West Multnomah SWCD with urban conservation planning projects, invasive species inventories, FISH grant administration, and community outreach activities.

Calendar of Events

Please visit our online calendar for more information about upcoming events.

Stay warm; spring is around the corner!

Dick Springer
WMSWCD District Manager