POLK SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Annual Report
2013-2014 Fiscal Year About Polk Soil and Water Conservation District Polk Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was formed in April 1966 and is overseen by seven elected Directors. Polk SWCD general powers, authorities, and governance come from ORS 568.550. In 2002 Polk SWCD was granted a tax base. The tax base allows Polk SWCD to provide services to plan, design, construct, and monitor projects
Liz Graham
We even had time to have a Baby!
in order to maintain and restore soil and water quality. Polk SWCD has 4 full time employees, and 2 part time employees, along with interns and volunteers who work on and assist with many projects to meet the goals and objectives of the annual work plan. 2013-2014 was a year of great changes for the Polk SWCD because of a change in management. It was filled with many hours of restructuring our district to help us prepare to be a leader in Soil and Water Conservation. The board and staff polished up our internal policies and procedures, our job functions, and got a hold of our budget for the next fiscal year. In the middle of it all we had to
temporarily move from our office space for a remodel and then move everything back in just 6 weeks later. Two of the staff are completing their NRCS conservation Planner Coursework, our Outreach Coordinator is developing new and improved programming for the district, our stewardship forester is moving ahead with his LWD project in the Upper Rickreall watershed, and our clerk is developing his position. Fiscal year 2014-2015 should see new partnerships forming and lots of on the ground soil and water conservation work.
Tom Wilson
Message from the Chair In the past year the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District has seen a number of positive changes. Karla Sanders our Interim Manager updated all the employee job descriptions as well as the personnel policy. This was the first full year of implementing our long range business plan. We had the good fortune to hire Karin Nembach as
District Manager who immediately took charge of developing the new budget for 2014/15 and has worked with staff to engage a number of new partners and projects. The Staff held a number of workshops including soil health, Oak Savannah restoration, and invasive weeds to help landowners in the District to be better stewards of the land.
Inside this report:
The District board would like to thank all who donated time and energy to further the District’s work. We welcome your comments or suggestions on the District’s future.
Annual Work Plan
2
Financial Summary
2
Budget Committee
2
Conservation Activities
3
Board of Directors
4
SWCD/NRCS Staff
4
Annual Work Plan Every year Polk SWCD’s Board of Directors develop and adopt an annual work plan stating the general and specific goals that Polk SWCD should be accomplishing each year. Polk SWCD’s annual work plan was approved by our board March 20, 2013 for the 2013-2014 year.
The following are the general goals that Polk SWCD identified last year.
SWCD Technical Goal 1: Offer technical assistance and conservation planning to resource owners and communities directed toward the conservation & wise use of Polk County natural resources including ag water quality. Objectives: Technical Private, Technical Public, Ag Water Quality
SWCD Education Goal 2: Provide education and outreach related to natural resource issues within Polk County. Objectives: Youth Education, Partner Education, Adult Education
SWCD Operations Goal 3: District operations will be effective, economical, and efficient to meet legal and grantor requirements. Objectives: Fiscal Management Operations, Statutory Operations Requirements, General Operations
Financial Summary 2013-2014
Budget Committee Members
All SWCD Funds (Includes the General Fund. The Outdoor School and Building Reserve Fund were wrapped into the General Fund)
Polk SWCD Members
Public Members
Linda Marquardt-Sutton
Phil Walker (absent)
Total Revenue
$646,019.93
David Simmons
Bernie Faber
Total Expense
$422,087.26
Nathan Slaven
Rudolph White
Ending Balance: 06/30/2014
$223,932.67
Doug Wyant
Jim Castle
Jim Buckovic
Forest Peck
Chad Woods
Clifford Baker
Frank Pender
Tom Thompson
Polk SWCD’s budget is reviewed by a Budget Committee consisting of seven Directors and seven Members of the Public. The budget is presented in May and a Hearing is held in June. Contact Polk SWCD for more information on the committee or for information about becoming a budget committee member. The auditors have not yet completed a final audit of all district funds. The final report will be available by Fall 2014 Willamette River Relay Team
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Polk SWCD 2013-2014 Annual Report
Conservation Activities Oak Savanna and Woodland Habitat Restoration
West Perrydale/Van Duzer Cooridor Restoration
In October 2013 the District was awarded an approximately $134,000 OWEB restoration grant. It will be used to extend contiguous habitat for Fender’s Blue Butterfly and to restore 41 acres of Oak Savanna/Woodland Habitat.
In November of 2013 the District was awarded two OWEB small restoration grants, addressing Oak Woodland/Savanna habitats. They are being used to restore native upland prairie grass and forb species, and to thin an overly dense Oak stand that will provide a variety of habitat for Western Meadowlark, Western Bluebird, and valley pollinator populations.
Outreach and Education
We participated in Ag Fest, the Perrdydale 2 day Outdoor School, taught multiple macroinvertebrates classes with the Polk Master Gardeners and OSU Extension, had booths at Ag Fest and the Polk County Fair, advised the City of Monmouth about urban chickens, worked to arrange farm chemical container recycling through Agriplas, spoke at the Dallas Rotary club, and held multiple workshops addressing small acreage property and soil health conditions across the county.
Upper Rickreall LWD Project The Rickreall WC, the BLM, Hancock Forest Management, The City of Dallas, and the SWCD finished phase two and began phase three of a Large Woody Debris Project in the Upper Rickreall Watershed during 2013-2014 FY. The project is designed to reduce water velocity, trap sediment, and improve overall water quality for the people of Dallas and for salmonid species. The Rickreall Watershed is the source of drinking water for the City of Dallas.
ODA Ash Creek Focus Area and ODA Ag Water Quality Support With this agreement we work to provide outreach, technical support, resource management through conservation planning, small grants to landowners, and compliance education in relation to soil and water conservation on working Ag lands.
Lower Salt Creek Upland Restoration
Barn Meeting
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In November 2013 the District was awarded an OWEB small grant to re-establish native grasses and forbs in a recently thinned oak woodland in Lower Salt Creek, a sub basin of the Yamhill Watershed. The goal is to provide food and shelter for native pollinators and other wildlife, manage invasive weeds, and to prevent slope erosion from the recent thin. Polk SWCD 2013-2014 Annual Report
Polk SWCD Board of Directors Polk SWCD is a subdivision of state government administered by seven locally elected directors, who serve without pay for four year terms. Five directors represent landowners from each of the geographic zones in the county and two at large directors represent the entire district. Directors meet monthly to administer the business of Polk SWCD. The Directors donate hundreds of hours on behalf of the residents of Polk County and its Natural Resources.
Nathan Slaven — Zone 3 / Secretary nathan.slaven@polkswcd.com Linda Marquardt-Sutton — Zone 1 / Treasurer linda.marquardt-sutton @polkswcd.com Doug Wyant — Zone 4 doug.wyant@polkswcd.com
David Simmons — Zone 2 / Chair david.simmons@polkswcd.com
Jim Buckovic — Zone 5 jim.buckovic@polkswcd.com
Chad Woods — At-Large / Vice Chair chad.woods@polkswcd.com
Frank Pender — At-Large frank.pender@polkswcd.com
Polk SWCD Board of Directors (Left to right): Doug Wyant, David Simmons, Nathan Slaven, Jim Buckovic, Linda Marquardt-Sutton, Frank Pender, Chad Woods.
Current Polk SWCD Staff Phone: 503-623-9680 580 Main St. Suite A, Dallas, OR 97338 Karin Nembach — District Manager manager@polkswcd.com Ext. 110 Marc Bell — Resource Conservationist marc.bell@polkswcd.com Ext. 103 Liz Graham — Resource Conservationist liz.graham@polkswcd.com Ext. 107 Lucas Hunt — Stewardship Forester lucas.hunt@polkswcd.com Ext. 104 Sawyer Finegan — Outreach Coordinator sawyer.finegan@polkswcd.com Ext. 113
Karin Nembach
Marc Bell
NRCS Staff Phone: 503-623-5534 Fax: 503-623-3489 580 Main St. Suite A, Dallas, OR 97338 Tom Finegan — District Conservationist tom.finegan@or.usda.gov Ext. 109 Sue Reams — Soil Conservationist sue.reams@or.usda.gov Ext. 114 Billy Burr — Accounting Specialist billy.burr@wa.usda.gov Ext. 112
Sawyer Finegan
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Lucas Hunt
Polk SWCD 2013-2014 Annual Report