ABOUT VA SOS

Save Our Streams began in Maryland in 1969 with the goal of documenting pollution in the streams. A few years later, the Izaak Walton League of America took on the program, intending to make it national. Over time, the method of assessing the health of streams shifted from visual documentation to the monitoring of macroinvertebrates on the streambed.

The Virginia chapter of Save Our Streams began in 1989, fostered by Karen Firehock, who successfully promoted the program with a focus on education. After a brief lull in leadership when she left, Jay Gilliam revived the program in 1994. Today, enhanced by numerous partnerships, VA SOS continues to grow.

Our focus is to train and certify new monitors, and to provide usable data to the state agencies. We continually strive to improve methods of data collection. There are now about 350 certified volunteers monitoring over 200 sites statewide. The Virginia Save Our Streams Program wants to help as many citizens as possible to participate in the process and become local leaders in the quest for clean water. Our rivers and streams can once again become a haven for wildlife, and a resource we can all enjoy!

You can contact us at 804-615-5036 or toll free at 888-656-6664. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 8297, Richmond, Virginia 23226. General e-mail inquiries are received at vasosoffice at vasos dot org.

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Stacey Brown , Staff Scientist and Administrator

Stacey is a native of Virginia and has lived in the Roanoke, James, and Potomac Watersheds! Until recently, Stacey's career has been in the public sector, working for different state agencies and county governments. She has a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and a masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. She resides in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two sons. Stacey can be reached at stacey at vasos dot org or (804) 615-5036.

 

Jay Gilliam, Master Trainer

Jay is a native of the watershed of the Maury River, which is Rockbridge County, Virginia, and a headwaters subwatershed of the James River. After beginning as a volunteer monitor in the SOS Program in 1991, he became the coordinator in 1996. He believes in the power of cooperation and the concept of citizen stewardship. Jay can be reached at jay at vasos dot org or by phone at (540) 377-6179.