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The purpose of this ordinance is to provide funding to community partners to implement small, on-the-ground restoration, education and leadership development projects. These projects will plant native vegetation, train underrepresented Portlanders in stewardship of natural areas,  clean up litter near waterways,  provide healing space, and educate community members of all ages about their natural world and watershed health. 

The Bureau of Environmental Services’ (BES) 10-year Strategic Plan (2018-2027) guides the bureau’s work and provides a structure for evaluating and improving service delivery for all Portlanders. Building strong community relationships is identified as one of the six goal areas for the bureau to pursue over the next decade. The plan includes strategic initiatives “to use expertise in equity to inform community relationships and communications” (COMM-4), and to “work with businesses, residents, educational institutions, nonprofits, and agencies to partner on projects and support private activities that complement our work”  (COMM-5).

This year’s Selection Committee included BES Community Engagement staff, Judy BlueHorse Skelton, Associate Professor, Portland State University Indigenous Nations Studies (INST), Bear Cunningham-Goodell (INST Student), and Cuetzpali Reyes (INST Student).

The committee continues to use three selection criteria: benefits to watershed health, community partnerships, and the degree to which the project serves and is led by underrepresented community members. Sixteen pre-applications were received this year by CWSP.  Half of the grant recipients are receiving CWSP funding for the first time including: Black Men in Training, Ethiopian Eritrean Cultural and Resource Center, Portland Refugee Support Group, and Slavic Community Center of the Northwest. 

Estimated grant awards are indicated below, but final awards may vary based on possible additional funds needed such as insurance coverage to meet City requirements.

Specific projects funded for 2023-2024 are:

1. Black Men in Training (BMIT) ($12,000) will provide training that prepares older Black teens to  lead and share knowledge with younger youth. BMIT staff will accompany a culturally specific naturalist as youth learn about their natural world, and watershed health.
2. Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) ($12,000) will work with community members to improve a boat launch restoration area to preserve riparian canopy, remove blackberry and ivy, plant native plants, and improve freshwater resources along Columbia Slough. This project includes youth workforce development with interns and paid Parkrose Highschool students to learn about environmental enhancement and build experience for future work. 
3. Division Midway Alliance ($12,000) will build on an existing youth environmental leadership program to involve East Portland refugee youth in learning and sharing about watershed concepts in their culture and country of origin. Youth will visit to Leach Botanical Garden, create a mural, and perform a neighborhood clean-up day.
4. Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural and Resource Center (EECRC) ($11,995) will recruit and train ambassadors who can provide environmental knowledge to the community. Participants will include youth, mothers, and seniors with special focus on youth engagement and environmental responsibility.
5. Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership ($11,950) will provide the Connecting Students with Science curriculum to elementary schools. In collaboration with schoolteachers, educators will deliver science lessons on local ecology and watersheds in classrooms followed by a field trip with hands on a natural area restoration project in Forest Park.
6. Portland Refugee Support Group ($12,000) will educate refugee youth about their new environment, sharing tools for environmental responsibility. Workshops will be followed by walks in the Tryon Creek watershed and native planting at Leach Botanical Gardens. Youth will teach their communities what they learned.
7. Slavic Community Center of the Northwest ($9,890) Will create a healing community gathering garden and plant viburnum, a native plant to Portland and a symbol of the resistance and courage of the Ukrainian people. Slavic participants will work with the Columbia Slough Watershed Council  to clean up a boat launch area on the slough and create a welcoming space for all.
8. SOLVE ($11,491) will partner with Dignity Village on planning and implementing two  litter clean ups near the waterways of the Columbia Slough. SOLVE volunteers will work with Dignity Village members to build connections with people who reside in the area, plan, and communicate about the event.