Monitoring Newsletter: Fall 2023 Edition
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Next Quarterly Volunteer Teleconference
Please join us for our next volunteer conference call Tuesday, December 12th at 7pm. The call will be hosted on Zoom, with both video conference and dial-in options.
We will provide MVP updates and monitoring reminders, discuss upcoming training opportunities, and answer any questions. We hope you can join the discussion!
When: Tuesday, December 12th at 7 pm
Email wvrivers@wvrivers.org for the Zoom link!
Corridor H: Visual Assessment Training Interest
Holly Meadows Area Bridge Construction. Photo courtesy of Friends of Blackwater.
If you are interested in monitoring construction activities related to Corridor H from Parsons to Davis, we encourage you to attend the upcoming visual assessment training.
At this training, attendees will learn how to conduct visual assessments and report potential pollution events related to highway construction. You can sign up for more information here.
If you do not live in the area but know someone who does, please forward them this opportunity!
Recent Events Recap
Snapshot Day Successes, 10-Year Program Report & 10-Year Monitors!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Snapshot Day on October 1st! It was a beautiful fall day to be in community with fellow water quality monitors.
WV Rivers Staff and water quality monitors gather for a photo before heading out into the Mon Forest for 2023 Snapshot Day.
The day started with a short presentation from Mike Jones, WV Rivers’ Public Lands Campaign Coordinator, about ongoing efforts to protect headwater streams within the Monongahela National Forest.
After that, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the WV/VA Water Quality Monitoring Project by reviewing milestones from the 10-Year Anniversary Report. If you weren’t able to make it to Snapshot Day, we encourage you to take a look at program successes over the years and share with your friends! Click here.
We also recognized water quality monitors who have been with us since the program’s inception. A big THANK YOU to Chris Byrd, Randy Kesling, and Jane Birdsong for 10 years of their unwavering support and dedication!
Staff Scientist Jenna Dodson and Chris Byrd (left), Randy Kesling (middle), and Jane Birdsong (right.)
After lunch together, we broke into six teams of two and collected water quality data for 36 sites around the Monongahela National Forest. We tested for pH, conductivity, turbidity, and temperature. Water quality data were within baseline conditions, and these data contributed to the growing long-term data set for these hard-to-access streams.
It was a wonderful day of celebration and comradery. Thank you to all who were able to make it, we are already looking forward to next time!
Greenbrier River Monitoring
Volunteers sample and assess water quality downstream of where Mountain Valley Pipeline is crossing the Greenbrier River.
On October 21st, WV Rivers hosted a water quality monitoring training along the picturesque Greenbrier River with 11 attendees from West Virginia and Virginia. This event marked a pivotal moment in our ongoing commitment to empowering communities and volunteers in safeguarding their local water resources, especially in the context of the Mountain Valley Pipeline construction. Participants, united by a commonality of protecting precious streams, gathered to learn hands-on techniques for assessing water quality and gaining valuable insights into the health of the Greenbrier River ecosystem.
The training addressed the urgency of the situation as the Mountain Valley Pipeline diligently works to complete stream crossings as quickly as possible, with approximately 100 stream crossings already completed in West Virginia. The event took on added significance as we witnessed air pollution on the construction site along the Greenbrier River, which turned out to be limestone dust. Volunteers were able to see firsthand the impacts construction can have on our environment as they were equipped with essential skills to monitor and assess and report these impacts.
Participants, united by a commonality of protecting precious streams, gathered to learn hands-on techniques for assessing water quality and gaining valuable insights into the health of the Greenbrier River ecosystem. The training covered a range of skills, from proper sample collection methods to the interpretation of key water quality indicators. It was a beautiful day and the passion from the group was fierce, reminding us, that together we are stronger in our efforts to conserve and protect natural resources.
Here is a photo of the whole group of Greenbrier River water quality monitors!
Fall Monitoring Reminders
Winter is quickly approaching!
If you haven’t already, remember to collect your fall QA/QC sample. You can find the QA/QC procedures, as well as the QA/QC form, in the appendix of your monitoring manual. Monitoring manuals can be found at the bottom of this page. A reminder that you only need one QA/QC sample per monitoring group.
Please also check your calibration solution label to ensure your calibration solution is not expired. Additionally, as temperatures are quickly dropping, be sure to store your calibration solution in your home and calibrate your meter with room temperature solution.
If your calibration solution is expired, or you need additional QA/QC bottles, contact Jenna Dodson (jdodson@wvrivers.org) for resupply.
