In This Issue
SOLVE It Earth Day
Arbor Month Festival
BES Watershed Open House
Tryon Creek Watershed Wide Event




Connect with other
Southwest Watershed Stewards!

Find us on Facebook 

    

 

 

   

April 2013 News

 


Proposed budget cuts impact watershed health 

 

In response to the City of Portland's current budget shortfall, Mayor Charlie Hales requested that every city bureau submit a proposed  budget that includes a 10% reduction for 2013-2014.  The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) currently proposes cutting several programs including the Invasive Species Program, the Clean Rivers Education program, the Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP), the Youth Conservation Corps (PP&R youth job training in watershed restoration), one of the three Portland Parks Stewardship Coordinator positions, and a City Tree Inspector, among others.

   

As you may know, these programs have been developed to protect Portland's watersheds over many years.  CWSP has provided funding for dozens of projects in southwest Portland neighborhoods including Multnomah Village Park, Hillsdale Neighborhood/Stephens Creek Nature Park, Heron Pointe/Johns Landing, Marquam Nature Park, Tryon Creek Watershed Council, and PCC Sylvania Habitat Team.        


If you feel passionate about these or any other City of Portland budget issues you can write the mayor and/or the City Council members directly as well as attend Community Budget Forums.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOMORROW 

Celebrate Earth Day with SOLVE!

 

Gabriel Park:  Caldew St. trailhead (west of SW 35th) 

Saturday, April 20  

9:00am-noon  

 

Earth DayGet outside and help keep our southwest Portland watersheds healthy this Saturday!  Enjoy a rewarding morning of meeting new neighbors, breathing fresh air, and ripping the livin' daylights out of invasive plants!

 

For more details and to register, go to SOLVE It!    

 

Other SW Portland sites include:

Tryon Creek State Park

Lewis & Clark 

Vermont Creek

Willamette Park 

South Waterfront 

  



 
Arbor Month

The entire month of April is Arbor Month!

 


Help celebrate and learn about Portland's urban forest through tree walks, workshops, and classes. 

Get involved in the fun all month including at Arbor Day Festival 2013 on April 20th at Portland Farmers Market (Portland State).

For a full list of  Arbor Month activities and dates check the Portland Parks and Recreation Arbor Month page.  

 


 
Help improve the future of your watershed!
Southwest Watersheds Open House 

Wednesday, April 24, 5:30-7:30pm
Multnomah Center, Room 30
7688 SW Capitol Highway   

Come to the open house for refreshments and to learn how Environmental Services works regularly with SWNI and the SW Portland community to develop watershed plans and projects to improve water quality, address public interests, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, improve infrastructure, and restore watershed functions.

 




 
logo Tryon Creek Watershed Wide Event 
Saturday, April 27th
8:30am - 12:30pm

All hands on deck around the watershed!  TCWC
needs your help at one of its many restoration sites on the 27th.  We are meeting at the Riverdale High School, 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd, from 8:30-9am.  Fuel up for the day with breakfast, pick out your gloves/tools and join a work party.  Carpools will depart to 10 sites throughout the watershed to pull invasives, plant native trees/shrubs, and install fencing, and return after noon.

Contact TCWC Coordinator Corrina Chase at tcwc@tryonfriends.org if you can help! 
A limited quantity of TCWC volunteer T-shirts are available for those who register -- first come, first served!  


 

Why "Riffles"?

 

A riffle is a section of creek where velocity and turbulence are higher, creating small waves on the surface.  Riffles often occur at an elevation change, where the stream suddenly slopes, or where the material at the bottom of the creek bed is coarser.

 

So why the name for this newsletter?  A riffle is free flowing, unencumbered  water, not stagnant.  Riffle habitat adds oxygen to the water, and often supports higher species diversity among macroinvertebrates and fish.  We'd like to see a few more Riffles around SW Portland!

 

  



 

EventsUpcoming Watershed Events & Grant Deadlines

 

NEW!  For event details and the most up-to-date information, check out the Google/HTML or ICAL version of the SW Portland Watershed Events calendar.   

 

Sat Apr 208:30am - 2:00pmArbor Day Festival at Portland Farmer's Market

9:00am - 12:00pmSOLVE IT Earth Day at Gabriel Park
South Portland Riverbank Partners work party
Friends of Tryon Creek work party  

Sun Apr 219:45am - 12:00pmShomrei Teva at Neveh Shalom work party
Mon Apr 22All dayOWEB Regular Grant deadline 

11:00am - 1:00pmOHSU Sustainability Fair  
Wed Apr 245:30pm - 7:30pmBES Watershed Open House 
Fri Apr 261:00pm - 6:00pmIntertwine Alliance Spring Summit
Sat Apr 278:30am - 12:30pmTryon Creek Watershed Wide Event 

9:00am - 12:00pmFriends of Tryon Creek work party
Friends of Woods Park work party 
Friends of Marquam Nature Park work party


Mon Apr 2912:00pm - 1:00pmTips & Tricks to Tree ID
Wed May 19:00am - 11:30amOregon Conservation Educators meeting

7:00pm - 9:00pmTualatin River Watershed Council meeting
Thu May 2All dayEcoroof Symposium 

2:30pm - 4:00pmWest Willamette Restoration Partnership  
Sat May 49:00am - 12:00pmFriends of Tryon Creek work party
Community Recycling - St. Luke's

Sat May 119:00am - 12:00pmFriends of Terwilliger work party
Friends of Tryon Creek work party


9:00am - 1:00pmUrban Watershed Mentors training 

10:00am - 1:00pmLandscaping for Conservation 
Mon May 136:00pm - 8:00pmTryon Creek Watershed Council  
Tue May 1412:00pm - 1:00pmSouth Portland Riverbank Partners mtg, DEQ 
Thu May 166:00pm - 8:00pmSpring FOR YOUR RIVER Benefit 
Sat May 189:00am - 12:00pmSouth Portland Riverbank Partners work party
Friends of Tryon Creek work party
   
Sun May 199:45am - 12:00pmShomrei Teva at Neveh Shalom work party 
Sat May 259:00am - 12:00pmFriends of Tryon Creek work party
Friends of Woods Park work party 
Friends of Marquam Nature Park work party

Sat Jun 1All dayNational Fish & Wildlife Foundation grants due  

9:00am - 12:00pmFriends of Tryon Creek work party  
Wed Jun 5All dayUN World Environment Day in Portland 

9:00am - 11:30amOregon Conservation Educators meeting 

7:00pm - 9:00pmTualatin River Watershed Council meeting 
Thu Jun 62:30pm - 4:00pmWest Willamette Restoration Partnership  

 

 
 

  

Other Watershed Items of Interest

Water & Wood - excerpt of Willamette Futures video
Local music video shot on ecoroofs
Salmon: Running the Gauntlet PBS Nature special on Pacific salmon populations
Oregon Rain Garden Guide

 

  

Watershed Program Links
Bureau of Environmental Services watershed planning & projects
Metro natural gardening programs: schedule at your site with a group of 20+ people
Naturescaping for Clean Rivers free workshops
NEW! Portland Parks & Recreation natural areas work party calendar
Watershed Resource Center Watershed Stewards group links, WRC hours
  

 

For healthy SW watersheds,
Jen

Jen Seamans

Watershed Resource Center Manager
Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc.
503-823-2862

watershed@swni.org 

http://wrc.swni.org 

WRC photo bar images (c) David Pickar