Early Detection, Rapid Response Annual Program Summary
by Michelle Delepine, invasive program coordinator and conservationist Each year our early detection, rapid response (EDRR) program conducts outreach and expands the geographic area surveyed for priority invasive weeds. This past year (July 2024 – June 2025) we surveyed about 4,000 acres of private land and shorelines. Our surveys were conducted on private properties as…
Read MoreBoard Feature: Mike Oliver
by Eleanor Greene, outreach and communications coordinator Mike Oliver believes in his community, and always has. His first paid job was in the first community-based facility in California for youth with developmental and physical disabilities, in the 1970s, a time when people with disabilities were being moved out of institutionalization and into different types of…
Read MoreBoard Feature: Kat Topaz
by Eleanor Greene, outreach and communications coordinator You may have seen the billboard for Topaz Farm when you’re driving up Highway 30 toward Sauvie Island. You may have been there for berry picking, or a concert. If you’ve met Kat, she’s probably wearing a western (cowboy?) hat, a button-down shirt, and a big smile. Even…
Read MoreFinancial Summary
We share these statements, as well as our full budget on our site, to reflect our commitment to transparency and responsible resource management. Every year, we welcome community members to our Budget Committee; please get in touch if you’d like to join. Revenue and Expenses: Revenue by category Amount Percent of Revenue Property Tax Levy…
Read MorePartner Funding
Below are the grantees of our Partner Funding and partner grant program, school and community garden grantees, project-specific grants, and recipients of other contributions for special events, from the Fiscal Year 2024-25. Types of Funding Recipients and Awards Partner Grant Program Backyard Habitat Certification Program: $35,000 Friends of Tryon Creek: $35,000 Tryon Creek Watershedwatershed an…
Read MoreOur Year by the Numbers 24-25
Sometimes the easiest way to understand all we do is to look at the numbers. Take a look at these and see all the work we do! $377,587 to WMSWCD’s on-the-ground projects $215,921 in support of partner projects 109 residents and land managers served 5,702 native plants installed 799 people served at outreach events 330…
Read MoreStatus of Year 4 Performance Measures
Each year we report on the status of each of the performance measures outlined in our Long Range Business Plan. This year was our third year of implementing our 2021-2025 business plan. Click the arrow beside each success criteria to read more about performance measures, project results, and current status. Strategic Direction 1: Embed equity…
Read MoreConsistent Stewardship Adds Up to Big Impact in Riparian Program
by Kammy Kern-Korot, Senior Conservationist The District’s riparianRiparian areas The land alongside a stream, creek, river, or floodplain restoration program has been quietly restoring rural streamside areas for the past 18 years. What began as a partnership with our federal, state and local conservation partners has grown into a self-sufficient program, now fully funded by…
Read MoreGovernment Partner Award: Jen Warren
Jen Warren, Statewide Program Coordinator, Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Unit, Oregon State Fire Marshal, nominated by Laura Taylor, Forest Conservationist As the Program Coordinator for our region, Jen provided us with significant support over the past few years. She reviewed drafts of our US Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant application and provided helpful feedback.…
Read MoreThis Year in Urban Conservation
by Ariana Scipioni, Urban Conservationist Since joining West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District in August 2024, I’ve found that my role as an Urban Conservationist is all about connecting people, place, and practice. I draw on scientific methods, alongside the passion and lived expertise of our community, to increase access to land for those…
Read MoreRural Cooperator Award: Jim DeFuria
Jim DeFuria, nominated by Laura Taylor, Forest Conservationist Jim began partnering with the District in 2021 to develop a forest stewardship plan for his forested property in the Tualatin mountains. He has been working diligently for years to restore the ecological health of the forests and streams on his property as well as planting trees…
Read MoreSauvie Island Strategic Implementation Area: Year Two
by Scott Gall, Farms & Soils Conservationist Two years ago, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) selected Sauvie Island and the surrounding watershedwatershed an area of land that channels rainfall, snowmelt, and runoff into a common body of water, such as a nearby lake or river. Multiple streams can be part of the same watershed area,…
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