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I thought I'd be featuring folks and writing all sorts of witty banter, but that was a barrier to actually getting the work done, so this will be
- a digest of some witty banter... OK. The banter hasn't turned out to be that witty :-)
- mostly with a list of resources that look interesting or that I've put together
- a great way to stay up on the educational events that I'm doing
Of course, I would NEVER sell your contact info!
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Looking for a particular month? Click below to get there fast. (Each month has different resources and tools.)
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Cool Stuff from Green Girl
| Rain Garden Best Practices Checklist (for Siting, Design, Construction, & Maintenance) (175 kb Excel spreadsheet) |
For every best management practice, there's a wrong way and Maria's way... No wait, just kidding. I just spent 3 weeks on the east coast again and I'm feeling a little bossy! No, but really, there are what I think of as "sub-best practices" to implement those facilities, right? Well, here's a checklist, created by a great intern Kylie Thompson and checked and spruced up by me. It's not a complete list, but it's a nice summary of the biggies. |
| Construction Best Practices Checklist (307 kB Excel spreadsheet) |
These are sub-best practicies for jobs with:
- soil restoration of disturbed areas
- erosion prevention & sediment control
- non-stormwater source control (site housekeeping)
- tree protection
- bioswales (these are really rain gardens with ponding behind check dams, not swales with conveyance but this is what the engineer called them on his plans
There are three worksheets:
- construction list: sub-practices for BMPs bulleted above
- EP&SC inpsection list: a checklist of common issues found with erosion prevention & sediment control practices
- Possible Pollutant Sources: pollutants from materials that are likely to be stored on the site
- Disclaimer: you know what this is
This is a project-specific checklist created for Coos Watershed Association and applies to practices used on Oregon Coast Community Action's 5-acre development to create new spaces for the Head Start, Child & Family Resource Center, & Food Banks will operate from for Coos County, OR. |
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Green Girl Events
Who should attend: commercial and residential contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
| Date & Time |
City |
Topic & Other Details |
Wed
Nov 15
10 am - 3 pm |
Albany, OR |
LID Academy: Bioretention Workshop for Practitioners.
The training will be geared toward practitioners and will cover topics such as:
- Terminology & water quality implications of bioretention generally & comparing different facility
- Assessing your site: infiltration testing, setbacks & siting, calculating impervious areas
- Sizing: SIM Form, spreadsheet (criteria for variables needed to size facilities), design storm meanings and choosing the right one for your City and goals
- Details/Challenging Sites: when to sue rock, when to use liner, routing water in and out
- Plants: types of plants, where they go, mulching
- Construction
- Operations and Maintenance: Common issues and mistakes
Cost: More info to follow, but this isn't going to be much
Where: Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Avenue Southeast, Albany, OR (Get Directions)
Registration: More info to follow |
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Timely Tidbits - a Postcard from Wallowa County
I'm a board member for Oregon Community Trees, an organization that supports the efforts of the Urban Foresty program at the Oregon Department of Forestry. We meet every quarter in a different Tree City USA city or town in Oregon. In September, I was lucky enough to spend a long weekend touring some interesting spots in Wallowa County - Wow! The following paragraphs are quick summaries of some of the initiatives happening in this unique Eastern Oregon county.
We met with the mayor, the public works director, and a business man there who proudly showed off their relatively new streetscape improvements in Joseph. This streetscape design, while vilified for quite a while by many residents resistent to change, has attracted numerous hew businesses, increased tourism, and come to be loved by the very residents that spoke out against it. Built through grant dollars and other funding, the investment has been more than worthwhile.
We also visited Hells Canyon and heard two talks, one on some of the work that Hells Canyon Preservation Council is doing in ecological resotration and a great cultural landscape interpretive talk from NPS staff. This talk gave a brief history of the Nez Perce and how they used and lived in these lands. Intrepreting cultural landscapes of the places where we work is an important part of creating continunity and promoting sustainable planning and policies. (To get an idea of best practices, here's a case study from the Sustainable Sites Initiative on renovation at Valley Forge National Historical Park.)
Finally, we visited the Zumwalt Prairie, a working prairie landscape managed by the Nature Conservancy. They are currently monitoring the effectiveness of fencing endangered plant communities. The fencing is to prevent elk and cattle grazing, which is the "working landscape" part of the equation. They're at the beginning of this research, so there's not much to report on how to control invasives and promote natives, but the fencing is working.
At dinner, we met with a Wallowa Resources staff. This organization is successfully working on economic development and job creation through sustainable, rural solutions to protect land resources and quality of life. Renewable energy, FSC certification, and a smallwood post & pole factory are some of the job creation programs developed by one arm of their organization.
Overall, a stunningly beautiful and inspiring trip!
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Joseph streetscape with pavers, planting areas, new gutters. |
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A vegetated filter strip receiving road runoff in Joseph, OR. This was probably done as a community improvement project, but regardless of intention, this garden is functioning to cleanse and capture stormwater. |
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Hells Canyon, literally under fire, but still an impressive view. (I can see Idaho from here!) And our two speakers... |
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Learning Corner: The Stormwater/Habitat Connection
In the last two installments of this, I argued that animals are an important ingredient to healthy watersheds. Here are two interesting angles:
Most earthworms in North America are invasive. The glaciers pushed out any worms from all but the South years ago and the ones we find now were accidentally and intentionaly imported by European colonizers. Here's an interesting arcticle from Scientific American "Invasive Earthworms Denude Forests in U.S. Great Lakes Region", which claims that "worms, such as the night crawler, eat leaf litter which acts as a rooting medium for new growth".
And, finally, a really controversial topic: wolves. In Eastern Oregon, where small towns have little buffer from wildlife and they are understandably intimidated by them -- Wallowa County has lost 12 cattle since 2009 and as I heard it from a local out there, 3 of those recent losses were in or very close to the town itself -- there's little tolerance for them. I have also heard that there have been no human deaths from wolves in Oregon in recorded history. Oregon Wild has some good arguments for the other side of this controversy saying that a much higher rate of cattle deaths can be attributed to non-wolf and even non-predator causes. I'm undecided but lean towards preservation and restoration of natural populations after having learned a little about Minnesota's thriving wolf population and their many successful best practices used by ranchers there.
Regardless of what you think of wolves, though, in Yellowstone, the reintroduction of wolves has benefited the watersheds and beaver populations, which in turn, provide their own ecosystem services. Here's an interesting article on that topic:"Yellowstone National Park Wolf Reintroduction is changing the face of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem".
I guess the point I'm making with this Learning Corner is that we need to think and act holistically if we want to have clean and available water in the future. None of going into water resources probably ever thought that wildlife management might be a really important topic to learn about, too. What other areas of management and learning that we might not be think are relevant, really are for us to create healthy watersheds?
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You can always visit old versions of my newsletters at http://www.greengirlpdx.com/Newsletter.htm. |
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Cool Stuff from Other People
| Rain Garden Construction |
My colleagues Rob Emmanuel & Derek Godwin went to Hawaii to help Todd Cullison, Executive Director of Hui o Koolaupoko and his volunteers build a rain garden in one day.
This is the write-up attached to the video:
"A rain garden is a shallow, flat-bottom garden bed designed to serve as a collection and treatment site for storm water runoff from rooftops, driveways, walkways, streets, or parking lots. Through the process of infiltration and phytoremediation, rain gardens can remove pollutants from runoff before water recharges aquifers or flows into our streams and ocean.
On March 25, 2011, a demonstration rain garden was constructed at He ʻ eia State Park as a joint effort between HOK, Kama ʻ āina Kids, University of Hawai ʻ i Sea Grant Program and Oregon State University Sea Grant Program. With the help of a number of volunteers, the rain garden was constructed and planted in just one day. The site is open to the public and was constructed to provide an example what rain gardens look like and how they function." |
| “Topping” harms trees, shortens their benefits" |
Trees are a critical part of our stormwater infrastructure!
An informative article on, you guessed it, why we should avoid topping trees (even though you'll see people everywhere doing it!) |
| The pitfalls of topping trees by Dr. Tree |
Did I mention that trees are a critical part of our stormwater infrastructure? Here's a video on why you should never top trees. |
| Woonerfs (aka Universal Streets, Home Zones, Shared Space) |
Redding School of the Arts (see photo in Timely Tidbits below) used woonerf techniques to emphasize the pedestrian nature of their drop-off area and calm traffic.
Here's a study of woonerfs that Mike O'Brian from Portland's old green building office pointed me to years ago.
Here's an article on how these principles increased safety at many busy intersections in countries in Europe.
Here are some design guidelines for home zones. |
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Cool Stuff from Green Girl
| Open Source LID Details in AutoCAD, jpg, & pdf format with information on water quality and how you can avoid turning your rain garden (and other vegetated facilities) into an Underground Injection Control (UIC) |
The last round of details are up and everything's together in one place. Here you'll find details for:
- Abbreviations
- Swale
- Vegetated Filter Strips
- Drywell
- Stormwater Planters
- Soakage Trench
- Rain Gardens
- Porous Pavement
- LID Supplemental Infrastructure
- City of Portland BES Supplemental Infrastructure
- Footnotes & Design Guidance to avoid UIC Rule Authorization |
| Operations & Maintenance Manual for Multnomah Antiques |
Gary Darling of DL Design and I designed the stormwater system for Multnomah Antiques' new addition. We couldn't infiltrate because the site is rather steep and there's a 4 - 7' wall at the bottom of the site; however, we used a number of approaches to protect our watershed including:
- flow-through rain garden
- mostly native plants
- vegetated wall instead of a concrete wall
- compost amended soils throughout the site
- vegetated conveyance swale
- all overland flow to street
This manual includes:
- a description of the stormwater system
- how and when to water
- inspection activities and schedule |
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Timely Tidbits
Redding School of the Arts, Redding, CA
With the advent of school starting, I'd like to share some photos frosm a project I worked on when I first started my business three years ago and is just finishing construction.
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Shapiro Didway Landscape Architects hired me to shoehorn water quality facilities into a project that had already been graded by the engineer, but that had been designed without significant water quality facilities. Here's one of the rain gardens we designed. Shapiro Didway specified a very successful native seed mix sourced from northern CA. Photo credit: Blair Didway |
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They also hired me for a brief brainstorming meeting to help them design a woonerf. I wouldn't call this a full blow woonerf really, but the elements here that make this a traffic calming strategy are the trees and stormwater management between two of the drive aisles, a lack of signage, and the use of different paving materials. This will be a place where buses, cars, and kids will be mixing twice a day. Photo credit: Blair Didway |
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I didn't have anything to do with the playground, but being a musician (I play banjo and write original music), I was partial to these wonderful sounding weather-proof xylophones. Photo credit: Blair Didway |
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And, here's a movie of the zip line they installed! I have an old version of Dreamweaver, so if this movie isn't playing in your browser, hit the F5 button. Video credit: Blair Didway |
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Learning Corner: The Stormwater/Habitat Connection
In the last installment of this, I argued that animals are an important ingredient to healthy watersheds. Worms and other soil animals (both small insects and large mammals) wriggle through the soil in search of air, water, nutrients, and shelter, preserving the long-term permeability of our soil. Birds spread seed, keeping (or trying to keep) our land in a natural condition most suitable for watershed health and water quality.
Here's a BBC article on birds function in watersheds, "New Zealand scientists record 'biodiversity breakdown' " describing how the loss of two bird species from the island has "has lead to a slow decline in common plants".
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Cool Stuff from Other People
| Drought & Fire Protection Landscape Recommendations |
Best practices to "Create a Defensible Space", "Prevent Soil Erosion from Wind, Rain and Flood After a Fire", and Prepare for a Drier & Hotter Future". Hey Portlanders, the City has Fire Hazard areas, so don't go thinking that this is just a resource for Southern Oregon! |
| Watershed Treatment Model (WTM) for modeling water quality |
This was posted by: Sadie Drescher
Watershed Planner
8390 Main St. , 2nd Floor
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-461-8323 (Thanks Sadie!)
on the npsinfo listserv. (I encourage you to join us there.)
"Check out the Watershed Treatment Model (WTM) that the Center for Watershed Protection recently updated. The WTM includes N, P, TSS, and bacteria net reduction to surface water loads (storm and non-storm loads) and net reductions to groundwater loads. For septic systems, see the “future management practices” excel tab for potential net reduction for septic system education, septic system repair, septic system upgrade, and septic system retirement. The WTM is available for free download on our website (need to register for free downloads):
http://www.cwp.org/documents/cat_view/83-watershed-treatment-model.html"
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Timely Tidbits
Well, I've recently had so many timely tidbits I haven't taken the time to update this section on my home page! I recently completed a contract with Derek Godwin, Oregon State University Extension to edit existing and create new fact sheets, resources, and design tools for their Stormwater Solutions outreach effort. OSU did a fine job developing, in-house, an interactive GIS planning tool for all of Western Oregon.
We're all quite excited about it and will be meeting next week with about 6 different communities that will be attending Derek's brain child, the LID Academy.
Start your tour here of OSU Extension Stormwater Solutions and explore the links under the heading "STEPS TO TAKE" on the left.
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Green Girl Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
Who should attend: commercial and residential contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Continuing Education Credits: These classes are likely to meet the continuing education credit requirements for engineers, archtitects, designers, contractors, and others. The ones at Mt Hood Community College in Maywood Park are CCB residential core credits, but you could use these to fill out your electives, too, if you wanted.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
| Date & Time |
City |
Topic & Other Details |
Thu
Jun 9
8:30 am - 5 pm |
Portland, OR (North) |
Rain Gardens: A Workshop for Landscape and Building Professionals: Rain gardens are the logical and beautiful solution for managing stormwater on many properties. This workshop is designed to give landscape and building professionals the information needed to incorporate rain gardens into their projects. Workshop topics include: overview of stormwater management, site assessment, rain garden sizing and design, construction and maintenance, plants appropriate for rain gardens, and alternative rain garden designs for challenging sites.
What: This is a course designed for landscape contractors, landscape designers and building contractors.
Cost: $50.00 (includes lunch and training materials)
Where: East Multnomah SWCD, 5211 N. Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Dress for both indoor and outdoor training components.
Trainers: Robert Emanuel, Oregon State University Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant; Candace Stoughton, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District; Maria Cahill, Green Girl Land Development Solutions
Continuing Education : Approved for 8 continuing education hours by the Oregon Landscape Contractor’s Board
Register by Jun 3 through the website: http://www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/event/200/Rain-Gardens--for-Landscape-&-Building-Professionals. For more information contact Candace Stoughton, (503) 935-5366, candace@emswcd.org |
| Sep 13-16 |
Portland, OR |
SAVE THE DATE
International Phytoremediation Conference. More info to follow. |
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Learning Corner: The Stormwater/Habitat Connection
Welcome to the second installment of the Stormwater/Habitat Connection! Of course, I'll be writing these whenever I feel like it, but this will raise issues about how stormwater and habitat value are entwined. So let's get started...
Native plants are essential to healthy watersheds. They provide unique ecosystem services and products in our region that other non-natives may not provide. Native plants are generally easier to establish, and require less water and fertilizers. They evolved over geologic time periods with other plants and animals in our watersheds and support the insects, that feed the birds, that spread the seeds, that grow the forests, that manage stormwater.
The following two references have been made available to help you choose the "right plant for the right place" in your stormwater facility or other area to be planted.
The USDA Plants list is a database created by the USDA. It has been found to be very helpful in researching native plants and their characteristics to help you choose the appropriate plants for your site.
The Oregon Noxious Weeds is a database of invasive, harmful plants in which you should not use in Oregon.
Non-natives may also provide these services, but they may also become invasive, and there's often no way to know which path a plant will take until it has been introduced into a watershed. Some non-natives have taken up to 80 years to become invasive after overplanting (i.e. kudzu planted on the East coast for erosion control); some spread quickly from just a few specimens (i.e. scotch broom dominates the Pacific NW landscape and originated from three plants introduced in the late 1800's). Invasives impact the watershed in may ways: by overgrowing on trees and preventing them from growing or by physically pulling them down; filling niches in the watershed that would have been occupied by a variety of species and excluding them; some invasives like Himalayan Blackberry erode soil as they grow; by changing the composition of the soil animals that provide our watershed's long-term permeability.
(In case you notice, I didn't steal this from the OSU Stormwater Solutions website. I wrote it for them.)
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Apr 2011
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Cool Stuff from Other People
| The Value of Green Infrastructure from American Rivers and the Center for Neighborhood Technology |
This "guidebook that pulls together the existing research on green infrastructure benefits and creates a framework for measuring and valuing them. The guide walks through calculations for estimating the air quality, energy use, carbon capture, and other benefits provided by green infrastructure." (quoted from the EPA's Heat Island listserv announcement) |
| UPCOMING: Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods' Guidance on Maintaining Vegetated Stormwater Systems |
I'm volunteering on the working group facilitated by the Nature in Neighborhoods (NiN) program of Metro to draft a Portland region guide to maintaining the numerous rain gardens, swales, planters, and green streets that we have here. We want to have the manual out by the end of September. Nature in Neighborhoods, due to budget cuts, is likely to dissolved by then, but OSU Extension and East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District will pick up that duty. (I encourage you to write to Tom Hughes, Metro President in support of the great and unique work NiN does and ask that he find some way to continue funding the program! Email me for more info.) |
| Climate-Friendly Yards from Oregon Environmental Council |
8 quick tips on climate friendly yards including, my favorite, not tilling the soil because this releases greenhouse gas emissions. Soil sequesters more GHGs than any other medium (air, trees, wetlands) on the planet. |
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Announcements
| "Why Tree Prices Will Increase" |
There are "pending changes in the availability and pricing of specimen trees in the near future. Many people in the nursery, landscaping, design, and contracting industries are not aware of these impending changes."
Thanks to Art Anderson (General Manager of Northwest Shade Trees LLC and fellow board member of Oregon Community Trees) for sharing this info with the development community.
http://www.boldspring.com/node/19 |
2011 Conference: Community Trees for Healthy Streams
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This year’s theme focuses on the role and value of trees in managing stormwater runoff from urbanized areas, where the transportation infrastructure impacts air, water, and land as well as our own safety and well-being.
Click here for more info |
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Green Girl Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
Who should attend: commercial and residential contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Continuing Education Credits: These classes are likely to meet the continuing education credit requirements for engineers, archtitects, designers, contractors, and others. The ones at Mt Hood Community College in Maywood Park are CCB residential core credits, but you could use these to fill out your electives, too, if you wanted.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
| Date & Time |
City |
Topic & Other Details |
NEW DATE! (I pulled my back and couldn't teach tonight.)
Wed
May 11
6:30 - 8:30 pm
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Newberg, OR |
Rain Gardens for Challenging Sites. Covers how to site, design, and construct on difficult sites such as those with high groundwater tables, clay soils, and steep slopes.
This is the third in a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
Wed
May 4
6 - 8 pm |
Portland, OR (East County) |
Site Strategies to Reduce Energy Demand. This training provides information on best management practices outdoors that can reduce demand for energy indoors through sustainable landscape design, construction, and operations and maintenance. Students will be able to employ various vegetated (shading and wind blocks) and non-vegetated strategies (cool pavements and roofs) to reduce energy demand inside the building considering macro- and microclimates.
Base cost: $35
For LCB or assistance with other continuing education credits: add another $10
Portland Water Burearu's Water House 1616 NE 140th, Portland, OR
Register and pay for this class now on PayPal. To pay the day of with cash or check, please email me to pre-register.
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DATE PENDING
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Newberg, OR |
Landscaping to Conserve Energy.This class presents ways to site and design your stormwater facility and yard that also result in energy cost savings.
This is the last in a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
May 18
9 am - 1 pm |
Ukiah, CA |
TBD. Looks like I'll be giving a technical overview of non-structural and structural LID practices for Mendocino County. |
May 19
9 am - 1 pm |
Ft. Bragg, CA |
TBD. Looks like I'll be giving a technical overview of non-structural and structural LID practices for Mendocino County. |
Thu
Jun 2
8 am - 3:30 pm |
Portland, OR |
I'll be speaking and moderating a session for the Oregon Community Trees 2011 Conference: Community Trees for Healthy Streams
This year’s theme focuses on the role and value of trees in managing stormwater runoff from urbanized areas, where the transportation infrastructure impacts air, water, and land as well as our own safety and well-being.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Susan Day, urban forestry professor from Virginia Tech. Dr. Day is a well known speaker on improving tree health and canopy cover in land development and urban design issues and how root/soil interactions affect the contribution of trees to urban ecosystems. Other speakers from around the region will share practical examples of how their cities have managed stormwater using community trees.
World Forestry Center, Miller Hall 4033 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR (driving directions or take the MAX to Washington Park)
Click here for more info.
Cost: $95 afterwards. (Tables and sponsorships are also available.) Click here to register. |
Thu
Jun 9
8:30 am - 5 pm |
Portland, OR (North) |
Rain Gardens: A Workshop for Landscape and Building Professionals: Rain gardens are the logical and beautiful solution for managing stormwater on many properties. This workshop is designed to give landscape and building professionals the information needed to incorporate rain gardens into their projects. Workshop topics include: overview of stormwater management, site assessment, rain garden sizing and design, construction and maintenance, plants appropriate for rain gardens, and alternative rain garden designs for challenging sites.
What: This is a course designed for landscape contractors, landscape designers and building contractors.
Cost: $50.00 (includes lunch and training materials)
Where: East Multnomah SWCD, 5211 N. Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Dress for both indoor and outdoor training components.
Trainers: Robert Emanuel, Oregon State University Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant; Candace Stoughton, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District; Maria Cahill, Green Girl Land Development Solutions
Continuing Education : Approved for 8 continuing education hours by the Oregon Landscape Contractor’s Board
Register by Jun 3 through the website: http://www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/event/200/Rain-Gardens--for-Landscape-&-Building-Professionals. For more information contact Candace Stoughton, (503) 935-5366, candace@emswcd.org |
Others' Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
| Date & Time |
Location |
Topic |
Other Details |
May 1
1 - 4 pm |
Landscaping for Conservation, Bosky Dell Natives, West Linn. See flyer.
More events from Tualatin River Watershed Council |
| May 16 |
NRMCA Pervious Concrete Certification in Woodburn, Oregon. It lasts one day and consists of four hours of classroom training. Hands-on installation of pervious concrete. A review and a test. If you get 75% correct on the test you will be certified by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for 5 years. Pervious concrete is not hard- but it is different. If you know the difference and follow the basic rules you will love it.
http://www.ocapa.net/Certification_Classes.html |
May 24
6:45- 9 pm |
Tualatin Basin Early Detection, Rapid Response Weed workshop, City of Forest Grove Auditorium, 1915 Main Street, Forest Grove. See flyer.
More events from Tualatin River Watershed Council |
May 25
7 - 9 pm |
Weed Watchers Early Detection, Rapid Response workshop, SW Community Center/SW Watershed Resources Center, 6820 SW 45th Avenue, Portland. See flyer.
More events from Tualatin River Watershed Council |
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Learning Corner: The Stormwater/Habitat Connection
Welcome to the first installment of the Stormwater/Habitat Connection! Of course, I'll be writing these whenever I feel like it, but this will raise issues about how stormwater and habitat value are entwined. So let's get started...
Since I recently attended the training to become a CESCL, Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead, let's talk about erosion during the construction phase.
Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control is so "not sexy" that I didn't even put it in the heading of my Learning Corner, but it is ridiculously important, especially here in the NW where we have a number of endangered species in our water. Most people are more concerned with sexy post-construction stuff like rain gardens and porous pavement and think that if they've put those in, then they've done their part; however, poor erosion control during the construction phase of a project can be the source of a number of pollutants including two common killers:
- pH. This is an invisible, fish killer originating from on-site concrete rubblizing and concrete washout areas. If the pH goes above 7.2, you've got sick fish. If it goes above 8, you can be sure the fish are dead instaneously.
- Turbidity (aka "cloudy water"). These are the tiny, suspended particles of charged clay that never settle out. Small exposure levels over long periods and large exposure levels over a short time have the same effects and it only takes a very small amount to impact fish in predictable ways ranging from loss of smell (critical to survival), cover abandonment, increased respiration, reduced growth rates, slowed hatching schedules, death, and others. Of course, turbidity can be caused by larger sediment, too, but that's a lot easier to deal with.
I can go on and on about erosion control and will probably feature some goodies in the future, but the point I'm making here is that if you want to do something really great for water quality, be on top of your erosion control plan. Here are a few quick tips. Make sure you're:
- using the right control measure for the right condition (i.e. overland sheet flow versus concentrated flows)
- applying the right control measure during the right time of year (i.e. hydroseeding usually needs 24-48 hours of time to cure or it will wash off in the next rainfall and seeds often need a particular soil temperature to germinate)
- Don't use a sediment fence by itself in clay soils. The tiny particles pass right through the fence until it clogs, which will cause a significant amount of cloudy water/turbidity. If you're using this with a sediment pond, that may be OK, but if you're using it in a tight, urban project by itself, then cast off your love affair with sediment fences and use a compost berm, sock, or a wattle.
- Make sure when using straw and compost products that there are no weed seeds or even any hay seeds. These will be maintenance issues later and will could cause the owner or facilities manager to apply herbicides, which, of course, impacts water quality!
- Sweep (don't pressure wash) impervious surfaces that have visible sediment at the end of the day.
- Keep some extra wattles and biobags on hand for emergencies. They're versatile.
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Compost berms are great for reducing cloudy water/turbidity in clay soils where sheet flow is occuring |
These are compost biobags. These aren't as common as the biobags made of wood chips and plastic mesh. Either will do, but these are nice because they eliminate the plastic mesh, which impacts habitat value for amphibians and small mammalss-- they get caught in the mesh. These are great for sheet or concentrated flows. |
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This is an example of hydroseeding, but this site needs more erosion control. The seed hasn't sprouted as expected and concentrated flows are forming and causing rills. |
These are wattles, correctly installed and working well (can you see the water backing up on the high side on the top right of this photo?). They do have the plastic mesh that impacts amphibians and small mammals, so they shouldn't be left on site to rot, even if the plastic is photodegradable. These are good for sheet and concentrated flows. |
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Mar 2011
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Green Girl Publications & Resources
| OSU Stormwater Solutions Fact Sheets -- Final Drafts |
You'll find siting, design, construction & operations & maintenance guidance in these fact sheets. Each are 8-12 pages long or so.
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Cool Stuff from Other People
| National Tree Benefit Calculator (beta version) provided by Casey Trees (a well respected urban forestry non-profit in DC) |
The first week in April is Oregon Arbor Week so go ahead and calculate the value of a tree, any tree.. go ahead, just try it. |
| Photos of a volunteer installation of pervious concrete |
I found this on a lively discussion group on LinkedIn called the "NPCPA National Pervious Concrete Pavement Association", possibly busting the myth that porous concrete shouldn't be installed by volunteers!
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| Seattle Natural Drainage Systems Operations & Maintenance documents |
I'm on the technical advisory committee for Metro to draft a regional vegetated LID maintenance manual and we're pooling our favorite resources now. Seattle calls LID "Natural Drainage Systems" or NDS and have had a manual and field checklists that they've been using for a few years now. What I really like about these are the photos of what different levels of service (LOS) can look like, so they don't expend extra money overmaintaining. |
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Announcements
| Street-to-Stream video contest for high school students |
Calling high school videographers and animators in the Tualatin Basin! Show off your creative talents and earn cash for yourself and your school by creating a 24-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) to teach others about the negative impacts of feeding ducks and other waterfowl. Submissions are due April 15, 2011. For contest rules and application forms visit the Tualatin Basin Partners for Clean Water website. |
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Green Girl Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
Who should attend: commercial and residential contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Continuing Education Credits: These classes are likely to meet the continuing education credit requirements for engineers, archtitects, designers, contractors, and others. The ones at Mt Hood Community College in Maywood Park are CCB residential core credits, but you could use these to fill out your electives, too, if you wanted.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
| Date & Time |
City |
Topic & Other Details |
Wed
Mar 30
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Newberg, OR |
Sustainable Stormwater. This is an introduction on strategies to incorporate sustainable stormwater in land development projects. Understanding how current practices impact the benefit air, water, soil, and vegetation provide will help people choose better alternatives. We will answer the question, “What is sustainable stormwater?” and discuss a smattering of best management practices and their synergistic benefit in meeting other sustainable goals.
This is the first of a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
Thu
Mar 31
10 am - noon |
Portland, OR (East County) |
Site Strategies to Reduce Energy Demand. This training provides information on best management practices outdoors that can reduce demand for energy indoors through sustainable landscape design, construction, and operations and maintenance. Students will be able to employ various vegetated (shading and wind blocks) and non-vegetated strategies (cool pavements and roofs) to reduce energy demand inside the building considering macro- and microclimates.
Base cost: $35
For LCB or assistance with other continuing education credits: add another $10
Portland Water Burearu's Water House 1616 NE 140th, Portland, OR
Register and pay for this class now on PayPal. To pay the day of with cash or check, please email me to pre-register.
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Mon
Apr 4
1 - 3 pm
|
Maywood Park, OR (in East County) |
Sustainable Site Planning. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of site planning so that contractors can learn to assess a site and apply best management practices to improve the short and long-term sustainability of new and remodeled sites. Students will get immediate hands-on experience in applying the learning outcomes. This course fulfills the CCB’s core class requirements for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices, plus one elective hour. Visit mhcc.edu/training for more information. Call 503 491-7235 to reserve your space now. More info here. Cost: $149
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Tue
Apr 5
10 am - noon |
Maywood Park, OR (in East County) |
Best Practices for Sustainable Sites Under Construction. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of how contractors can apply best management practices to protect natural resources.Sediment prevention and erosion control, soil science, and limiting disturbance during construction will be emphasized. Call 503 491-7235 to reserve your space now. This course fulfills the CCB’s core class requirements for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Mon
Apr 11
10 am - noon |
Maywood Park, OR (in East County) |
Site Strategies for Energy & Fuel Efficiency. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of best management practices that can reduce demand for energy outside the building through sustainable landscape design, construction and operations and maintenance. Call 503 491-7235 to reserve your space now. This course fulfills the CCB’s core class requirements for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Tue
Apr 12
10 am - 3 pm |
Maywood Park, OR (in East County) |
Rain Gardens 201 Technical Field Class- CANCELLED. The $249 price tag that Mt Hood Community College had to charge for this 5-hour residential CCB approved core class was just too high. Residential and Commercial CCB contractors in need of continuing education credits can use the Rain Gardens 201 class as an elective. I'll be offering this twice in Portland (one walking, one biking version) and once in Gresham (carpooling) this summer, so keep your eye peeled. |
Wed
Apr 13
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Newberg, OR |
Rain Gardens. This class will introduce the various methods to decrease stormwater volume and increase water quality using rain gardens, stormwater planters, swales, and vegetated filter strips. It will also provide basic information on design considerations.
This is the second in a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
Wed
Apr 27
6:30 - 8:30 pm
|
Newberg, OR |
Rain Gardens for Challenging Sites. Covers how to site, design, and construct on difficult sites such as those with high groundwater tables, clay soils, and steep slopes.
This is the third in a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
Wed
May 4
6 - 8 pm |
Portland, OR (East County) |
Site Strategies to Reduce Energy Demand. This training provides information on best management practices outdoors that can reduce demand for energy indoors through sustainable landscape design, construction, and operations and maintenance. Students will be able to employ various vegetated (shading and wind blocks) and non-vegetated strategies (cool pavements and roofs) to reduce energy demand inside the building considering macro- and microclimates.
Base cost: $35
For LCB or assistance with other continuing education credits: add another $10
Portland Water Burearu's Water House 1616 NE 140th, Portland, OR
Register and pay for this class now on PayPal. To pay the day of with cash or check, please email me to pre-register.
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May 11
6:30 - 8:30 pm |
Newberg, OR |
Landscaping to Conserve Energy.This class presents ways to site and design your stormwater facility and yard that also result in energy cost savings.
This is the last in a series of four evening classes geared to be progressively informative about rain gardens and other important landscape strategies for stormwater management.
City of Newberg Public Safety Building 401 E 3rd Street, Newberg, OR (driving directions *** 112 bus info)
To register: Contact Sonja Johnson, City of Newberg at (503) 537-1282 or by email at sonja.johnson@newbergoregon.gov. |
| May 18 19, or 20 (TBD) |
Ukiah, CA |
TBD. Looks like I'll be giving a technical overview of non-structural and structural LID practices for Mendocino County. |
| May 18 19, or 20 (TBD) |
Ft. Bragg, CA |
TBD. Looks like I'll be giving a technical overview of non-structural and structural LID practices for Mendocino County. |
Thu
Jun 2
8 am - 3:30 pm |
Portland, OR |
I'll be speaking and moderating a session for the Oregon Community Trees 2011 Conference: Community Trees for Healthy Streams
This year’s theme focuses on the role and value of trees in managing stormwater runoff from urbanized areas, where the transportation infrastructure impacts air, water, and land as well as our own safety and well-being.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Susan Day, urban forestry professor from Virginia Tech. Dr. Day is a well known speaker on improving tree health and canopy cover in land development and urban design issues and how root/soil interactions affect the contribution of trees to urban ecosystems. Other speakers from around the region will share practical examples of how their cities have managed stormwater using community trees.
World Forestry Center, Miller Hall 4033 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR (driving directions or take the MAX to Washington Park)
Click here for more info.
Cost: $85 is registered by May 15 and $95 afterwards. (Tables and sponsorships are also available.) Click here to register. |
Thu
Jun 9
8:30 am - 5 pm |
Portland, OR (North) |
Rain Gardens: A Workshop for Landscape and Building Professionals: Rain gardens are the logical and beautiful solution for managing stormwater on many properties. This workshop is designed to give landscape and building professionals the information needed to incorporate rain gardens into their projects. Workshop topics include: overview of stormwater management, site assessment, rain garden sizing and design, construction and maintenance, plants appropriate for rain gardens, and alternative rain garden designs for challenging sites.
What: This is a course designed for landscape contractors, landscape designers and building contractors.
Cost: $50.00 (includes lunch and training materials)
Where: East Multnomah SWCD, 5211 N. Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Dress for both indoor and outdoor training components.
Trainers: Robert Emanuel, Oregon State University Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant; Candace Stoughton, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District; Maria Cahill, Green Girl Land Development Solutions
Continuing Education : Approved for 8 continuing education hours by the Oregon Landscape Contractor’s Board
Register by Jun 3 through the website: http://www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/event/200/Rain-Gardens--for-Landscape-&-Building-Professionals. For more information contact Candace Stoughton, (503) 935-5366, candace@emswcd.org |
Others' Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
| Date & Time |
Location |
Topic |
Other Details |
Thu
Apr 7
3:30 - 5pm |
Melanie R. Kirk, Assistant Professor and Extension Urban Forestry Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Dallas, TX
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Feb 2011
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Publications & Resources
| Porous Pavement info all in one place |
I've got a big side project that I've been working on called "Sustainable Land Development Resources for Design and Deliverables" where I'll work to build up information on the many, many aspects of many, many best practices. Click here to see the Porous Pavement info and resources I've assembled so far. (Eventually, each kind of porous pavement will have it's own page...) |
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Download open source LID photos here.
 LID Photos by Maria Cahill is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. This means you can use them and modify them as long as you share your modifications with others. It also means that I, Maria Cahill, would like to get credit. Thanks! |
| COMING NEXT MONTH! |
Detailed fact sheets that I developed with Derek Godwin of OSU Extension will be available next month. Topics include porous pavements, rain gardens, planters, swales, vegetated filter strips, green roofs, infiltration testing, drywells, and soakage trenches. So, come back next month! |
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Announcements
| Street-to-Stream video contest for high school students |
Calling high school videographers and animators in the Tualatin Basin! Show off your creative talents and earn cash for yourself and your school by creating a 24-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) to teach others about the negative impacts of feeding ducks and other waterfowl. Submissions are due April 15, 2011. For contest rules and application forms visit the Tualatin Basin Partners for Clean Water website. |
|
Green Girl Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
| Date & Time |
Location |
Topic |
Other Details |
While the following courses are geared towards contractors, they include planning, design, and operations & maintenance considerations, in addition to simply addressing the construction phase. Others that may be interested include commercial contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
Feb 16
10 am - 3 pm |
Rain Gardens 201 Technical Field Class. Learn how the sum of the parts (inlets, outlets, check dams, etc.) in a variety of vegetated stormwater facilities (rain gardens, bioswales, infiltration basins, green streets, planters) can be designed, constructed and maintained to improve or impact the watersheds in which we build them. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices, plus three elective hours. Cost: $249
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
 |
Mon
Apr 4
1 - 3 pm
|
Sustainable Site Planning. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of site planning so that contractors can learn to assess a site and apply best management practices to improve the short and long-term sustainability of new and remodeled sites. Students will get immediate hands-on experience in applying the learning outcomes. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices, plus one elective hour. Visit mhcc.edu/training for more information. Call 503 491-7235 to reserve your space now. More info here. Cost: $149
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Tue
Apr 5
10 am - noon |
Best Practices for Sustainable Sites Under Construction. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of how contractors can apply best management practices to protect natural resources.Sediment prevention and erosion control, soil science, and limiting disturbance during construction will be emphasized. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Mon
Apr 11
10 am - noon |
Site Strategies for Energy & Fuel Efficiency. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of best management practices that can reduce demand for energy outside the building through sustainable landscape design, construction and operations and maintenance. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Tue
Apr 12
10 am - 3 pm |
Rain Gardens 201 Technical Field Class. Learn how the sum of the parts (inlets, outlets, check dams, etc.) in a variety of vegetated stormwater facilities (rain gardens, bioswales, infiltration basins, green streets, planters) can be designed, constructed and maintained to improve or impact the watersheds in which we build them. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices, plus three elective hours. Cost: $249
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Others' Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
| Date & Time |
Location |
Topic |
Other Details |
Sat
Mar 5
9 am - 1 pm |
Introduction to Rainwater Harvesting Workshop. Please join us for a free 4-hour class to learn the basics of rainwater harvesting.
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge
19255 SW Pacific Hwy
Sherwood, OR 97140
Please register by Friday, February 25 to 503-648-3174 x102 or lacey.townsend@or.nacdnet.net |
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Jan 2011 - Happy New Year!
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Publications & Resources
Here's some stuff I worked on:
Metro Language Bank
Stormwater definitions for the average homeowner. |
Are you and your audience confused by all the different terms related to stormwater? So were we. That's why Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods put together a volunteer panel of folks (including me) to have long discussions about it and create an open source list of definitions that we think the average homeowner can understand. More info on this webpage or download the pdf directly here. |
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Announcements
| OSU Students looking for regular/on-going volunteer opportunities! |
If you have hands-on volunteer work suitable for college students, please contact
Nate Bodie, Environmental Service Coordinator, Community Service Center, OSU, 541-737-3041 |
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Green Girl Events
Events listed here are ones that I'll be presenting:
| Date |
Time |
Location |
Topic |
Other Details |
While the following courses are geared towards contractors, they include planning, design, and operations & maintenance considerations, in addition to simply addressing the construction phase. Others that may be interested include commercial contractors; public works staff; landscape architects, designers, and contractors; planners; architects; engineers; natural resource managers; builders; developers.
Want these classes in your community? I am often willing to travel to some far-flung places in Oregon, Washington, and California to teach these classes to your audience. Contact me to discuss! (Prices vary depending on the overhead of the organization/institution offering the courses with me!) |
This Sat
Jan 29th
9 am - noon |
What: Come learn how ecoroofs in SW Portland (and lots of other places!) can manage stormwater to prevent landslides, flooding, and stream bank erosion as well as protect water quality and the habitat value of our streams. Included will be an overview and a discussion of assembly, materials choices, and appropriate plants. Maria Cahill of Green Girl Land Development Solutions, will give an organized talk at 10 am. Bring your burning questions!
Where: Green Girl Home Office. 7345 SW 29 th Avenue, Portland OR (Driving Directions *** Biking Directions *** Trimet)
When: Sat, Jan 29 th
Time: 9 am – 12 pm (organized talk at 10 am, chatting, snacking, and networking from 9-10 and 11-12)
Cost: Free
For More Info Contact:
Maria Cahill
greengirl@greengirlpdx.com
p 503.334.8634 |
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Jan 27
10 am - noon |
Best Practices for Sustainable Sites Under Construction. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of how contractors can apply best management practices to protect natural resources.Sediment prevention and erosion control and limiting disturbance during construction will be emphasized. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Feb 2
10 am - noon |
Site Strategies for Energy & Fuel Efficiency. This course serves as an upper level in-depth study of best management practices that can reduce demand for energy outside the building through sustainable landscape design, construction and operations and maintenance. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices. Cost: $99
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
Feb 16
10 am - 3 pm |
Rain Gardens 201 Technical Field Class. Learn how the sum of the parts (inlets, outlets, check dams, etc.) in a variety of vegetated stormwater facilities (rain gardens, bioswales, infiltration basins, green streets, planters) can be designed, constructed and maintained to improve or impact the watersheds in which we build them. This course fulfills the CCB’s requirement for residential contractors for two hours of Sustainable Building Practices, plus three elective hours. Cost: $249
Mt. Hood Community College-Maywood Park Campus 10100 NE Prescott, Portland, OR
(driving directions *** biking directions *** Tri-met ) |
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Planter Details for Download
New open source details are now available for download and use. Check these and other details out here. |
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