| Portland Metro Area |
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| Heike Fry |
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(Right) Heike Fry's operates Licorice Lane Farm in Hillsboro while remaining sensitive to the environment and his neighbors.
Heike Fry, Licorice Lane Farm, Hillsboro
ODA Environmental Stewardship Award 2005
Highlight: Operating a dairy while remaining sensitive to his urban neighbors
Heike Fry understands that for agriculture to remain viable, it not only must operate efficiently but be a good neighbor too. The Licorice Lane Farm is located near the city of Hillsboro and a local golf course, increasing the challenges of conducting operations in a way that does not negatively impact others. By carefully timing manure application, maintaining the facility, developing positive neighbor relations, and meeting or exceeding state water quality standards, Heike Fry has successfully operated his dairy while remaining sensitive to the diversity around him.
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| Portland Public Schools |
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(Right) Formerly an old tennis court, daVinci Middle School's "water garden" now helps reduce runoff and features a solar-powered pump.
Portland Public Schools, Facilities and Asset Management Division, Portland
ODOE Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds Award 2005
Highlight: Saving money, improving the Willamette River watershed, and educating the next generation about energy efficiency and watershed health
Portland Public Schools has made a determined effort since 1992 to reduce energy use, conserve water, decrease solid waste, increase recycling, and improve indoor air quality in district facilities. Throughout this process, they have developed partnerships and educated students and staff about sustainable practices. Through its Division of Facilities and Asset Management, the district has worked closely with ODOE to obtain technical expertise and financial assistance using state tax credits and loans and Public Purpose Funds for schools. The district’s energy conservation efforts include purchasing software to reduce computer energy use; installing building energy management control systems; and renovating boilers and switching to more efficient burners.
Several schools have helped solve stormwater management problems by constructing bioswales. DaVinci Middle School worked with Urban Water Works, for example, to create a stormwater garden that replaced an abandoned tennis court. Other efforts include numerous downspout disconnections at schools, several smaller bioswales, stormwater planters, rain barrels and other strategies that have taken thousands of square feet “off the pipes” at 24 schools.
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| Port of Portland |
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(Right) Proclaiming the old Radio Towers site the new "Vanport Wetlands" during early stages of the Port of Portland project are (from left) Susan Barthel, Portland Bureau of Environmental Services; Jay Mower, Columbia Slough Watershed Council; Denise Rennis, Port of Portland; Joe Annett, Office of Neighborhood Involvement; and Guy Mount, Mount Trailers.
Port of Portland, Portland
ODSL State Land Board Wetland Award 2004
Highlight: Creating a 60-acre wetland as mitigation for wetland impacts due to development
The Port of Portland enhanced a 60-acre wetland and 30 acres of upland near the Portland International Raceway and Expo Center to mitigate for impacts to wetlands due to development at several nearby port properties. Construction began in 2001 with planting completed in 2003 on the highly visible site west of Interstate 5. The area adds to a large continuous corridor with Force, Smith and Bybee lakes and the Columbia Slough systems to the west. The project involved changing water level and flow, controlling noxious weeds and replanting the area with native plants. More than 100 species of birds and other wildlife are using the area for feeding, breeding and nesting. The port and other organizations also are using the site as a research area for controlling invasive plant species. Although the site is not publicly accessible, the port plans to erect some interpretive signs near the site in the future.
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| Port of Portland |
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Port of Portland, Portland
OWRD Stewardship and Conservation Award 2005
Highlight: Improving water management and conservation planning efforts
The Port of Portland was nominated for the most improved water management and conservation planning efforts of all municipal water providers in the past two years. The Port is among the largest drinking water users in the Portland Metro Area and is undertaking an assessment of all its potable water uses and working closely with the City of Portland's Water Bureau "Business Industry and Government" (BIG) Program. The BIG Program is a nationally recognized municipal conservation program targeted for industry and governmental entities. The Port is focusing on use of non-potable water for irrigation and industrial uses. Use of non-potable sources decreases demand from more sensitive sources and will also decrease the cost of infrastructure to Port facilities. New and existing irrigation projects are using or being assessed for use with state-of-the-art irrigation controllers. To protect ground water, the Port has committed to mapping all water wells and monitoring wells within its jurisdiction. These examples from the Port's comprehensive water management program demonstrate that responsible water management can benefit both local water users and the state's water resources.
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| Rachel Felice |
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Rachel Felice, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Portland
OWEB Spirit of the Oregon Plan Award 2004
Highlight: Helping young people see the Columbia Slough Watershed with new eyes
Rachel is the driving force behind the Slough School, an educational program that provides hands-on programs for K-12 students to learn about the history and ecology of the watershed and its organisms, as well as human impacts on the area. At the same time, students become empowered as active, engaged citizens. The program primarily serves students who attend schools or are part of communities within the Columbia Slough Watershed, which contains one of Oregon’s most important industrial areas with hundreds of companies and thousands of jobs.
Slough School offers a variety of academic programs, including classroom activities, field studies, extended-day programs, watershed action projects, summer camp activities and service projects at sites along the slough. During the 2002-03 and the 2003-04 school years, the program worked with over 8,800 students from 41 different area schools throughout four school districts. During just four days of Canoe the Slough 2003, the Slough School helped get more than 200 students on the waters of the Columbia Slough to see their watershed from a new perspective. All Slough School activities are provided free of charge to qualifying schools and groups.
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