– Written by Monica Hescheles
This time a year we are particularly grateful for the volunteers and community that make the work at Johnson Creek Watershed Council not only possible but also a lot of fun! Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating at the Volunteer and Community Appreciation Party on Thursday, November 16th. This year’s fun included great raffle prizes including many staff contributions, volunteer awards, an inspiring presentation by Roy Iwai, and a fun round of trivia!
On behalf of all of the Johnson Creek watershed council staff and board, thank you to all of our volunteers and community who contribute their time, expertise and love every time you show up to help improve the health of Johnson creek and our watershed. We truly could not do this important work without you.
I am so impressed with how much this community can accomplish in a year. Below are just a few highlights of all that was accomplished this year with the help of volunteers, partners, and our community:
- 1471 Volunteers show up and contribute 6,116.5 hours of work.
- 7,107 trees, shrubs and forbes throughout the year.
- 6.5 tons of trash removed during the Johnson Creek Cleanup including shopping carts, mattresses, tires, tents, adult toys, and more.
- 60 different education and outreach events to connect with students and families throughout the watershed.
- 5 successful community science programs, all filled to capacity.
This event and the work done with volunteers would not be possible without all the contributions of the board and staff. Thank you to everyone that helped out on November 16th and throughout the rest of the year including former board and staff members.
We would also like to specifically recognize by name and hours all of the volunteers who contributed over 20 hours of time this year:
PJ “Prentiss-Jane” Fabela: 20
Mandee Campos: 21
Kevin Phillips: 21
Ellen Silva: 21
David Dalby: 21
Autumn Whitaker: 21
Shane Habel: 21.5
Bird “Alex” Loukides: 21.5
Nick Cook: 22.5
Hannah Chambers: 24.25
Haley Riley-Henline: 25.5
Lila Devine: 26.5
Nathan Whirty: 27
Tamara Pickett: 27.5
Miguel DiSanzo- Graham: 27.75
Natanya Epstein: 28
Dylan Phillips: 28
Barry Eichinger: 28
Patricia Brent: 28.5
Carole Miles: 28.5
Steve Smith: 29.5
Amanda Hayes: 30.5
Zachary Walsh: 33
Shirley Craddick: 36.5
Andrew Villagrana: 38.5
Julie Oatfield: 44
Damon Schrosk: 46.5
Izzy Sigrist: 47
Cailin Warner: 47.5
Gail Chastain: 51
Timothy Crawley: 53.5
Sara Volk: 65.5
Jacob Neal: 67
Melanie Klym: 83.5
Sherry Burles: 103
Mary Ann Schmidt: 142.5
Marianne Colgrove: 144.5
Thank you the funders that make the work in the volunteer program possible. Thank you to the Mintkeski Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, PGE, City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Gresham, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, Multnomah County, Clackamas Water Environment Services, along with other private donations.
We hope to see you all at one of our upcoming events!
Volunteers and Community members work together to answer tough JCWC trivia questions. The winners received a small native Oregon Stonecrop. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Brosig.