The overall goal of the Stroubles Creek Watershed Initiative is to provide opportunities in research, education, service-learning, outreach, and university-community partnership. Research Development Virginia Tech main campus is situated within the boundaries of the Stroubles Creek watershed. A major goal of the Stroubles Creek Watershed Initiative is to develop a university-wide outdoors watershed laboratory at Virginia Tech. The outdoors laboratory will provide the following research and educational opportunities to Virginia Tech students and faculty: 1. Integration of advanced real-time water monitoring technologies and data transfer from monitoring stations to be established upstream and downstream of the Duck Pond in research and classroom course work. 2. Developing of advanced database management system in a GIS environment. 3. Opportunities for training to measure physical, chemical and biological characteristics using advanced land and water monitoring techniques. 4. Opportunities for land use assessment and stream corridor survey for planning purposes. Service-Learning The Virginia Water Resources Research Center (VWRRC) at Virginia Tech is the administrator for the Virginia Service Training for Environmental Progress (STEP), a state-wide university-community partnership for service-learning. Since its inception in 1986, Virginia STEP has recruited and trained 69 interns who have completed 50 community-based projects across Virginia (see STEP website: http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/StudentOps/step/step.htm). The Stroubles Creek Watershed Initiative is a manifestation of the service-learning programs initiated by the VWRRC. The watershed initiative provides service-learning opportunities in the watershed in the areas described under the Research and Education and Education and outreach below. Education and Outreach The objective of the education/outreach program is to provide educational opportunities to Virginia Tech students as well as to K-12 students and citizens at large. The Education/Outreach activities will be coordinated with the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History; the SEEDS (Seek, Education, Explore, Discover) program; and the Service-Learning Center at Virginia Tech. The initiative will provide opportunities to Virginia Tech students to participate in watershed community awareness programs by actively being involved with citizen monitoring programs, and presentations to local schools and civic groups. The initiative will provide an opportunity to K-12 students to be mentored by college students, to be actively involved in watershed protection programs, and to participate in environmental tours that will be developed through this initiative. University-Community Partnership A major goal of the Stroubles Creek Watershed Initiative is to establish a partnership between various interest groups in the watershed. The objective of the partnership is to coordinate watershed protection efforts undertaken by the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech and other groups. Major partners will include Virginia Tech, Town of Blacksburg, New River Planning District, Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, SEEDS, Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History, and Service-Learning Center at Virginia Tech, and others. webmaster Virginia Water Resources Research Center 23 Agnew  Hall (0444) Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 P: (540) 231-5624 F:(540) 231-6673