Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 10, no. 1 (Jan./Feb. 2003)

GEORGIA
Adopt-A-Stream

Volume 10, Number 1, January/February 2003 Harold Harbert and Kim Morris-Zarneke, Editors

Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Annual Summary

In 2002 Georgia Adopt-A-Stream experienced a number of significant changes. After saying good-bye to Michele Droszcz, we welcomed Kim Morris-Zarneke as her replacement. Even before Kim started, programmatic changes were underway.
A primary goal for the 2002 year was to focus attention on the southern half of the State. With the help of our Advisory Board and key local coordinators, we were able to make significant strides towards increasing a volunteer monitoring presence. Six monitoring workshops have been conducted and more are on the way. Thirty-seven groups organized Rivers Alive cleanup events (up from 19 in 2001). Five new community programs were established and several qualified individuals were certified as AAS trainers. Eight programs south of the fall line have acquired monitoring equipment. Stay tuned for more watershed and monitoring successes in South Georgia.
Since the creation of the Community Watershed Network (CWN), Adopt-A-Stream has been a strong partner. CWN is a successful Atlanta based partnership of local organizations with a common concern serving as advocates for watershed organizing. Presently Adopt-A-Stream is using CWN and it's own community program meetings as a model to organize local watershed partnerships and meetings in the southern part of the State. For more information, checkout our write up on the second page.
With key support from Mary Sweeney Reeves of the Marine Extension Service and Dr. Joe Richardson of Savannah State University, the

Coastal AAS program has contributed significantly to a volunteer monitoring presence on the coast. Last year Mary and Joe trained more volunteers than any tandem in the State.
Rivers Alive, our annual river cleanup event, continues to grow, attracting nearly 18,000 volunteers and o ver 130 events in 2002. With the continued efforts of the Georgia Adopt-AStream, Keep Georgia Beautiful and the volunteer board there is every indication of an even brighter future.
Through the assistance of our Advisory Board, local community programs and dedicated volunteers, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream maintains rigorous sampling quality assurance standards. With the creation of a comprehensive database, all quality assured quality control data has been entered into our database and is available for interested parties.
Over the past year the Adopt-A-Stream database has been continuously refined and improved. All updates are the result of a single dedicated volunteer, Bruce Taylor of the Clayton County Water Authority. Future updates include ease of access to statewide data and more up-to-date data transfer methods.
Corridors: Citizen Riparian Network, still hosts a successful website www.gabuffers.org. Future plans include the production of a brochure that promotes streamside vegetation plantings and riparian conservation through practical hands on activities.

Once again, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream partnered with the Environmental Education Alliance to help create another successful conference educating teachers and laypeople about water and the environment. This conference provides the perfect venue for recognizing the 2002 AAS volunteer award recipients.

A year in review would not be complete without a summary of the accomplishments of our 2002 volunteers: 840 QAQC volunteers, 51 certified trainers, 279 active QAQC monitoring groups, 50 local coordinators, and thousands of volunteers who participate in workshops, cleanups and work for clean water.

Test Your Creativity and Contribute to Clean Water
The Georgia River Quilt Project is an innovative program to encourage quilters and concerned citizens to depict their appreciation of Georgia's waters and their concerns over the plight of Georgia's rivers through visual arts. Why Enter? Winning quilts will receive excellent prizes and will become part of a touring exhibition. The Georgia River Quilt Project is brought to you through a partnership between Georgia River Network, Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center and other sponsors. Entry deadline has been extended until March 1, 2003, and registration information, official rules and more can be found on the Georgia River Network web site at www.garivers.org or by calling 706-549-4508.
CWN & Community/Watershed Program Meetings
The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Community/Watershed Program Meetings provide Adopt-A-Stream and volunteer monitoring coordinators with a venue for sharing information and expertise. Oftentimes the meetings revolve around specialty workshops to expand the knowledge base for our trainers. These meetings have been a success in the Atlanta area for a number of years. Now we're expanding our efforts by initiating program meetings in other regions of the State. The creation of the South Georgia meetings will also be modeled after the Atlanta based Community Watershed Network (CWN).
Please join us at our Southwest meeting scheduled for Valdosta on February 4. Call Emily Perry at 229-333-5277 for more information. Future newsletters will post additional meetings scheduled in other regions of the State.

Tree Seedlings Available For Watershed Reforestation Projects
Does your urban watershed need tree seedlings for reforestation? Recent rains and a forecast for more than average rainfall during the next six months will create an ideal environment for Georgia's mid-November through March tree planting season. For more information, check out some of our partners including the Georgia Forestry Commission at www.gfc.state.ga.us/Services/Seedlings/index.cfm. and International Paper and the Georgia Native Plant Society at www.gabuffers.org.

Adopt-A-Stream Calendar of Events
The following workshops, taught by certified AAS trainers, provide training in visual, biological and chemical monitoring of streams. Teachers may receive 0.5 SDU credits for participation in workshops. Please call to register.

What
Chemical Chemical & Biological Getting Started w/AAS Chemical Biological Biological

Who
Fulton County Adopt-A-Stream UGA Environ. Club / Ga. AAS Georgia Wildlife Federation Georgia Wildlife Federation Georgia Wildlife Federation Fulton County Adopt-A-Stream

When
Feb TBA Feb 15 Feb 22 March 1 March 22 March TBA

Where
Fulton County Athens Covington Covington Covington Fulton County

To Register
770-698-5739 706-559-4894 770-787-7887 770-787-7887 770-787-7887 770-698-5739

NOTE: Workshop times vary. Please call to get exact times and locations. Workshop information is updated weekly on our website at www.riversalive.org/aas.htm

QA/QC Recertification: All QA/QC volunteers must renew certification on a yearly basis. This can be accomplished by participating in the second half of our regular chemical or biological workshop. To register, please contact one of our scheduled workshops.

EPA Environmental Education Grant
The Environmental Education Grants Program provides financial support for projects which design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques, including assessing environmental and ecological conditions or specific environmental issues or problems. These grants require non-federal matching funds for at least 25% of the total cost of the project. Qualifying agencies include education institutions, environmental and educational public agencies, and nonprofit organizations that support environmental education projects. For more information please go to http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/ and follow the link to Grant Program.
National River Cleanup week is in May organizers should start planning now! Go
to www.americaoutdoors.com for more information.

Is Your Home Septic System Leaking?
Did you know, a potential source of water pollution is poorly functioning private septic systems? Water that carries harmful pollutants from failing septic systems can come into contact and pollute ground water, rivers, lakes and streams. To ensure proper function and prevent harmful failures, septic tanks at home should have routine service and maintenance. For example, a septic tank should be pumped at least every five years. Dr. Larry West from the University of Georgia will be leading a workshop to cover different aspects of septic tanks: how they function, common causes of failure, maintenance for longevity, potential contaminants in the effluent, and site limitations.
For a list of workshop dates go to www.cleanwatercampaign.com and follow the link to septic tank workshops.

Watershed Workshop for South Georgia Programs
Looking for some additional training for your watershed program? You're in luck! A Florida workshop sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy and U.S. EPA targets leaders of local volunteer water quality/aquatic habitat monitoring programs. This is a free, two-day workshop in Gainesville, Florida, on February 18-19, 2003. For more information interested groups should go to www.oceanconservancy.org/workshops.

Environmental Education: Connecting Communities and Classrooms
Annual EEA/AAS Conference, March 21-23, 2003 The Coastal Georgia Center, Savannah, Georgia
Come and join AAS at the Annual EEA Conference in Savannah! Community leaders and educators from across the State will be gathering to share ideas and resources and network with others. We invite each of you to participate in this exciting conference. Some of the water related sessions include:
Connecting Communities and Classrooms Through Water Quality Monitoring - Workshop Connecting Communities: Working on the Watershed Panel Discussion Citizens Save 150 Acres of Green Space, 5 miles from Downtown Atlanta Presentation Learning About Adopt-A-Wetland Hands-on Session Field trips including but not limited to... A Barrier Island/Estuary Cruise, Marsh Ecology Walk, Trawling aboard the R/V Sea Dawg and Kayak Discovery. AAS will also be presenting its 2002 Volunteer Awards at the conference. If you know someone who is deserving of an AAS award, please send nominations to Georgia Adopt-A-Stream. Categories include: Volunteer of the Year, Extraordinary Volunteer Watershed Effort, Outstanding Outreach and Partnership, Red Flag Award, Adopt-A-Stream in Action: Video or Photography, and Excellence in Data Collection. For more information about the conference, including conference program and registration, please visit the Environmental Education Alliance's website at www.eealliance.org. Registration must be postmarked by February 28th to receive early bird rates! Hope to see ya on the Coast!
The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter is published six times per year. For more information about the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream program or to contribute to the newsletter, call or write to:
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Environmental Protection Division 4220 International Parkway, Suite 101 Atlanta, GA 30354 (404) 675-1639 or 1636 www.riversalive.org/aas.htm
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