Monitoring Newsletter: Fall 2024
What’s inside:
- Introducing Than Hitt, Senior Scientist
- Launching WV Stream Watch App v2.0
- Introducing the Town Run Watershed Association
- Your input needed: How can we improve our online water monitoring platform?
- Save the date: Volunteer Teleconference on October 29 at 7 p.m.
Introducing Than Hitt, WV Rivers Coalition Senior Scientist
Nathaniel “Than” Hitt
Hello! My name is Than Hitt, and I look forward to working with you to advance your water monitoring work!
Allow me briefly to introduce myself and provide a bit of my background and some thoughts on where we can go from here.
I grew up in Morgantown and attended the College of Wooster where I majored in Biology. I then worked with the Buckeye Forest Council and Heartwood for several years doing forest conservation work in southeast Ohio – and this propelled my interest in conservation biology and graduate studies. In 2002 I graduated from the University of Montana with a MS in Ecology, and in 2007 I graduated from Virginia Tech with a PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology. My research focused on trout population dynamics and fish biodiversity in Appalachian streams.
I then was fortunate to serve as a Fisheries Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Kearneysville for 17 years. During that time, I led investigations into brook trout thermal ecology and population trends, including work in an experimental stream laboratory we constructed on the USGS campus. My research also addressed the consequences of mountaintop removal and climate change on endangered fishes in Appalachia. My research also showed me the importance of crowdsourcing and open-science strategies while introducing me to a fantastic network of conservation organizations across the region. You can see my CV here and list of publications here.
So where do we go from here? This much is clear: collaboration is key! No single government agency or nonprofit organization can do all that is needed to protect our vital water resources. That’s why I’m excited to be launching updated monitoring tools that we can use collaboratively, including the WV Stream Watch App and the WV Stream Survey Portal. Please join me on Tuesday, October 29 at 7 pm for a teleconference to discuss this and more (see details below). In the meantime, you can reach me at nhitt@wvrivers.org with questions and ideas. Thanks!
Launching WV Stream Watch App v2.0
During a Watershed Walk, this group used the Stream Water App to document changes in water quality over time.
We’re excited to announce that the WV Stream Watch App has been updated and is ready to use!
This free tool helps to monitor streams and rivers with photos from your cell phone. You also can use it to request that WV Rivers staff report your observation to the WV Department of Environmental Protection or follow-up with you. This tool can be used to document many aspects of stream conditions, including droughts and floods, sediment, fish passage barriers, and pollution discharges.
This tool has been instrumental for documenting water-quality violations in Indian Creek and elsewhere, and we hope that the updates will make it even easier to use – and have a bigger impact! This app also gives every West Virginian a powerful tool to report changes they see in streams and rivers – and to build a network of volunteer citizen scientists statewide.
Introducing the Town Run Watershed Association
Town Run Watershed Association members attend a Save Our Streams training.
The Town Run Watershed Association began in 2023 following the announcement that Town Run water would be blended with Potomac River water to serve the Shepherdstown area. Formerly, only water from the Potomac River was used as the primary drinking water source for Shepherdstown. Concern over ongoing housing developments in the region also propelled the founding members to begin meeting and discussing how they can support water security and the public health of their beloved community.
The group’s purpose is “stewardship of Town Run for the Shepherdstown community, our downstream neighbors, current and future generations, human and other living beings”, and some of their biggest challenges include increased development, stormwater management, high levels of bacteria, invasive plant species and septic system maintenance.
The group has created an ongoing campaign of public awareness, complete with community events, informational signage, stream cleanups, stream restoration projects, and more. Recently, the Association received both a Stream Partners Grant from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection as well as a Community Action Mini-Grant from the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. This additional funding will help expand their work to:
- Mitigate pollution of groundwater from septic systems and other sources
- Reduce runoff from streets, parking lots, and lawns
- Stabilize stream banks and reduce erosion by planting trees
- Replace invasive plants with native vegetation
- Spread awareness that Town Run is critical for community health
Their efforts are already expanding. Over the last few months, the Association has invited the community to join their efforts. More than 80 people have signed up on their website as “Friends” of Town Run, indicating what kind of volunteer skills they can offer. The group is also partnering with other nonprofits in the area, including Bee City Shepherdstown, Downstream Project, the Shepherdstown Community Club, the Master Naturalists of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, and the Shepherd University Student Environmental Club. Read more about the group’s efforts here.
Town Run Watershed Association members help with stream cleanup.
The group also holds regular stakeholder meetings, including participation from the Mayor and Town Council members, municipal water managers, nonprofit organizations, local government agencies, and interested residents. This group has helped collect information on the parks, roads, railroad, sewered areas, wetlands, ponds, and other characteristics of the watershed in an interactive map you can view here.
The group has evolving plans for how their work will grow in the future. They look forward to continuing to develop a Watershed Management Plan, a Tree Canopy Plan, and Land Conservation Plans. They also want to promote farmland preservation, increase rainwater harvesting for irrigation, and continue to educate private and institutional property owners on Bay-friendly landscape practices.
With Shepherdstown preparing to blend water from Town Run with the Potomac River as its primary drinking water source, understanding the risks and resiliencies involved is more crucial than ever. The Town Run Watershed Association is “walking the walk” and “talking the talk” on how to be a phenomenal upstream neighbor. They are listening to the concerns of their neighbors and using their collective resources to respond to these pressing issues. We hope their work inspires you to get involved and help protect water quality in the community you love.
And don’t forget – we all live downstream!
-Maria Russo
Your input needed: How can we improve our water monitoring platform online?
Change can be good! This fall WV Rivers will be updating and rebranding our water monitoring platform as the WV Stream Survey Portal. We need your feedback on how you are using this platform, what you think is working well, and what could be improved. Please take a moment to share your thoughts with this survey. We’ll report the results at the volunteer teleconference on October 29 (see below). Thank you!
Save the date: Volunteer Teleconference October 29 at 7 pm
Let’s talk! Please schedule Tuesday, October 29 at 7 pm to connect with WV Rivers and stream monitoring volunteers from across the state.
We’ll meet on Zoom using this link.
- To join by phone, call: 1-646-931-3860, Code: 87937313120#
We’ll discuss the WV Stream Watch App v2.0 and how to improve the WV Stream Survey Portal online based on your feedback. We’ll also present a preliminary analysis of the water quality data collected in prior surveys and hear from watershed organizations about priorities for stream survey data moving forward. Please contact Than Hitt (nhitt@wvrivers.org) for more information.
