Happy Lakes Appreciation Month!

July is Lakes Appreciation Month , a great time to get out and enjoy your favorite lake, or perhaps one that you've never seen before. Coinciding with Lakes Appreciation Month, the 15th Annual Secchi Dip-In will take place between June 28 and July 20. The Dip-In is a network of volunteers that collects Secchi disk and other water quality data from water bodies around the world. Because volunteers contribute data year after year, trends in transparency are able to be tracked over time. For cumulative results of past dip-ins, visit http://dipin.kent.edu/results.htm. For more information on how to participate in Lakes Appreciation events or the Dip-In, click the links above.

Northeast Wetland Restoration Institute Now Accepting Applications

The 2008 Northeast Regional Wetland Restoration Institute will be held in Campbell, New York from August 11-15. The training is designed to help engineers, biologists, foresters, hydrologists, and technicians initiate or improve a wetland restoration program. Individuals will be involved in the design and construction of two wetlands, from start to finish, using the latest and most effective techniques available in North America. Participants will investigate restored wetlands and streams in forested and open areas with instructors who are leaders in the field. Applications are now being accepted and are due by June 30.
For more information please visit: www.u-s-c.org/NEWRI

National Conservation and Sustainability Symposium to be Held in Philadelphia

Representatives of states from across the country are gathering in Philadelphia this week to talk about how to use land management and conservation practices as powerful tools to achieve sustainability and address climate change. Leaders from 16 states including Pennsylvania will gather at the University of Pennsylvania June 23 and 24 for a symposium entitled “Creating a New Natural Resource Legacy: Conservation and Sustainability…Historic Missions Cast New in the 21st Century.” The forum is co-hosted by Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, California, Iowa and Maryland. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/newsreleases/2008/0608-sustainabilitysymposium.htm

National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is providing National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants to States for acquisition, restoration, management or enhancement of coastal wetlands. The Act also establishes a role for the Fish and Wildlife Service in interagency wetlands restoration and conservation planning in Louisiana. States must provide 50 percent of the total costs of a project. Priority will be provided to projects that are:

• Consistent with the National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan
• Located in States with dedicated land acquisition programs.
• Located in maritime forests on coastal barrier islands.

Approximately 30 grants will be available, totaling of $19,000,000. Closing date for applications is June 27, 2008.

New Runoff Reduction Method Announced for Innovative Stormwater Design

The Center for Watershed Protection and Tom Schueler of the Chesapeake Stormwater Network have recently completed a technical memo that outlines an innovative system for stormwater design called the Runoff Reduction Method. More...
The design is part of CWP's "Extreme BMP Makeover" project, funded by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. They have been working closely with the VA Department of Conservation & Recreation to integrate the Runoff Reduction Method into proposed stormwater regulations and an updated handbook. While the technical memo provides extensive background research on BMP performance, the focus is on BMP capacity to reduce overall runoff volume as well as pollutant removal. These BMPs include both conventional and innovative practices (e.g., pervious parking, sheetflow to open space, green roofs, downspout disconnection). The method also incorporates built-in incentives for environmental site design, such as preserving forests and reducing soil disturbance and impervious cover. The memo includes a draft spreadsheet that can be used as a stormwater site planning tool to assess how well certain combinations of practices reduce post-development runoff volumes and total phosphorus loads. VA DCR and the VA Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers are currently using this spreadsheet and the Runoff Reduction Method in site design charrettes around the state. The spreadsheet will be revised based on feedback from these stakeholder involvement workshops. http://www.cwp.org/Downloads/ExtremeBMP/RRTechMemo.pdf

From CWP Runoff Rundown Spring 2008

PA Water Infrastructure Task Force Plans Public Meetings

With aging and deteriorating water systems across Pennsylvania in need of critical investments, members of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force are setting out to gather the public’s ideas on how to address the challenge. The task force recently announced a series of eight public meetings to be held throughout the state this month.

From the PADEP press release: The 30-member task force, made up of business leaders, legislators, government officials and industry experts, will host eight public meetings during May, the first kicking off today in Harrisburg. The other meetings will take place in Allegheny, Clearfield, Luzerne, Montgomery, Northampton, Venango and York counties. Members want to hear recommendations from the public about what issues the task force should consider; what existing statutory, regulatory or public policy barriers prevent the long-term sustainability of Pennsylvania’s water infrastructure; and possible new revenue streams that could help meet the state’s infrastructure needs.According to a federal Clean Water Needs Survey, Pennsylvania is facing nearly $11 billion in unmet drinking water infrastructure needs and at least $7.2 billion in unmet wastewater infrastructure needs. The task force convened for the first time last month and formed five work groups to address the most pressing issues: needs assessment, innovative measures, financial resources, financial sustainability and legislative and regulatory needs.

For meeting dates and locations, click here and scroll down.

Forum-Global Warming in the Delaware Valley

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia will host a large public forum on May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., where a panel of scientists and policy experts will discuss the impacts of "Global Warming in the Delaware Valley." This free, town hall-style meeting is one installment in the Academy's "Town Square" series, which is taking place at the museum's headquarters.