| | | | The Intake Your Source for Collaborative News February 2021 | | | | | | | | BREAKING NEWS: The Collaborative is Awesome The partnership has recently created striking visuals to show our Annual Accomplishments 2020. (If you haven't done so already, please share on social media.) We sent a press release to local & regional news outlets, resulting in two local news stories! Read & watch below. The Local DVM story was shared on Twitter by the National Wildlife Federation, exposing our work on the national level! | | | | | | These news stories are a perfect example of partners implementing the strategic plan they are actively developing. Partners have set a Goal for "Education", that through our work together community members will better understand the links between protected lands and safe drinking water. Further, the Education & Outreach Workgroup has an objective for "Public Outreach" to reach 1,000 members of the public annually. These stories put us well on our way to success! Many thanks to Susan Whalton, Mark Schiavone, and Liz Wheeler for their assistance writing the press release and providing support for the interviews, and to everyone on the Education & Outreach Workgroup and additional partners that provided edits to the press release. You all made these stories happen! | | | | Strategic Plan Update On January 20th, our strategic planning consultant, Ashley Arayas with Cadmus Group, gave a presentation on the final draft Steering Committee Roles and Workgroup Objectives that were based on partner feedback via a survey. A full video recording of the meeting is available. In the week following this meeting, Steering Committee members approved, via email, the final Steering Committee Roles and Workgroup Objectives. Read them at these links: We are nearing completion! The final steps are for each Workgroup to develop Strategies for achieving their Objectives in February-March. A draft plan will be presented for our review in April-May. Based on our feedback, the plan will be finalized in June. Full schedule below. | | | | | | | | Around the Collaborative If you have exciting news, please let us know and we'll share with our partners in next month's edition. | | | | | | The Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board is pleased to announce the acquisition of its twelfth easement since March 2020. The 145-acre parcel is located in the Shanghai area of Berkeley County in the Back Creek Watershed. It is adjacent to four other protected properties and further consolidates protected stream banks for Back Creek. “With this easement, we estimate that we are protecting nearly 17 miles of major and minor streams in Berkeley County,” says Mark Schiavone, Executive Director of the BCFPB. | | | | | | The New England Conservation Finance Roundtable, co-hosted by Highstead and the Conservation Finance Network, is inviting participants to join in an engaging morning of free virtual sessions designed to explore innovative investment strategies in conservation. The sessions will take place on February 24 from 9 AM to 1 PM EST. Pre-registration is required by February 22. Spencer Meyer, Co-host of the event, is a Senior Conservationist with Highstead. | | | | | | What's Happening A recap of recent & upcoming meetings, webinars, and more. | | | | Partner Spotlight Take a moment to learn about all the great people & organizations that are a part of our work. | | | | | |  | Alana Hartman is the Potomac Basin Coordinator for the Watershed Improvement Branch (WIB) of the WV-DEP and is a supporter of the Collaborative. The mission of the WIB “is to inspire and empower people to value and work for clean water”. The WIB supports and manages multiple programs that help to protect and restore water sources, educate the public on water protection, and aid water improvement efforts. As the Potomac Basin Coordinator, Alana supports watershed groups in implementing projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution in the eight West Virginia counties that drain to the Potomac River. She helps to administer the WV Stream Partners grant program and to manage Best Management Practice data for the Chesapeake Bay Program. | | |  | Crys Bauer is the Forestry Programs Coordinator for the Cacapon Institute and is a member of the Stewardship workgroup. Begun in 1985 as the Pine Cabin Run Ecological Lab, the Cacapon Institute leads conservation programs and projects in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Western Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley. The Cacapon Institute is also a founding member of the WV Chesapeake Bay Program. As the Forestry Programs Coordinator, Crys focuses on implementing and supporting programs throughout the Potomac Highlands region to promote, maintain and ultimately increase urban tree canopy and other conservation practices to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance watershed communities. | | |  | Liz Wheeler is the Executive Director of the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board and is a member of the Conservation workgroup. The Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board is a nonprofit governmental conservation entity. Established in 2002, the Board currently holds 48 easements protecting 5,560 acres. Their mission is to “protect productive farmland for future generations in order to maintain the long-term viability of agriculture in Jefferson County”. Liz has been the Executive Director of the JCFPB since 2011. She works to encourage conservation by collaborating with landowners and agency and nonprofit partners to protect farmland throughout Jefferson County. | | | | | | | | West Virginia Rivers Coalition
3501 MacCorkle Ave SE #129 | Charleston, West Virginia 25304
304-637-7201 | wvrivers@wvrivers.org | |  | | | | | | | | |
