We are excited to welcome Kim Williams as our new District Manager! Kim brings 20 years’ experience working with natural resources, and has extensive experience in salmon habitat restoration, program development, and community engagement.

Prior to beginning with the Conservation District this month, Kim worked for 10 years as a restoration botanist for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe during the Elwha dam removal project. She managed the Revegetation Department for Natural Resources. She was also the Climate Change Coordinator, and worked in fisheries for the tribe. These various positions have given her well rounded experiences, many connections with the local community and an understanding of the importance of our natural resources on the Olympic Peninsula.

Kim has a Bachelor of Science from Evergreen State College in Environmental studies in botany and forestry. Kim is also an entrepreneur having owned several businesses.

Kim lives in Port Angeles, with her two girls, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 6 turkeys and 4 rabbits. Her family has been involved in 4H for 10 years. They enjoy supporting local farmers, eating farm fresh produce and meat, and enjoying time in the incredible nature that this area has to offer. Please join us in welcoming Kim to our team!

And in case you are wondering what Joe Holtrop is up to, he is busy helping Jefferson County Conservation District as their District Manager while remaining a half-time Conservation Planner for our District. He will continue all the great work he’s been doing on irrigation water management projects, the Dungeness well metering project, and holding his incredibly popular Natural Landscaping courses. So, keep your eyes out for upcoming workshop offerings from him!

In May, the State Conservation Commission certified conservation district supervisor elections and appointments, thus making them official. This also means all supervisors elected and appointed during the first quarter of 2020 can assume their roles, including our newly elected supervisor Lori DeLorm.

Lori joins our five-member Board of Supervisors. For more information on Conservation District elections and appointments please visit our Elections and Appointments page.

Lori is a lifelong Sequim resident and has worked as a water quality technician for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe for the past 22 years. She is also a Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Citizen with close ties to the community, and is dedicated to conservation, protection, and enhancement of natural resources.

Now that we are starting to get back into our office as Covid restrictions are easing, you can once again bring your soil into our office for testing. We will accept soil on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 9:00am to 4:00pm. If you can’t make it those days you can call us to schedule an appointment for another time.

Taking a soil test for your gardens, lawns and pastures before adding manure, compost or fertilizer helps you determine exactly what nutrients your soil needs to achieve optimum growing conditions. Soil tests are $20 per sample, and results can take up to three weeks to return.

For more information and instructions on taking a soil test visit our Soil-testing page.

FARM TOUR: Improve Your Pasture!

WHEN: Wednesday, June 23rd from 10:00-11:00AM
WHERE: Robin Hill Farm Park (meet at the parking lot off Pinnell Road)
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Register HERE

We are excited to resume farm tours and will be hosting our first, in-person event post Covid, at Robin Hill Farm. District planners will tour participants through the rotational grazing system at the park, which is grazed by Miniature Hereford cattle, and talk about strategies to increase the health and productivity of pastures. Management techniques such as mowing, dragging and rotational grazing will be discussed as tools to boost the production of forage species while helping to control and prevent weed infestations. The workshop will include identification of common forage grasses and legumes to ensure participants are growing the highest producing species for their pastures.

All participants are requested to follow CDC guidelines when attending this event.

A good manure management plan for your horse and livestock operation will ensure that manure generated on your farm is a useful resource rather than a risky liability. Manure should be collected from livestock confinement areas on a regular basis and stored in a dry, covered location away from surface water and wells. Safely utilizing manure, which contains nutrients that are needed for pasture and crop growth, is a key part of keeping your land and livestock healthy. Follow these guidelines when spreading manure back onto your pastures:

• Manure can be spread onto healthy pastures, during the growing season, when grass is at least 3 inches tall.

• Follow the recommendations of a soil test when applying manure. More information on our Soil Testing page.

• Leave at least a 40 foot buffer when spreading manure along surface water like streams, ditches, and ponds and do not spread manure within 100 feet of wellheads. More information check out setbacks for manure applications in Western Washington.

New Funding for Streamside Horse & Livestock Owners

The District received funding through the National Estuary Program to assist horse and livestock owners residing within the Sequim-Dungeness Clean Water District, which spans from Bagley Creek east to the Clallam-Jefferson boundary, with protecting water quality. This grant provides assistance for implementing a variety of conservation practices that address horse and livestock impacts to streams, ditches, and wetlands. Practices such as stream fencing and developing alternative livestock watering systems may be eligible for cost share assistance. Feel free to call the Conservation District or SIGN UP to request assistance from a conservation planner.

Don’t live within the Clean Water District but still interested in receiving assistance? Use the same link as above to sign up for assistance and a conservation planner will contact you.

Do you have a waterway on your property? Have you walked it lately to see what is growing there?

Waterways such as rivers and streams are often forgotten areas on the land, but these areas can be some of the most important to pay a monthly visit to. Weed seeds can float downstream, or blow in on the wind, so keeping an eye out for potential invasive weeds in riparian areas is very important.

A few weeds to keep a close eye out for are knotweed, poison hemlock, scotchbroom, Himalayan blackberry, and reed canary grass. There are certainly many more weeds that can be found in riparian areas, but by walking your property frequently, especially during spring and summer months when weeds are more actively growing, you can establish a baseline of what the vegetation is. This will help ensure that a plant doesn’t get out of control and begin spreading without you knowing.

If you have a stream or river on your property and would like help with noxious weed infestations or restoring a riparian buffer, feel free to get in touch with us. Conservation District planners are available to provide free, on-site technical assistance. Depending on your situation, you may also be eligible for financial assistance to restore or enhance your riparian buffers. Contact us at 360-775-3747 ext. 5 or by email at info@clallamcd.org.

CONSERVATION SPONSORS