 | | WV WaterNet: Spring Edition |
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| In Depth: AMD Funding Opportunities for Watershed Groups |
| There has been a lot of buzz related to the money that will be coming in from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). To learn more about how mine reclamation funds will funnel through the WVDEP and to watershed groups, as well as how watershed groups can prepare, check out this blog written by Martin Christ, the WV DEP Northern Basin Coordinator. |
| | New Wetland Resources Webpage from WVDEP By Alana Hartman |
| In winter of 2021, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Regional Basin Coordinators and intern Cora Alderman worked with the agency’s wetland expert, Elizabeth Byers, and webmaster, Adam Simons, to update its online Wetlands Resources Guide web page. We hope you’ll explore this refreshed collection of informative guides, fact sheets, and manuals that promote appreciation and enhancement of West Virginia’s wetlands. On this web page, you’ll find: |
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| - Links to documents and other web pages about the functions and benefits of wetlands and their plants, animals, soils, and water;
- Information on how to protect these valuable landscapes;
- Materials for educators, and;
- Inspiring videos, some carefully curated and produced by talented WVDEP staff.
We encourage you to share this great online resource with your friends who own marshy land, teachers who are interested in new ways to present information to students, or anyone who enjoys learning about birds, animals and plants. |
| | Regional Watershed Gatherings Scheduled |
|  | Eastern Panhandle - May 19 On May 19th, the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District will be hosting a watershed group gathering at the Cacapon State Park Lodge for local watershed advocates in the region. Join your fellow watershed associations, nonprofits, local government agencies, and community members to learn about topics in conservation and water quality, update each other on your accomplishments over the past year (or more!), and develop partnerships with your peers across the region. Please RSVP to Kristen Bisom via email, kbisom@wvca.us, or phone, (681) 247-3011. For more information, check out the event flyer here. |
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Southern - May 20 The Southern Regional Watershed Gathering will be held on May 20th at Little Beaver State Park from 10am-2pm. All are invited, new fledgling watershed groups, well established watershed groups, those interested in getting a watershed group started, and valuable partners! It will be outside with no power points or computers, though we will go over a useful water monitoring application for your phone! You can find more information and RSVP here. |
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| Northern - Fall 2022 The Northern Regional Watershed Gathering will take place in September, likely at Valley Falls State Park. Look for more details in the next edition of WaterNet! If you have ideas for meeting topics, send them to the Martin Christ, the Northern Watershed Basin Coordinator, at martin.j.christ@wv.gov. |
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Western - Fall 2022 The Western Regional Watershed Gathering will take place outside of Charleston, WV in the fall, with more details to come in the summer WaterNet. If you have ideas for meeting topics, send them to Tomi Bergstrom, the Western Basin Coordinator, at Tomi.M.Bergstrom@wv.gov. In the meantime, check out the event calendar to find a plethora of spring events happening in the Western Basin! |
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| | Save the Date: Upcoming Spring Events |
|  | | Ongoing - “Tourists are Coming” Clean Up Coal River - Ongoing The first new billboard near St. Albans is located on West Main Street next to the popular Tudors restaurant and the start of the Coal River Road that follows the River Trail to Tornado, WV. Please help clean up this tourism highway- it’s a mess! Clean rivers mean business! Help clean up our rivers and all our entry roadways! No one wants to see dilapidated buildings and trash along the roads and rivers. Call 304-722-305 to volunteer! April 2 - Davis Creek Clean-Up: Meet at 8:30am at the W.Q. Watters Company (1081 Kanawha State Forest Drive), bags and gloves are provided. Email Diana Green with questions: dkgg@suddenlink.net |
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| April 14 - Trout Release on Morris Creek, 9:00am: Malden Elementary students raised brown trout all winter and will be releasing them into Morris Creek. Email Mike King with questions: Mike.King@bridgevalley.edu April 23 - Earth Day Trash Clean Up along Fourpole Creek: Stations start at Kinetic Park and continue through several neighborhoods, see which one is closest to you and join in! Bags, gloves, and litter getters are provided before the event to each group participating. Email Carrie Denvir with questions: Carrie.Denvir@huntingtonswu.com |
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| April 29-30 - River Celebration on the Little Coal River: On Friday, the entire Boone Career and Technical Center school and volunteers will clean the river banks and remove trash from Daville to the mouth of Rock Creek. On Saturday, the clean up continues, ending with a catered lunch by West Madison Grocery, partially funded by the Boone County Foundation Grant and Adventure Tourism Program. Contact Robert Miller for more information at: rpmiller@k12.wv.us May 14 - Kid's Day on Paint Creek, 9:00am-1:00pm: Bring your family to Ash Branch ADA Fishing Pier for all the fun. May 22 - Marsh Fork Community Event in Naoma, 2:00pm-5:00pm: Educational booths, maps of Marsh Fork, and be part of a new watershed group forming! Email Debbie Jarrell with any questions: debbiejarrell@gmail.com June 4 - Discover the Forks with Forks of Coal State Natural Area Foundation, 10:00am- 3:00pm: Snakes Alive presentation, booths on casting fish lines, tours of the new education center, scavenger hunt, guided hikes, native fish aquarium, and more! Contact Ashley Anderson with any question: ashley.n.anderson@wv.gov June 18 - Tour De Coal on Coal River on Saturday: The largest Flatwater River Paddle Event in the US! The trail is 12 miles long! Start at Meadowood Park in Tornado, WV-Upper Falls. Bring your boats to the park between 12 noon and 6:pm on Friday the 17th. The TDC starts at 8:30 am on Saturday the 18th! Cost is $30 for the event and $5 for parking boats! June 25 - Stream Ecology/Water Quality Workshop: Meet at Shelter 4 in Kanawha State Forest at 9am until mid-afternoon. Bring water, a snack, and wading footwear. Register in advance for this workshop by June 15th by emailing daviscreekwatershedassn@gmail.com or callie.c.sams@wv.gov. |
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| | West Virginia Rivers Coalition
3501 MacCorkle Ave SE #129 | Charleston, West Virginia 25304
304-637-7201 | wvrivers@wvrivers.org |
| The WV WaterNet is made possible through an award of Environmental Protection Agency’s 319 funding awarded to the West Virginia Rivers Coalition by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. |
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