East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District

I’m trying out a new acronym: TIMBY. Or, «That’s In My Back Yard?»
Today, thanks to the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, I learned a ton about what is in and what I can do with my back AND front yard.
We attended one of the several free workshops they offer. This one, on rain gardens, was held at the beautiful Leach Botanical Gardens, and lasted three lightning-​quick hours.
The workshop was well organized, interactive (we got the chance to sketch out our own house and calculate the best place to put a rain garden), and chock-​full of immediately applicable information.
We walked away with a cross-​section of handouts on everything the EMSWCD supports, including information on water-​loving vs. invasive plant species, getting credit from the water bureau for stormwater management, testing your soil, and determining the best solutions for using the rain runoff from your sidewalks, driveways and roof.
So cool. We’re going to the one on native plants later on this month. I can hardly wait!