The Oregon Department of Agriculture Soil and Water Conservation District Program offers trainings to help support district operations, directors, and staff. Our staff is also available to provide operational technical assistance by phone, email, or in person. Eric Nusbaum is available to do individual presentations and trainings to your staff and board. Please call him at 503.510.8930 for more information.
New SWCD Director and Employee Orientation Packet
The Orientation Packet provides basic information for new directors and employees about the services of the ODA SWCD program and laws and policies that govern SWCD directors and employees.
SWCD Director Training 2023
Every two years the SWCD Program offers training for new and continuing district directors and staff. Below are the presentations and materials for 2023. Please contact our staff for any questions or to request any of these trainings for your staff and board.
SWCD Training Week 2021 Recordings and Reference Materials
Most of the sessions below were recorded, and you can find the YouTube link under each individual session if it was recorded. A complete playlist of the SWCD training YouTube videos also is available. The PowerPoint presentations and any reference material is available under each individual session.
Schedule of trainings
Click on title for details.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour, 30 minutes
This session is for both new directors and directors who wish for a general refresher course on the basics of the legal responsibilities of being an SWCD director. The session will cover what it means to be a director, what you can and cannot do as a director, how your district interacts with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the basics of Ethics, Public Meeting, and Public Record Laws. This session will be repeated at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 and 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. There will be similar session focused on new employees at noon Wednesday, Feb. 24. Directors will still find that session useful if they cannot make any of the other three sessions.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
This training will look in detail at the complexities of holding an Executive Session — what you can and cannot hold executive sessions for and how to conduct them. Violations of Executive Session law can lead to costly fines and legal costs for the district and individual board members; it is important to ensure you know how to appropriately hold your executive sessions. There will be time for asking questions and discussion. This session will be repeated at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
This session is for managers only or with prior permission from Eric Nusbaum. A similar session for everyone will be held at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22.
Learn simple tools for managing your time and stress! The emphasis is on small changes you can make for your work day to be less stressful and more efficient. There will be time for managers to discuss issues at their particular district and get advice and guidance from their peers.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
A deeper and more advanced look at Public Meeting Law than will be presented in the New Director and Employee Trainings. This session would be particularly helpful to managers and administrative staff who deal with setting up meetings, providing agendas and notices, and prepare minutes. There will be time for answering and discussing questions from the participants.
Led by Ellen Hammond — 1 hour
This session is for directors, managers, and staff who would like to know how the Department’s Agricultural Water Quality Program operates and works with SWCDs. This will include looking at area plans and rules, the compliance program, Strategic Implementation Areas (SIAs), monitoring, and other areas of interest. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion. This session will be repeated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
Learn simple tools for managing your time and stress! The emphasis is on small changes you can make for your work day to be less stressful and more efficient. There will be time for everyone to share their own tips and tricks.
Led by Courtney Shaff and Tara Choate — 1 hour
Grant Payment Coordinator Tara Choate and Interim Business Operations Manager Courtney Shaff will go over 10 Tips and Tricks for easy and reliable SWCD Capacity Reporting. Topics include how to easily use OWEB’s Request for Funds Form, what information is necessary on the Expense Tracking sheet, budget category tips including allowable costs under travel and food, and the best way to get answers to the question “What category is that?” This session will be repeated at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Led by Tyler Manitsas — 30 minutes
The Agricultural Drainage Channel Maintenance (ADCM) program authorizes maintenance activities without a Removal-Fill permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) in dry, traditionally maintained channels under certain circumstances. The ADCM staff developed a new notice-based process that landowners and irrigation, drainage, and other water control districts must use if they are interested in agricultural maintenance of eligible ditches and streams that drain agricultural lands. Tyler will give a brief explanation of the program followed by questions and answers.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
A deeper and more advanced look at Ethics Law than will be presented in the New Director and Employee Trainings. This session would be particularly helpful to managers and board chairs who may be in the position of monitoring the actions of their board members or employees for possible ethics violations. There will be time for answering and discussing questions from the participants.
Led by Courtney Shaff and Sandi Hiatt — 1 hour
For the 2021-2023 SWCD Operating Capacity grants, districts will be applying through OWEB’s Online Grant Management System. This training will provide an overview of OWEB’s online grant application system and provide a preview of the SWCD Operating Capacity online application. This session will be repeated at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour, 30 minutes
This session is for both new directors and directors who wish a general refresher course on the basics of the legal responsibilities of being an SWCD director. The session will cover what it means to be a director, what you can and cannot do as a director, how your district interacts with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the basics of Ethics, Public Meeting, and Public Record Laws. This session will be repeated at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. There will be a similar session focused on new employees at noon Wednesday, Feb. 24. Directors will still find that session useful if they cannot make any of the other three sessions.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour, 30 minutes
This session is for employees new to the SWCD world or to being a public employee. The session will cover what it means to be a public official, how your district interacts with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the basics of Ethics, Public Meeting, and Public Record Laws. This session is similar to the New Director Orientation sessions. New employees will find those sessions useful if they cannot make this employee-oriented session.
Led by Courtney Shaff and Tara Choate — 1 hour
Grant Payment Coordinator Tara Choate and Interim Business Operations Manager Courtney Shaff will go over 10 Tips & Tricks for easy and reliable SWCD Capacity Reporting. Topics include how to easily use OWEB’s Request for Funds Form, what information is necessary on the Expense Tracking sheet, budget category tips including allowable costs under travel and food, and the best way to get answers to the question “What category is that?”
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
This training will look in detail at the complexities of holding an Executive Session — what you can and cannot hold executive sessions for and how to conduct them. Violations of Executive Session law can lead to costly fines and legal costs for the district and individual board members; it is important to ensure you know how to appropriately hold your executive sessions. There will be time for asking questions and discussion.
Led by Courtney Shaff and Sandi Hiatt — 1 hour
For the 2021-2023 SWCD Operating Capacity grants, districts will be applying through OWEB’s Online Grant Management System. This training will provide an overview of OWEB’s online grant application system and provide a preview of the SWCD Operating Capacity online application.
Led by Ellen Hammond — 1 hour
This session is for directors, managers, and staff who would like to know how the Department’s Agricultural Water Quality Program operates and works with SWCDs. This will include looking at area plans and rules, the compliance program, Strategic Implementation Areas (SIAs), monitoring, and other areas of interest. There will be opportunity for questions and discussion.
Led by Jan Lee of OACD, Jeremy Baker of OCEAN, and Marganne Allen of ODA — 1 hour
OACD: Oregon Association of Conservation Districts
OCEAN: Oregon Conservation Education and Assistance Network
ODA: Oregon Department of Agriculture
If you are new to the conservation and SWCD world, these organizations and how they relate to each other may be unfamiliar. This will be an opportunity to hear from each organization about their current activities and relation to each other. There will be time for questions and discussion.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
A deeper and more advanced look at Public Record Law than will be presented in the New Director and Employee Trainings. We will look at changes in the law over the past couple of years and have time to answer and discuss any questions that the participants have.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour, 30 minutes
This session is for both new directors and directors who wish a general refresher course on the basics of the legal responsibilities of being an SWCD director. The session will cover what it means to be a director, what you can and cannot do as a director, how your district interacts with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the basics of Ethics, Public Meeting, and Public Record Laws. There will be a similar session focused on new employees at noon Wednesday, Feb. 24. Directors will still find that session useful if they cannot make any of the other three sessions.
Led by Eric Nusbaum — 1 hour
This session is for managers only or with prior permission from Eric Nusbaum.
One of the most important and yet challenging jobs for managers is providing the support for your employees to do the best job possible, yet many of the SWCD managers have no experience or training in employee coaching. This session will provide some simple and useful skills and tools to help you coach your employees. There will be time for managers to discuss issues at their particular district and get advice and guidance from their peers.