Dear Colleagues,

River Renaissance and BES are joining in a new effort to collaborate more closely on producing the State of the River Report (RR) and the Portland Watershed Management Plan Annual Report (BES).

Although both reports are required by Council, they’re written for different purposes, and treat topics from different angles. The State of the River Report monitors progress made toward implementing actions in the River Renaissance Strategy. BES’s Annual Report tracks the implementation of the Portland Watershed Management Plan (2005).

But the two reports do have much in common: they report on the previous fiscal year, deal with water, and share many of the same information sources—namely, you.

Rather than asking you repeatedly for similar information, we’re trying this new approach to make the process as easy as possible.

We’re after the kind of information listed below in a form most convenient for you. That could be a link to a project page, an email attachment of something you’ve already written, or an article clipped from a newsletter. Or you could write something new, or just outline the main points.

Our aim is to have you do as little additional writing as possible.

We’ll run a draft treatment of your topic by you for review before the reports are printed.

We request your information by June 30^th.

We’d plan to have review drafts out to you in August, with reports printed in the fall.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact either of us:

Rick Bastasch  Matt Burlin

River Renaissance  Portland Watershed Management Plan

3-0275  3-3-7863

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Topics of Interest

a.  we’re interested in actions that

•  improve watershed function and water quality (preventing spills, installing ecoroofs, green streets, sumps, low-impact pesticide and herbicide management, streamside plantings, etc.)

•  protect or restore natural areas (acquiring new lands, natural resource inventories or assessments, controlling invasive species, new mitigation programs, new revenue sources for protection)

•  increase river access and experience by expanding the capacity to connect people to rivers and streams, key river access points or developments by…

o  getting people out on the water (boat docks, boat ramps, lessons/training on safe boating,)

o  getting people next to the water (walking trails, bike trails, adding bike lanes along key river avenues, providing for non-motorized use of bridges, tours that feature the river or go by the river, promenade construction, signage about river history or ecology, etc.)

•  provide outreach and education on watersheds, rivers, good practices (classroom presentations, professional workshops, tours)

•  help grow our river-based economy by

o  keeping harbor industries a vital part of Portland’s economy

o  increasing river tourism and recreation

o  providing more chances for people to enjoy riverfront settings

o  increasing uses or value of riverfront lands (returning areas to productive use);

o  improving efficiency of approval processes relating to any of the above (e.g., streamlining processes for state and federal in-water work permits; ------)

•  demonstrate partnerships with other bureaus or groups.

•  are photo-documented (not to suggest if there are no photos of actions, they’re unimportant)…high resolution images would be enthusiastically received.

b.  we’re also interested in your river and watershed actions planned or priorities for the next 12-18 months

In addition, River Renaissance is interested in facts, figures and statistics that inform the following performance measures.

•  The percentage of sampled stream sites rated as severely impaired, marginally impaired, or acceptable for fish habitat using an index of biotic integrity every 3-5 years.

•  The change in water quality at select stream and Willamette River sites which are monitored by DEQ.

•  The concentration levels of E. Coli in the Willamette River.

•  The tree canopy and vegetation trends, using aerial photographs and multispectral imaging and other tools.

•  The number of downspouts disconnected.

•  The square footage of greenroofs. Greenroofs include both ecoroofs and roof gardens. Ecoroofs consist of thin, light weight soil and special plants that are self-sustaining. Roof gardens include shrubs and trees and more human support in the form of irrigation, fertilizers, and potential pesticide applications. They also require more maintenance.

•  The tree canopy and vegetation trends, using aerial photographs and multi-spectral imaging and other tools.

•  The number of affordable housing units (built by the City) that meet PDC’s green building standards.

•  The number of City buildings that are LEED registered, LEED certified, or incorporate sustainable practices when the LEED certification process is not applicable.

•  The number of LEED registered and certified buildings in Portland.

•  The number of regional jobs supported by manufacturing and distribution firms in the working harbor and Columbia Corridor industrial areas, taking into account the “multiplier effects” of high industrial wages and inter-firm trade.

•  The job growth in target industries and the manufacturing sector generally within the working harbor and Columbia Corridor industrial areas.

•  The tonnage of international and domestic cargo that moves through the harbor, using US Army Corps of Engineers data.

•  The increase in assessed improvements value and the square footage of new development (tracked by new building permits) on sites in the working harbor and Columbia Corridor industrial areas.

•  DEQ cleanup and investigation sites specifically.

•  Riverfront trail usage (seasonally, every 3-5 years).

•  Riverfront park usage (seasonally, every 3-5 years).

•  User satisfaction (seasonally, every 3-5 years)--Whether people feel they have convenient, continuous access to the riverfront (via public transit, bike, car, or on-foot) from their neighborhoods.

•  How often people have been out on the river in the last year.

•  The number of people using Portland’s boating facilities (public and private launches, docks and marinas). The Oregon State Marine Board (OMSB) provides these statistics. The number of slips in use at floating home communities and marinas.

•  The increase in the miles of trail completed based on the Greenway Trail alignment in the Willamette Greenway Plan.

•  The number of acres of riverfront parks.

•  Off-street Greenway Trail miles along the river.

•  The number of accessible riverfront beaches.

•  The increase in riverbank that is restored or in a natural state on both public and private land.

•  The number of downspouts disconnected.

•  The number of people who have signed up for River Renaissance calendar activities (by topic and type of activity).

•  The number of organizations that are featured in the River Renaissance calendar.

•  The number of calendars sent by mail and email.

•  The number of visitors to the River Renaissance website. (See note a).

•  The number of students that hear presentations or are involved in fieldwork through BES’ Clean River Program.

•  The number of times Portland engages in discussion, exchanges information, or plans joint projects (trail connections, freight projects, clean water projects) with upstream and downstream jurisdictions.