News Updates

Citizen Monitoring Grant Program Funding Restored for 2009!

Thanks to all of you who contacted your representative to discuss funding for the State’s Citizen Monitoring Program.  It was a tough budget year, but thanks to your hard work, the money for this grant program has been reinstated for 2009 and 2010!  Great work!

VA SOS is still reeling from the loss of the DEQ Citizen Monitoring Grant Program for 2008.  We are still looking to fill this funding void with new sources of funding.  If you are familiar with a family foundation or other grant program that might be a good fit for the VA SOS program, please contact us.  Also, a general letter of support for VA SOS and our water quality monitoring activities in Virginia from your organization would be extremely helpful as we pursue other sources of funding. Please let me know if you can provide such a support letter.  Thanks so much!

Congratulations to…

Our newest VA SOS Regional Trainers:

     ·         Rachel Parsons – Roanoke Valley Regional Trainer

·         Rand Bowden – Roanoke Valley Regional Trainer

·         Tammy Parece – Eastern Method Regional Trainer

 If you are interested in becoming a Regional Trainer, contact Stacey for more details!

Tools You Can Use

Check out the VA SOS website: www.vasos.org/outreachtools.htm for some community outreach tools.  Please note, that several are in draft form.  If you use the draft form and have suggestions for changes and improvements, please let Stacey know.  Also, if you have any outreach tools you would like to include in this list, please send Stacey the information.  Also, as several of these are large files, let Stacey know if you would like these tools on CD-ROM and she will send them to you.

Online Data Entry

Thanks to everyone who has been using the online data entry system.  It has been quite a learning curve, but I hope things are working well for everyone at this time.  Please be sure that you are selecting the correct site for your data!  If you are not sure of the site, when you select one from the pull down list, the location information will be listed.  If it is not the correct location, select another site from the list!  You can also look at all of the VA SOS monitoring sites via the “Manage” menu.

Upcoming Training Events

Pristine Streams Monitoring:

June 21, 2008 – Herring Run in King William County, Zoar state forest

 Eastern “Muddy Bottom” Method Training:

 April 19 – Emporia

 April 26 – Richmond

 May 13 – James City County

 June 7 – James City County

 Habitat Assessment Training:

 May 17, 2008 – Upper James Watershed

 May 31, 2008 – New River Watershed

Please contact Stacey Brown at 804-615-5036 or stacey@vasos.org for more information about any of these upcoming events.

Benthic Creature of the Season

Just what is this creature?  It resembles a hellgrammite or fishfly, but don’t be fooled.  Definitely has 6 legs, so it is an insect.  We commonly say, if it has 6 legs but doesn’t resemble anything else, it is a beetle.  This is in fact a whirlgig beetle!  Thanks to Douglas Lees, a volunteer with the Goose Creek Association for this fantastic shot!

Monitor Profile

We are please to recognize the monitors who help make VA SOS the organization it is!  This quarter we recognize one of our newest monitors and the only Regional Trainer in the Eastern “Muddy Bottom” method, Tammy Parece!

Monitor’s Name:  Tammy Parece

Watershed Address:  Redbridge Creek, Pocoshock Creek, Falling Creek, James River, Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean

Stream Monitored:  Reedy Creek but will do any Creek in Richmond area

The Last Word…

Ever wish you could strut your stuff with apparel and bumper stickers with the Virginia Save Our Streams logo on it?  Now you can!  Check out our “store” at www.cafepress.com/vasos

If you don’t see the logo combination you are looking for, let me know and we can customize it for you!