Winner of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

Turtles on log in water

We are pleased to announce that the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has again awarded our District the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, this time for our fiscal year 2022-2023 budget. This is the third consecutive year that we have been awarded this honor, and reflects the commitment of our Board of Directors and staff to meeting…

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Seeking community members to join our Budget Committee

photo of oak island oak tree

West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District is a local government public service district that provides resources, education, and expertise to inspire people to actively improve air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil health. Our service territory includes Multnomah County west of the Willamette River, all of Sauvie Island including the Columbia…

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Welcome our new District Manager, Lynn Barlow

photo of lynn barlow

We are very pleased to share that Lynn Barlow has joined us as our new District Manager. Lynn joins our team with over 24 years of experience in the conservation field. Her career includes 19 years acquiring, managing, and restoring public natural areas with City of Portland, and most recently, nearly four years with the…

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Welcome our 2023 Climate Change Intern

Photo of Araon next to PSU-LSAMP logo

West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District is incredibly fortunate to be hosting Araon Sierras as our second Portland State University (PSU) Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Climate Change Intern. During this internship, Araon will be building off the “climate lens” work completed by last year’s intern, in…

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WMSWCD Budget & Fiscal Manager Hiring Announcement-2022

text Join our Team over green maple leaves

Who We Are The West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District is a publicly funded local government (special district) conservation organization located in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to provide resources, information, and expertise to inspire people to actively improve air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil health. We do this by…

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2022 Annual Meeting

West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District logo with annual meeting text over background with fern on mossy tree trunk

(PHOTO BY PAT WELLE) Join us for our 2022 Annual Meeting! Date & Time: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 beginning at 6:00 pm Location: Lucky Lab, 1945 NW Quimby St, Portland, OR 97209 Agenda: Present annual report Present annual awards: Following the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors will hold the November board meeting beginning at…

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Ludwigia is on the loose!

A mass of small green plants

If you’re boating around Portland’s rivers, you may see one of the Ludwigia aquatic plant species that live here. There is one native species (Ludwigia palustris) and two non-native species (Ludwigia peploides and Ludwigia hexapetala), also known as water primrose, all of which look fairly similar. Non-native Ludwigia species are on our “Early Detection and…

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Forest Park neighbors join against ivy and wildfire risk

woman in brown sweater standing in forest with cleared ground in front of her

(Photo: Sarah Heinicke is leading the charge for her neighborhood to be more wildfire resilient.) The Springville area of Forest Park, in the Linnton neighborhood, is a small community of hilly streets tucked up against the eastern edge of Forest Park, across from the St. Johns Bridge. For several of the residents directly abutting the…

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On the lookout for emerald ash borer in western Multnomah County

Close-up view of emerald ash borer beetle with shiny green exoskeleton

The emerald ash borer was found in Forest Grove (Washington County, Oregon) and state officials are asking the public to learn what it looks like and to report any sightings online at the Oregon Invasive Species Council hotline. This insect is now considered the most destructive forest pest in North America and will decimate native ash stands. …

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Our new Forest Conservationist

person in straw hat in forest

After a very competitive hiring process, Laura Taylor was selected as the District’s new Forest Conservationist, replacing Michael Ahr who now serves with Benton Soil and Water Conservation District in Corvallis. Taylor was formerly the District’s Conservationist & Education Coordinator and has been on staff since 2014. In her previous role, Taylor provided monitoring, project…

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Have you heard about Stormwater Stars?

garden plot with many different plants near a mailbox

Guest post by Stormwater Programs Specialist, Rachel Dvorsky Stormwater Stars are properties that have improved their landscaping to help manage rain in our city. By making improvements at many small sites we are creating a larger constellation of stars that together make a big impact. Do you have an area of your yard that is…

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We’re looking for our new District Manager

text Join our Team over green maple leaves

District Manager – POSITION OPENING We are the West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, a publicly funded special district conservation organization located in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to provide resources, information, and expertise to inspire people to actively improve air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil health. We do this by…

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