This March, Adrienne Moat joined the Johnson Creek Watershed Council team as our Community Outreach Coordinator! We are happy to welcome Adrienne from her previous position as a Development Assistant working at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA). As Community Outreach Coordinator, Adrienne keeps the wheels turning on JCWC’s efforts to be more equitable, diverse and inclusive. She has also taken over the JCWC Community Science, Bilingual Nature, and Internship programs; and assists with Workforce Development, tabling outreach, and public presentations.
Adrienne’s relationship with JCWC began in early 2017 when, as an intern with the Wisdom of the Elders (WOTE) organization, she participated in a Lamprey Survey in Crystal Springs. As a Workforce Development Intern with WOTE, Adrienne had the opportunity to learn a holistic approach to environmental assessment and restoration by employing both Traditional Native American Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western science. Not only did this strengthen her identity as a young Native woman, it provided her with the chance to work hands-on with restoration of some of the incredible natural areas in what we now call Portland. Her experiences have exposed her to environmental sector career pathways, working in non-profits, and have helped her build professional connections with organizations like JCWC, the Metro Native Plant Center, Friends of Trees, Coalition of Communities of Color, Portland Parks & Recreation, and more.
Having grown up in Portland, Adrienne’s interests in cooking, yoga, and gardening began at a young age. She is still an active member of the Wisdom Workforce, LLC crew, as well. This year she was a cohort member of Oregon LEAD, a year-long leadership and professional training program that is a part of the Coalition for Communities of Color’s Bridges Initiative, housed at NAYA. She hopes to honor her heritage and her knowledge of TEK by drawing on her experiences with WOTE and NAYA, while making new and meaningful connections with the many diverse communities throughout the watershed and Greater Portland.