 |
 |
 |
In this issue:
|
WVBT Guide Now Available Online
|
Townsend's Warbler
Photo by Steve Dowlan |
An initial web version of the Willamette Valley Birding Trail (WVBT) Guide is now available at http://www.oregonbirdingtrails.org/wvtrailguide.htm.
The Guide
features 138 birding hotspots from the Columbia
River south to the Calapooya Divide.
A full revision is planned in late July, followed by a printed version in early August.
The final brochure will include
additional content on bicycle-birding routes, winery
tours, and other attractions along the Birding Trail.
The website will also be improved by adding
supplementary content, including more information
about sponsors.
Birders who have comments on the
sites listed in the Trail Guide should contract Joel Geier, Project Coordinator, at
541-745-5821 or joel.wvbirdingtrail@peak.org. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor for the printed Guide can contact Joel, or donate online at our secure site: https://secure.qgiv.com/cps_donors/?key=cascadepacific&restrict=Willamette+Valley+Birding+Trail
Return to top
Energy Program Receives RBEG
 The CPRCD Energy Program was awarded a Rural Business Enterprise Grant in late June to help fund its new Energy Program. The grant wll help CPRCD:
- Assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with energy audits for energy efficiency projects.
- Assist in implementing energy projects.
- Assist in developing renewable energy sources.
- Provide grant packing services for government and private programs and incentives.
Energy savings will provide agricultural producers and rural small businesses retain jobs. Installing new energy systems and improvements will also create jobs for contractors and suppliers, while protecting and conserving natural resources.
Energy Program services are available to qualified agricultural producers and rural small businesses. For information, contact Terry Johnson, Energy Program Manager: 541-760-6444 or terry@casco.net.
Return to top
|
2009 Calendar |
|
CPRCD Board Meeting |
Tangent USDA Service Center |
July 16, 1:00-3:30 |
| |
|
Training Course |
"Wetlands Demystified! Navigating the Complicated World of Wetland Delineation, Regulation & Restoration" by Northwest Environmental Training Center |
Troutdale |
July 28-30 |
|
|
The Future of Food in the Valley |
Bean & Grain Farm Tour & Dinner |
Corvallis & Tangent |
July 22, 4:00 - 9:00 pm |
|
| |
CPRCD Executive Board Meeting |
TBA |
August 19 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Notes on the 2009 National Association of RC&D Councils Conference
By Karl Morgenstern, President, Cascade Pacific RC&D
The 2009 NARCD National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico (June 14-18) was an excellent opportunity to hear about what other RC&Ds across the country are doing, what NRCS and other federal agencies see as priorities for RC&Ds, and to learn about different approaches to funding and outreach. I am always amazed at the breadth of work RC&Ds do and (as iterated many times during the Conference) can’t understand why we have to fight each year to maintain level funding. This four-day conference showed that there are many ways to expand and diversity Cascade Pacific. The following is a brief overview of some of the things we heard that might interest our Board and members as areas to pursue in the future:
- The Ecosystem Marketplace: After many years of hearing about ecosystem markets and not seeing anything happening on the ground, I am convinced this is finally going to happen in the next 1-2 years. There are two areas CPRCD can be active:
- Facilitate getting farmers and foresters to the market place (i.e., make it extremely easy to deliver credits to brokers for a fee). This would mean developing a relationship with aggregaters or brokers (e.g., Delta is an aggregator for the Chicago Climate Exchange. Contact Todd Parker at (517) 482-8810 for information).
- Get CPRCD staff trained as a verifier. Verifiers are required for any ecosystem service credit to be approved for sale on the marketplace. This is a fee for service and would make CPRCD a one-stop shop for taking a property from a restoration or energy efficiency effort to having this activity generate income to the landowner by selling the ecosystem service credit on the market.
|
|
- Wood Biomass for Heat & Energy: Many RC&Ds are involved in these types of projects. The most common and energy efficient use of wood biomass is to power schools and district heating systems using hot water and thermal heating (80-90% efficiency). Basically, these systems use wood waste (wood chips, sawdust, etc.) to fire an efficient water-heating furnace, which pipes hot water to a heat exchanger that heats a home or school. Systems can also be designed to deliver hot water. Average energy cost savings for schools was $42,000/year for the North County RC&D (Vermont). Some thermal heating systems use solar energy to power pumps and other components. Generated heat from these wood fired systems can also be used in greenhouses and for lumber drying. CPRCD’s role would be to organize interests (state and local agencies, communities, schools, forest industry, etc.) in rural communities and/or schools and to find the funding to conduct a feasibility study. CPRCD could use the feasibility study to find funding and partner contributions to build the system and establish agreements to deliver wood waste to the power plant.
- Community Forums bring together community leaders, stakeholders and residents to identify community needs, such as:
- Biomass thermal district or school heating system or other energy conservation/renewable energy projects.
- Local farmers markets or other local food projects to make food more available to communities that do not have grocery stores.
- Food stamp procurement for elderly people and others.
- Converting abandoned car dealerships or other vacant buildings into productive uses.
- Providing micro loans to get businesses or small projects started. (RC&D’s can get funds at 1% interest and can lend out at higher interest rate to cover costs; we would need a banker on our Board).
- Ecosystem services and green spaces.
- Shelter needs.
- Community Foundation: Consider developing a Community Foundation that focuses on funding ways to get youth involved in rural economies and working in rural areas. This involves outreach to community leaders and stakeholders to get corporate contributions to a community trust or foundation, as well as encouraging people to include contributions to their community in their trusts or wills.
- Engaging the CPRC&D Board: Conduct a focus session with the CPRCD Board to explore what is important to Board members and find out what their passions are. The idea is to energize the Board members to start planning project(s) that meet their interests, find partners and explore possibilities, then bring it to the RC&D to find the funding, develop the agreements, get staff or other resources and make it happen with the Board. There are a number of examples where this has happened within the CPRCD Board, but we can do a better job of engaging the amazing Board members we have and finding new Board members in areas we never thought to look (like getting tribal representatives and bankers).
Materials from the meeting are available for review at the Cascade Pacific office in Tangent.
Return to top
|
|
|