By Daniel Newberry, former Executive Director
The first thing that stood out to me when I started as JCWC Executive Director nearly ten years ago, was how welcome everyone made me feel. From the staff & board to volunteers, everyone made me feel like I was joining a community. It is this feeling that I’ve tried to build upon during my time with the Council.
Community is what has made JCWC’s volunteer and community science programs the largest of any Oregon watershed council. I’m so grateful that so many people have given their time to care for our urban and rural watershed. At the end of each year we total the volunteer hours. It is amazing to see how many thousands of hours the community gives. Thank you all for your dedication and hard work!
I’ve enjoyed meeting and getting to know the people who work in partner organizations: community non-profits, neighborhood associations, government agencies. We’ve been able to do so much more by working together. My favorite partnership has been the Leach Back 5. The five core partners, aided by the investment from foundations and agencies, have allowed us all to build a program where a diverse community can feel at home in nature while learning and restoring a disturbed area. The Clackamas Partnership has allowed JCWC and three other watershed councils to leverage $13M over seven years to restore fish habitat and passage. This has been an opportunity for all of our partners to realize restoration and a larger geographic scale.
During my first few months on the job, we finished a ten-year restoration action plan. A key part of that was to ramp up our restoration construction work. In the past nine years, JCWC has restored fish passage in ten locations with two more ready to go next summer. In this same time, we’ve also created green infrastructure and two fish enhancement / large wood projects, including a massive project to be constructed next summer at the confluence of Johnson Creek and the Willamette River. We’re just starting on a new ten-year action plan. I can’t wait to read the finished report!
The JCWC staff has focused on two overarching issues during my time here: including equity in our work and considering climate change in the selection and design of restoration projects. These issues are woven through the fabric of our 2023 Strategic Plan, so will continue to be a focus for years to come.
I’m so grateful to have been part of this community.
