Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 16, no. 4 (July-Aug. 2009)

GEORGIA
Adopt-A-Stream

Volume 16, Number 4, July/Aug 2009
Editors: Tara Muenz, Andrea Sarisky and Allison Hughes
AAS Looks at the Halfway Mark

Department of Natural Resource Environmental Protection

It's always good for a program such as ours to take a step back and gaze into the numbers to see what direction we're heading in halfway through the year. It gives us target areas to work on and perhaps areas and regions that may need more energy and initiative.
We'd like to share with you the status of the AAS program halfway into the 2009 monitoring season, and some interesting views of the program as we head into the edge of Summer sampling (numbers are from the AAS database). Despite economic conditions, AAS volunteers still seem willing and able to put forth their energy towards the protection of our waterways!
Volunteers continue to support AAS Keeping steady with numbers from last year (Figure 1), 2009's efforts show AAS volunteers may have been struck by the heat in July, but participated in larger numbers from January to April than in 2008. Volunteers have also registered more than 50 monitoring sites and well over 6,600 volunteer hours. In addition, we have had 700 new volunteers trained and 8 new trainers!
Also taking off this year is the new bacterial monitoring program for E.coli. Within the first half of the year we have had 9 QA/QC workshops, with over 94 certifications. We also have recently initiated our Train the Trainer workshop for bacterial monitoring. If you are interested in getting certified to monitor E.coli, please contact your local coordinator or AAS staff at the State office.
Tales from the inverts: How are our streams? Based on the 88 streams examined for macroinvertebrates this year (Jan.10 - Aug. 15) streams showed a broad range for water quality ratings: 32 rated `Poor', 23 `Fair', 25 `Good', and 8 `Excellent.' We'll report back at the end of the year with our `Year in Review' so stay tuned!

A statewide view of the 260 active adopted sites in the AAS program. This map can bee seen from our new website and you will find our numbers are growing!

No. Events

Comparison of Monitoring Events, '08 and '09

200

150

2009

100

50

2008

0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul

Time

Figure 1. AAS monitoring events over time from 2008-2009

More data to love: EPA's Data Finder
The U.S. EPA just launched Data Finder (www.epa.gov/datafinder), a single place to find EPA's data sources so people can access and understand environmental information. Topics are organized by air, water and chemicals. Citizens are encourage to suggest new content and comment on its functionality. Comments will be displayed in a forum so people can build on each others' ideas and EPA can describe future directions for Data Finder.
EPA also will use Data Finder to discover raw data that can be accessed via Data.gov, a federal site that
helps people find, download and use datasets that are generated and held by the federal government.
Contributed by Frank Henning, Region 4 EPA-CSREES Liaison and AAS Board Member
The State of Georgia's Environment 2009 Report
The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently published their 2009 report, The State of Georgia's Environment.
This report informs citizens of the current conditions of our water, air and land resources, and what we still need to know about effective conservation and management of our natural resources. It discusses environmental challenges for Georgians in the upcoming years, presenting information to help protect human health, sustain healthy ecosystems, and ensure resources for a growing economy. An online PDF version can be downloaded at:
http://www.gaepd.org/Documents/soe2009.html
Save the Dates
Georgia Outdoor Classroom Symposium ~ Friday, October 30, 2009, Registration opens August 17. This year's theme is "Growing Fertile Minds." For complete details visit: www.eealliance.org
Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia Annual Conference ~ March 19-20, 2010, Kennesaw, Georgia. Submit a Proposal by September 14. The theme of "Environmental Literacy" will provide attendees the opportunity to increase and improve their environmental knowledge, skills and behaviors. The call for proposals is now open! For complete details visit: www.eealliance.org
Rivers Alive Cleanup Events ~ Rivers Alive 2009 is gearing up for over 230 registered river cleanup events this fall. Once again, this year's cleanup is estimated to attract thousands of volunteers. If you would like to help out, visit our website at www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org or call 404.675.6240 for more information.
Georgia River of Words ~ Submission Deadline is December 1, 2009 ~ This poetry and art contest, coordinated by Georgia Project WET & Georgia Center for the Book, is open to all K-12 students. River of Words is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover. For more information, visit www.gaprojectwet.org or call 404.675.6240.

Outreach from the Coast
Two wonderful new posters are now available through the University of Georgia's Marine Extension Service (MAREX) and can be ordered from the AAS office at 404.675.6240 (they are free).

Rivers to Reefs was created in collaboration with NOAA's Gray's Reef Nation Marine Sanctuary and takes you on a journey across the major landforms and seascapes of the Southeast, showing the important connectivity between each ecosystem type (rivers, salt marshes, martime forest, beaches and dunes, offshore reefs and coastal waters).

The Georgia Salt Marsh illustrates the essential functions of salt marshes labeling 41 commercial and ecologically important species. Georgia has approximately 90 miles of beaches and over 380,000 acres of estuarine wetlands. Coastal marshlands extend to an average of 4-6 miles inland and together with South Carolina contain one fifth of the remaining salt marshes on the East Coast of the U.S.

World Water Monitoring Day - September 18th
Did you know that 73,000 people from 70 countries participated in World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) 2008? Despite this positive response, only 14 Georgia Adopt-A-Stream groups submitted data for 18 monitoring sites (only 6% of the AAS data collected in September and October 2008). In effort to help WWMD meet their goal of one million people in 100 countries by 2012, we would like to encourage you to submit your AAS monitoring data to WWMD. This year, WWMD is accepting all data collected throughout the year.
By participating in WWMD, you help provide a snapshot of water quality at your local monitoring spot that can be used to better understand global water quality. Core parameters measured are temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and pH, three of which AAS volunteers already measure each month. So there is only one extra step to take in order to be a part of WWMD, which is submitting your data. While you are entering your September and October data into the AAS database, please take a moment to visit www.worldwatermonitoringday.org to register your data here. All Adopt-A-Stream groups who participate in this event will receive official WWMD certificates.

Allison Returns!
Imagine if you can, living the good life, being stranded on a South Pacific Island with fresh fish and fruit, luxuriating on black sand beaches, exploring lush tropical rainforests and experiencing world class snorkeling and surf boarding. Now imagine shunning all of this to return to... Georgia. After a year's "sabbatical" to Samoa, Allison Hughes is back. It's obvious why we rehired her: excellent communication and organizational skills, a passion for grassroots organizing and a sincere interest in environmental protection.
What's less obvious is why she left Samoa! All jokes aside, Allison's return is not so surprising; last year's economic downturn made obsolete her position as the managing academic director for a residential treatment program for adolescence boys.
If you haven't already heard from her, expect her to call, email or show up at your watershed event in the near future. Or, you can contact her at 404-675-1636. Her email address will be the same as the past, Allison.hughes@gaepd.org. Welcome back Allison!
Please visit our calendar of events at www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org for upcoming monitoring workshops and Adopt-A-Stream events.
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 404.675.6240 www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org

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