Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 19, no. 6 (Nov.-Dec. 2012)

GEORGIA
Adopt-A-Stream
Volume 19, Number 6 November/December 2012
Allison Hughes, Tara Muenz, Editors

Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Field Check List for Adopt-A-Stream

Help us Celebrate your Success!
Please consider submitting a nomination for the 2012 AAS Awards

We are excited to acknowledge the dedication and hard work that our volunteers, trainers and coordinators are doing to protect water quality. We do this annually through our Adopt-A-Stream Awards Program. Awards are given to volunteers across the state who are actively involved with our program. We hope that you will take a moment to reflect on your efforts in 2012 and consider nominating your group or an individual who deserves to be honored. Our award categories are as diverse as our volunteers.
Volunteer Award Categories

Volunteer of the Year
This goes to the individual who has gone beyond the call of duty to protect Georgia's waterways and to support the Adopt-A-Steam mission, giving their time and energy to improve water quality.

Extraordinary Volunteer Watershed Efforts
Protection of our streams starts with the protection of our watersheds. Help us recognize the group that has accomplished working at the watershed level to better understand and improve water quality.

Adopt-A-Stream in Action
Have you taken action to address a water quality problem at your sampling site? Do you understand when an issue needs to be addressed and even more, taken action to find a resolution to the issue?

Outstanding Outreach and Partnership
The first step in environmental protection is awareness. And awareness only happens through effective outreach efforts and partnerships. Nominate a group or person that has demonstrated skill in effectively implementing AAS outreach efforts and has created a strong network of community partnerships.

Adopt-A-Stream Multimedia Award
Reaching out to local communities about environmental issues can be done in a multitude of ways. This award goes to the group who has gone above and beyond by utilizing nontraditional formats (multimedia, art, website, music, videos, etc.) to raise awareness about water quality.

Excellence in Data Collection
Volunteer monitoring data can make a difference, but only if it's collected consistently and under a QA/QC plan. Nominate an individual or group who has consistently collected QA/QC data, recognizing the importance of data integrity in your monitoring program.

Applications due by Jan 16

Nymph Award
Are you or someone you know new to the AAS program in the past year and have excelled in meeting its four goals? We are looking for outstanding new groups to recognize in 2012.

Apply Now! It is Easy & Fast!
Applications are accepted online at www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org, via email to aas@gaepd.org or mail to 4220 International Parkway, Suite 101 Atlanta, GA 30354.

Adopt-A-Stream Watershed & Trainer Award
Adopt-A-Stream Watershed Awards
Each year, Adopt-A-Stream honors local public utilities, government agencies, regional commissions, non-profits, and watershed organizations that have exceeded expectations in implementing the four Adopt-A-Stream goals. In 2012, our local programs were responsible for leading over 400 workshops that certified nearly 3,000 volunteers.
Award Categories
Phase 1 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems Phase 2 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems Other communities without a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit Regional Commissions, university programs and other governmental agencies Riverkeepers, watershed organizations and other nongovernmental agencies
Adopt-A-Stream Trainer Awards
New this year is the Adopt-A-Stream Trainer Award Program. This award will honor an Adopt-A-Stream trainer who has gone above and beyond in promoting the Adopt-A-Stream program through training workshops and outreach events in their local community. There are two categories for this award: New Trainer of the Year and Trainer of the Year. Please consider nominating a yourself or trainer that you feel is deserving of this recognition.
Application:
If you would like to make a nomination for the Watershed and/or Trainer Award, please contact us at 404675.6240 or aas@gaped.org to obtain application materials.
Adopt-A-Stream Awards to be Presented at Confluence on March 16, 2013
Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center, Buford, Georgia
Planning for Confluence, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream's annual volunteer conference, is in full swing. The Confluence Committee has been busy organizing the agenda for Confluence 2013 and we feel that it is going to be as exciting as ever. Confluence sessions will include streambank restoration, watershed mapping, invasive species identification, the state of Georgia's waters and much more. The full agenda and registration will be made public in January 2013. Please stay tuned in for more details.
As many of you know Adopt-A-Stream turns 20 in 2013! We would like to invite you to celebrate this milestone with us at a party that will immediately follow the closing session of Confluence. This family friendly event will be dedicated to the work of all past and present AAS volunteers and staff that have worked tirelessly to protect Georgia's waterways.
Please mark your calendars for this wonderful celebration. Saturday, March 16, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center.

Volume 19, Number 6 November/December 2012
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
GO BLUE in 2013 by signing up for our e-newsletter &
receive all the same news while saving our natural resources.
Sign up by emailing us at aas@gaepd.org.

Dragonfly

Riffle Beetle

Dobsonfly

Stonefly

Net Spinning Caddisfly

Clean Water Act Turns 40 October 18, 1972--October 18, 2012
~ Protecting Clean Water for Over 40 Years ~
2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. This act regulates and protects the waters of the United States. In the past 30 years, Federal, State and local governments have made great strides to regulate discharges into our waterways. Rivers that were once so polluted they caught fire, now are flowing clean and supporting healthy ecosystems. Although we have come a long way, the United States Environmental Protection Agency states "many challenges remain and we must work together to protect clean water for our families and future generations. Everyone has an impact on the water and we are all responsible for making a difference."
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream would like to thank our volunteers who are working in their communities to make a difference. Everyone deserves clean water and we all must do our part to protect it, now and for the next 40 years. For more information on the Clean Water Act visit http://water.epa.gov/action/
Please visit our calendar of events at www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org
for upcoming monitoring workshops and Adopt-A-Stream events.