News and Events

Virginia Water Monitoring Council 2009 Conference:
Dynamic Tools for Watershed Protection

Friday, March 20, 2009 Presentations

Newsletters

Bay Journal (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay) http://www.bayjournal.com/

The Volunteer Monitor (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
http://www.epa.gov/owow/volunteer/vm_index.html

Virginia Naturally (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) http://www.vanaturally.com/vanaturally (See “What’s New” for this month’s news and links to past newsletters)

Virginia Water Central (Virginia Water Research Resource Center) 
http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/WaterCentralIntro.htm

National Monitoring Events

The Great North American Secchi Dip-In (June – July) – Individuals measure transparency on one day during the weeks surrounding Canada Day and July Fourth. A goal of the Dip-In is to increase the number and interest of volunteers in environmental monitoring. The Dip-In also provides a national perspective of water quality. Website includes monitoring methods, ways to participate, and more: http://dipin.kent.edu/index.htm.

Virginia Waterways Cleanup/International Coastal Cleanup (September – October) –Volunteers across Virginia gather along the shorelines of rivers, lakes, ponds and bays to pick up trash as part of the Virginia Waterways Cleanup Day (part of the International Coastal Cleanup). They also complete "International Coastal Cleanup Data Cards" from the Ocean Conservancy, helping to collect valuable information about the amounts, types and sources of debris found along Virginia's waterways. To learn how to be a team leader or how to participate, see http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/.

World Water Monitoring Day (September 18 - October 18) – An international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. Participants sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Results are shared with participating communities around the globe through the WWMD website: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/.