West Virginia Watershed Network
The West Virginia Rivers Coalition is proud to be the fiscal sponsor of the West Virginia Watershed Network.
Mission Statement: The West Virginia Watershed Network (WVWN) comprises nonprofits as well as state and federal agencies who support the work of watershed groups to unify their communities and protect, restore, celebrate, and educate about their watersheds.
Goals:
- To provide resources helpful to watershed groups and their work,
- To provide opportunities for watershed volunteers to meet, learn from each other, and engage in statewide collaborative efforts,
- To raise consciousness about watershed groups, and
- To recognize the efforts and accomplishments of local watershed groups. You can view past winners of the Watershed of the Year Award.
To achieve these goals the WVWN published a quarterly newsletter, the WaterNet. Check out past editions below.
Do you want to receive WaterNet? Sign-up here.
Register for the 2023 WV Watershed Symposium!
Registration is open for the 2023 WV Watershed Symposium. The symposium will be held on September 30th at Canaan Valley State Park. Session topics include water trails, stream restoration, as well as USGS and WVU research updates. There will also be time for networking and watershed awards!
Register and apply for a travel scholarship here.
The deadline to register for the symposium and apply for a travel scholarship is Friday, Aug 11th.
Watershed organizations are vital to improving the water quality and health of streams across West Virginia. These grassroots efforts are largely volunteer driven and have limited capacity. That’s why WV Rivers provides training and resources through our Watershed Organization Capacity Building Program to help these essential partners build capacity and make a difference for the rivers in their communities.
WVDEP’s Watershed Improvement Branch Calendar
Interested in workshops, events and activities happening around the state that promote clean water? Visit the WVDEP’s Watershed Improvement Branch’s calendar to find an opportunity near you. The mission of WVDEP’s Watershed Improvement Branch (WIB) is to inspire and empower people to value and work for clean water. Check out their calendar here.
Webinar Recordings
Below you can find recordings of our webinar series designed to assist watershed organizations with key capacity building activities.
Nonpoint Source Program Approaches to Reducing Fecal Coliform Pollution | Webinar Series
Did you know that fecal coliform is a leading cause of impairment in West Virginia streams? Over 11,000 miles of stream are affected by fecal coliform contamination.
Combat water contamination with knowledge! Watch this 5-part webinar series on fecal coliform reduction in WV rivers and streams. Presentations from: WV Rivers Coalition, WV Department of Environmental Protection, WV Bureau for Public Health, West Virginia Conservation Agency, Trout Unlimited, & Crab Orchard Public Service District. Topics include: septic pumping, septic system replacements, BMPs for pastures, source tracking and load calculations for TMDLs, cluster systems, solutions where septic systems are no good, the perspective from a public service district, what the Nonpoint Source Program can do, and how the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and its partners work.
- The PowerPoint Presentation is found here.
Mastering QuickBooks Workshop – DESKTOP | Gregg Bossen (Part 1)
How watershed organizations can make the most of Quickbooks!
Part 1 of Gregg Bossen, CPA PC, webinar addressing special topics, including: restricted grants; easy-to-read reports for the board; in-kind contributions; tracking volunteers; and, auto-allocating expenses based on memorized percentages. You’ll see a live QuickBooks demo and have the opportunity to get your questions answered on the fly—so you walk away with tools needed to take your QuickBooks knowledge to the next level.
Mastering QuickBooks Workshop – DESKTOP | Gregg Bossen (Part 2)
How watershed organizations can make the most of Quickbooks!
Part 2 of Gregg Bossen, CPA PC, webinar addressing special topics, including: restricted grants; easy-to-read reports for the board; in-kind contributions; tracking volunteers; and, auto-allocating expenses based on memorized percentages. You’ll see a live QuickBooks demo and have the opportunity to get your questions answered on the fly—so you walk away with tools needed to take your QuickBooks knowledge to the next level.
Social Media 201
How watershed organizations can make the most of social media.
Is your watershed group already on social media? We’ll discuss how you can increase the number of people you engage with on different platforms. We’ll also talk about how often to post and what type of content to post.
“Pep Rally” for Watershed Organization Board Members
Serving on the board of directors for a nonprofit is both challenging and rewarding! This webinar will help make your watershed organization’s board of directors more effective by providing an overview of duties, roles and responsibilities, ways to be an exceptional board member, and 3 tips to implement right away!
Tasha Anderson, who has 15 years experience in the nonprofit sector, she is focused on nonprofit administration, board governance, and capacity building. Tasha has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of South Dakota with a concentration in Public and Nonprofit Administration.
Grant Funding and Communications Tools to Build Capacity
Find out about grant funding and communications tools that can help your watershed group accomplish its goals.
Learn about 319 Grants and AGOs from Martin Christ, Basin Coordinator with the WVDEP Watershed Improvement Branch. These funding opportunities support the development of plans and projects that target non-point source pollution. Martin will explain how the grants work and how you can apply.
Then Kathleen Tyner, Communications Director at WV Rivers Coalition, will share communications tips and tools to effectively share your mission with the public. Kathleen will provide an overview of free or low cost tools your group can use to get organized, reach current members and attract future supporters.
Recruit New Members with Education and Outreach Events
Education and outreach events are excellent ways to educate your community and recruit new members to your organization.
Tomi Bergstrom, WVDEP Project WET and Western Basin Coordinator. Tomi will explain how to use Project WET to plan water festivals. Water festivals are generally a one-day, outside water education events for 5th grade students. The festival is designed to heighten children’s awareness about natural resources and their role in helping to protect them.
You’ll also hear from WV Watershed of the Year winner, Friends of the Cheat. Amanda Pitzer and Beth Warnick will share their experiences in planning education and outreach events in their watershed. You’ll learn about their successes and lessons learned with new member recruitment.
Building Volunteer Engagement in Your Organization
Help strengthen your grassroots organization with volunteer support.
Leading the webinar is Caroline Bott the Leadership Development Manager at River Network.
Caroline will provide insight on what motivates volunteers, tips for engagement and management of volunteers, and how to steward volunteers into leadership roles to build a successful watershed organization. Register here.
Navigating the Federal Grant Application Process
Learn more about the federal grants application process.
