Announcements for July 28, 2009:
Please feel free to forward these announcements. When forwarding, please acknowledge the Virginia Water Monitoring Council. Special thank you to Ashley Allison, VWMC intern, for her help in pulling together these announcements
- VWMC Sponsored training session -- Low Impact Development: Uses for Watershed Protection -- Sept. 29, 2009
- Upcoming TMDL Meetings in Virginia -- July 29, 2009 (Upper Roanoke River) ; July 30, 2009 (Lower Roanoke River)
- 2009 Roanoke River Watershed Conference -- August 14, 2009 (Early registration deadline: July 31, 2009)
- Job Opening -- ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER / ENGINEER -- Applications due: August 7, 2009
- Call for Poster Presenters -- 2009 Virginia Water Research Conference, Water Resources in Changing Climates -- Conference: October 15-16, 2009; Poster Abstract Deadline: August 7, 2009
- 2009 Virginia Citizens for Water Quality (VCWQ) Summer Summit -- August 15, 2009
- Virginia Master Well Owner Network Volunteer Training Workshop -- August 29, 2009
- River and Beach Clean Up Events -- September 1 - October 31, 2009
- Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-Up Plan
- Chesapeake Online Adaptive Support Toolkit (COAST)
- Youth Tree-Planting Effort Benefits Watersheds
Please feel free to forward these announcements. When forwarding, please acknowledge the Virginia Water Monitoring Council. Special thank you to Ashley Allison, VWMC intern, for her help in pulling together these announcements.
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1. VWMC Sponsored training session -- Low Impact Development: Uses for Watershed Protection
Sept. 29, 2009 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) -- Spotsylvania County Schools Administrative Services Building -- Learn about LID Practices, Site Plan Design, Site Plan Review, and more. Thanks to our generous sponsors, this training session is FREE, but you must register to attend the session. Space is limited so register soon! To register online and learn more about this in-depth LID training session, see www.VirginiaWMC.org. If you have questions, please contact Jane Walker, vwmc@vt.edu or 540-231-4159.
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2. Upcoming TMDL Meetings in Virginia
More information available at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/tmdl/homepage.html
3. 2009 Roanoke River Watershed Conference
August 14, 2009 (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) -- Ferrum College, Ferrum, Va. -- This Friday, July 31, 2009 is the last day for the early registration! -- Sponsored by Upper Roanoke River Roundtable in partnership with Ferrum College and DCR. Questions?: Contact Maureen Castern at mcastern@verizon.net or (540) 344-5286.
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4. Job Opening -- ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER / ENGINEER
The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, a regional planning agency, representing the interests of the 1.6 million residents in the ten cities and six counties of Hampton Roads is seeking a candidate for the position of Environmental Planner / Engineer. Candidates should have background in and knowledge of environmental planning and/or engineering. Applicants must possess strong communication, research, writing, analytical and computer skills. GIS knowledge and experience helpful. Requires MS/MA/MPA in Planning, Civil Engineering/Environmental Science or closely related field and a background in environmental science, water resources and environmental policy. A BS/BA with experience may substitute. Starting salary range - $47,000 – $52,000, DOQ. Position description is available at www.hrpdcva.gov. Resumes should be sent to John M. Carlock, Deputy Executive Director, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320, or via email: jcarlock@hrpdcva.gov, by August 7, 2009. EOE.
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5. Call for Poster Presenters -- 2009 Virginia Water Research Conference, Water Resources in Changing Climates
October 15-16, 2009 -- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. – Poster Abstracts Accepted until August 7, 2009 -- This research conference will address the environmental, political, and economic changes we face as stakeholders, researchers, and managers of water resources. Basic and applied research posters are solicited in all areas related to understanding and managing water resources. Researchers from colleges and universities, federal and state agencies, local governments, organizations, consulting firms, and others are encouraged to present posters. See http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/2009conference.html for more information, or contact Jane Walker at janewalk@vt.edu or 540-231-6673.
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6. 2009 Virginia Citizens for Water Quality (VCWQ) Summer Summit
August 15, 2009 -- Clark Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA -- This year’s summit theme will focus on the successes of citizen scientists throughout the Commonwealth. Citizen scientists in Virginia have been contributing much to our understanding of water quality conditions. The VCWQ Summer Summit allows volunteers to come together to share their collective knowledge, discuss issues happening in their communities, collaborate on common solutions, and share their successes. Online registration can be found here. Registration for the VCWQ summer summit is $25. This will cover participant’s lunch and any incidentals needed to host the VCWQ summit. Options for lunch is part of the registration. Payment can be provided at the door the day of the event. For more information, contact: Chris French, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Director, PO Box 1981, Richmond, VA 23218, 530 E. Main Street, (804) 775-0951 (804) 775-0954 (fax), www.acb-online.org
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7. Virginia Master Well Owner Network Volunteer Training Workshop
August 29, 2009 (9 - 4) -- Virginia Cooperative Extension Northeast District Office, 2810 N. Parham Road, Richmond. Who should consider being a Master Well Owner volunteer and why? Anyone interested in learning more about proper location, construction, and maintenance of water wells, springs and cisterns, who is interested in educating others about these topics. Ideal volunteers have their own well, spring or cistern. In most states, including Virginia, drinking water regulations are only in place for public water systems. Virginia does have private well regulations, but these only cover location and construction of wells, not maintenance requirements. Private water system owners often have limited access to information and resources about maintaining and protecting their wells, springs, and cisterns, yet are completely responsible for the safety of their own water supply. By becoming a Virginia Master Well Owner, you not only learn how to take care of your own water supply and system, but can share what you learn with others. To learn more or to complete a short application to participate in this training, see http://www.wellwater.bse.vt.edu/become_a_mwo.php
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8. River and Beach Clean Up Events
September 1 - October 31, 2009 -- Clean Virginia Waterways is signing up Site Captains to lead river, stream, and beach clean ups, all across Virginia as part of the Annual Virginia Waterways Clean Up. For more information, visit http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/iccva.htm. This statewide event involves thousands of volunteers, and is part of a worldwide effort to clean our oceans – the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Top Ten Litter Items found by volunteers in 2008: 1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters; 2. Food Wrappers/Containers; 3. Beverage Bottles (plastic) 2 liters or less; 4. Beverage Cans; 5. Glass Beverage Bottles; 6. Bags(Plastic); 7. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons; 8. Caps, Lids; 9. Straws, Stirrers; 10. Bags (Paper). These ten items accounted for 86.32 percent of all litter and trash picked up by volunteers in Virginia during the 2008 Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup). This annual statewide volunteer event is planned by Clean Virginia Waterways, a program affiliated with Longwood University. For more information, visit the CVW web site: www.longwood.edu/cleanva or contact CVW at 434-395-2602 or cleanva@longwood.edu
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9. Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-Up Plan
Submitted by The Honorable L. Preston Bryant, Jr., Secretary of Natural Resources -- You may view an electronic version of this document on the website of the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources, at www.naturalresources.virginia.gov/Initiatives/WaterCleanupPlan
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10. Chesapeake Online Adaptive Support Toolkit (COAST)
Web-based adaptive management tools for the Chesapeake Bay, a cooperative effort between the USGS and EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. COAST provides an adaptive-management approach to coordinate, implement, and assess management actions to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. COAST is helping to support the Chesapeake Action Plan and focuses on providing information to help decision makers implement and assess the types and locations of practices needed to reduce nutrients from agricultural and developed lands source sectors and Protect lands and habitats that provide a water-quality benefit. To learn more, see: http://chesapeake.usgs.gov/coast/
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11. Youth Tree-Planting Effort Benefits Watersheds
In spring 2009, Virginia youth planted over 30,000 hardwood seedlings to help restore the Chesapeake and other watersheds. The program, funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Foundation, used seedlings grown by the Virginia Department of Forestry and was administered by Cooperative Extension foresters in each district. Now in its fourth and final year, the project has grown each year, and has taught approximately 100,000 youth how to plant and care for seedlings. Nearly every county in Virginia participated in the project, and partners included Soil and Water Conservation Districts, 4-H clubs, scout groups, and clean city commissions. Initially a Chesapeake Bay-only project, the Virginia Forestry Educational Foundation began funding for seedlings grown outside the watershed in 2008. The Virginia Department of Forestry grows and sells bare-root hardwood seedlings from their Augusta Forestry Center.
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Information provided to the members of the Virginia Water Monitoring Council
To learn more about the Council, please browse the rest of our website or contact Jane Walker at the address below. If you have any water-monitoring related news of regional or statewide interest, send it to Jane Walker and ask that it be distributed to VWMC membership. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to the VWMC to support these information updates and other VWMC activities. Make checks payable to: “The Virginia Tech Foundation” and on the memo portion of the check include “Fund #872802.” Mail contributions to Jane Walker, VWMC administrator, at the address below.
Jane Walker
Research Associate
Virginia Water Resources Research Center
210 Cheatham Hall (0444)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 540-231-4159
Fax: 540-231-6673
Email: janewalk@vt.edu
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© 2009 Virginia Water Resources Research Center 