Multnomah County - Information for Partners and Participants

Multnomah County is in the northwestern part of Oregon. This county has a total area of 270,400 acres, or 431 square miles. It is the smallest county in the State. Portland, the largest city, is in the center of the county. The population of Multnomah County is 735,334. This makes Multnomah County is the most urbanized county in Oregon with 1,705 persons per square mile.

The number of farms is decreasing but the size of the farms is increasing. Most of the agland is in nursery stock, forage or vegetables, with berries and field crops rounding out the top five enterprises.

The NRCS office, located in NW Portland, offers voluntary technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in natural resource conservation. Historically, the NRCS has focused on soil erosion by water and has started working on forest health improvements on private land. Energy conservation and organic farming are areas the NRCS is promoting through new initiatives.

NRCS Local Conservation Activities and Strategies

The NRCS local work group in Multnomah County has identified invasive species, forest health and soil erosion as the top three natural resource areas of concern that can be positively affected by NRCS assistance. Invasive species includes noxious herbaceous weeds and aquatic invasive species. Forest health concerns include wildfire hazard, disease and pest infestations. Soil erosion by water is a concern due to harvest activities during the rainy season.

Conservation Implementation Strategy

NRCS Programs Available

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP):
  • o Funding for organic and/or transitioning to organic farming.
    o Funding for forest thinning to reduce wildfire, disease, and pest concerns.
• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP):
  • o Funding for Oak habitat improvements. (No funds available for FY 2012).
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP):
  • Funding for conservation stewardship and additional enhancements.

Additional Conservation Resources Available

• East and West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation Districts
• Johnson Creek and Tryon Creek Watershed Councils
• Lower Columbia River Estuary Program
• Oregon Department of Agriculture
• Oregon Department of Forestry
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Local Work Group Updates

If you are interested in participating, please contact the NRCS District Conservationist listed below.

For meeting information, please click here.

Clickable Map of SNOTEL Sites

• Lower Columbia Basin
• Middle Columbia Basin

For Additional Assistance Contact

Portland Service Center
2701 NW Vaughn Street, Suite 450
Portland, Oregon 97210

NRCS District Conservationist: Steven Fedje. (503) 326-3941 x 102
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District: (503) 222-SOIL
West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District: (503) 238-4775