Hello Everyone!
As I write this note, we are all emerging from a week of ice and snow storms. I hope that you all came through it safely. On one of the days that I was iced in, I received an email from a volunteer who had made it out to Whitaker Ponds. It was SO cold that the ponds froze, and people were ice skating on them! If anything makes a statement about how cold it was in Portland, that did!
This past month, there were two items of note that I wanted to make sure you were all aware of:
On January 11th, OPB aired a Field Guide episode on the Columbia Slough Watershed and CSWC. If you were unable to watch it (or want to watch it again), you can view it here.
Also, it was announced that DEQ settled with the City of Portland for $19.5M to be paid over the next three years. This money will be used for clean-up efforts in the Columbia Slough! This settlement will go a long way to making our watershed a more viable and cleaner place for people to recreate, for animals to inhabit, and for people to live near. You can read more about the settlement here.
I will leave you with a quick story that may just warm your heart because I know it did mine. One of our board members, Peter Hedman, sent me the following email. “My oldest has a career day at school tomorrow and decided that he wanted to help people as a biologist who works for a local environmental non-profit. The picture says it all.” (See photo above).
I continually discover large and small in which I find expanded hope for this watershed and the environment, and this month is no exception. I hope you, can see or discover things this month that allow you to feel hope and joy.
Until I see you on the Slough!
Heather King
Executive Director
PS: Don’t forget to check out our events calendar and sign up for an event sometime soon!
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February Slough Science: Mason Bees |
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Thursday, February 8
at Level Beer
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
This free educational event will feature Elaine Murphy who will be discussing Mason Bees.
Pollinators play an amazing role in nature. Learn about the fascinating life cycle of our native mason bees. They are not aggressive and fun to observe. You'll learn simple ways to start a colony in your own backyard and other ways to attract other native pollinators.
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We need YOUR creativity to give our new all electric truck an awesome name!
Submit your coolest, quirkiest, or downright hilarious suggestions in the link below, and you could be the mastermind behind the official name!
Our staff will vote on the best name and we will announce it in our March newsletter, stay tuned!!
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This truck was received from the Oregon DEQ’s Clean Fuels Program via Portland General Electric’s Drive Change Fund, THANK YOU!!
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An acrostic:
Many people enjoyed working with him
Always super chill and fun
Xtra thoughtful and helpful
As January ended, we bid farewell to our Stewardship Director, Max Samuelson, as he moves back to his land of origin, Minnesota. Max first joined CSWC as a seasonal Stewardship Assistant in 2018 and cut his Slough Teeth, working solo in the field, planting hundreds and hundreds of native plants and supporting Stewardship Saturday events in pouring rain!
In 2020, Max took over the Stewardship program and has:
- Mentored four rounds of Project Zero Interns
- Received and responded to infinite phone calls and dealt with issues reported by residents and business owners
- Built positive relationships with landowners in the watershed
- Led Land Use and Technical Committees to new heights
- Supported the Education and Community programs in many different and wonderful ways
- Washed, sorted, and folded work gloves a billion times
- Pushed our organization to grow in new positive ways
- Really showcased the hat and fleece vest embroidered with our old logo, which, he tried to return but instead will accompany him on his new journeys in Minnesota
- Ordered and planted thousands and thousands of native plants throughout our watershed
- Taught kids about native plants and how to plant and care for them
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Starred in a Today on Slough School video about Erosion
- Learned to drive manual transmission on the Slough Slayer Ford F-150 and parked it in a TIGHT garage space without consequence over 4 years
- Canoed
- Fixed stuff
- Had fun
Max is not replaceable, and we wish him all the best in his next journey in Dakota County, Minnesota! We will miss you every day! HAVE FUN
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Get Ready for Paddle Team Season! |
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- All our on-water events are led by a volunteer team who are trained in water safety.
- Last year, the paddle team helped host over 40 free paddle events, including Partner Paddles with local organizations.
- The Paddle Team also hosted Bilingual Paddle events in partnership with organizations like Loco por La Aventura and the Slavic Community Center.
Please reach out to Valeria if you have questions.
Save the Dates
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Thursday, March 21st, 6-8PM - Virtual Webinar: Learn more at our virtual webinar, this is also required for all who want to join our paddle team in 2024
- Saturday, April 6th, 9AM-4PM - In Person Training
- Sunday, April 28th, 9AM-2PM- Slavic In Person Training
Registration links coming soon!
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- Todos nuestros eventos en el agua están dirigidos por un equipo de voluntarios capacitados en seguridad en el agua.
- El año pasado, el equipo de remo ayudó a organizar más de 40 eventos de remo en el agua gratuitos, incluyendo eventos con organizaciones locales.
- El Equipo de Remo también organizó eventos de bilingües en colaboración con organizaciones como Loco por la Aventura y el Slavic Community Center
Comunícate con Valeria si tienes preguntas.
Reserva las Fechas
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Miércoles 20 de marzo, 6-8PM - Orientación virtual: Obtén más información en nuestra orientación virtual, la asistencia es requerida para todos los que quieran unirse al equipo de remo en 2024.
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Domingo 7 de abril, 9am -2pm - capacitación en persona.
¡Próximamente enlaces de registro!
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Last fall, OPB visited the CSWC and for an entire week, the OPB crew spent time in our watershed talking with and filming CSWC staff, volunteers, and community partners. They also spent some time on the water doing paddles and learning more about all the dynamics that make our watershed and organization so unique!
CSWC is excited to announce that the segment aired on January 11th.
The timing was too short for us to put together a formal watch party, so we hope you all will create your own watch parties. Get together with friends, loved ones, and/or other Slough-per Fans, and check out this week's Field Guide. If the inspiration hits you, feel free to make your watch party a small fundraiser for CSWC!
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February Partner Roundtable |
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February
Partner Roundtable at McMenamins Kennedy School!
Wednesday, February 21st
3PM - 5PM
Please join us to plan partner events for 2024 and network with partners with similar interests.
Please register if you are a non-profit/organization/individual that collaborates or is interested in collaborating with the Council. CSWC will be presenting some of our strategic planning goals for the next 3 years and asking for partner feedback. Food & drink will be available for purchase from McMenamins.
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Partner Highlight: Friends of Trees |
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Friends of Trees is hiring!
The Project Administrator is a special position. Friends of Trees is looking for a collaborative and well-organized candidate with experience in time and project management to lead the administration of their coalition grant.
The Project Administrator will engage deeply and regularly with all coalition partners.
See the jobs page for position details and how to apply here.
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Native to the Slough - Snowberry
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Symphoricarpos albus, commonly known as the Snowberrry, is a Northwest native shrub species that thrives along stream banks and produces small white berries that are browsed by some birds.
We commonly plant these at restoration sites like Wilkes Creek since they can grow in wet soils.
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Join the CSWC for a slough of events this new year to help improve the watersheds important natural resources, learn about native plants and connect with community! or find out more information about CSWC and our events on our website.
Saturday, February 3, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
THIS EVENT is FULL, contact Amanda to be added on the waitlist. CSWC, local archivist Marti Clemmons and Han Lyons of Birdhers for a birding and history walk. Throughout the walk, we’ll discuss historical contact of the area, Vanport (1942-1948), and Japanese American detainment at the Expo Center in the summer of 1942. .
Sunday, February 4, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Join Columbia Slough Watershed Council, local archivist Marti Clemmons and Han Lyons of Birdhers for a birding and history walk. Throughout the walk, we’ll discuss the historical context of the area, Vanport (1942-1948), and Japanese American detainment at the Expo Center in the summer of 1942.
Thursday, February 8, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
This free educational event will feature Elaine Murphy who will be discussing Mason Bees. Elaine also leads Owl Prowls and Bat walks for the Council, so keep an eye out for other fun events with her.
Saturday, February 10, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Join CSWC, Portland Parks and Recreation and Bark for a group work party at our favorite natural area, Whitaker Ponds. This natural area is home to 186 birds throughout the year and is the central hub for so many CSWC programs.
Thursday February 15, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Join Columbia Slough Watershed Council for an on land cleanup along the Columbia Slough Trail located near NE 138th Ave. This cleanup is not family-friendly or suitable for anyone under the age of 16 due to an increased presence of hazardous materials. Safety guidelines will be put in place before the cleanup begins.
Friday, February 16, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Join Columbia Slough Watershed Council, local archivist Marti Clemmons and Han Lyons of Birdhers for a birding and history walk. Throughout the walk, we’ll discuss the historical context of the area, Vanport (1942-1948), and Japanese American detainment at the Expo Center in the summer of 1942.
Sunday February 18, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Join Columbia Slough Watershed Council, bird walk leader, Ryan Gilpin, and Portland Parks Ecologist, Laura Guderyahn for a walk around the Columbia Children’s Arboretum. The group will learn about restoration efforts at the park, spot some great birds and enjoy a diversity of trees planted throughout the years.
Wednesday, February 21, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Join us for an in-person event to get to know and plan events with our local partner organizations! Please register if you work for a non-profit/organization that collaborates with or is interested in collaborating with CSWC. This Partner Roundtable will take place at McMenamins Kennedy School!
Saturday, February 24, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Come join Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Bark and Portland Parks & Recreation to plant native trees and shrubs in the beautiful Wilkes Creek Headwaters natural area. As a group we will work to diversify the native plant community and help improve the park for water quality, habitat and for visitors!
Wednesday March 13, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Join CSWC for a free educational speaker event at Level Beer! Mycorrhizal networks involving plant roots and fungi teach us that our natural world is interconnected and collaborative. We will talk about the potentials of partnering with fungi and how to create a fungi-focused landscape that can be climate resilient and improve the health of humans and the larger world.
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