Georgia adopt-a-stream, 2020 July/Sept.

Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter July-September 2020

Subscribe

Past Issues

July-September 2020

Translate

RSS

View this email in your browser

Confluence 2021 is Going Virtual!

July-September 2020 Newsletter at a Glance
The full version of the newsletter is available on the Adopt-A-Stream website.

We are excited to announce that Confluence 2021 will be virtual! Although we will miss seeing everyone in person, we are in the process of curating an even better virtual experience. Stay tuned for updates and we'll see you again (virtually) in March!
Click here to view the Confluence page on the AAS website.

Congratulations to the 2019 Adopt-A-Stream Award Winners!
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream is sincerely grateful for all the volunteers, trainers, and partners who give their time and energy to protect and improve Georgia's waterways. We are honored to FINALLY recognize the following individuals and groups for their achievements. To read the award winner bios, check out the full version of this newsletter.
Volunteer Awards

We Are Still Holding Workshops!

Get certified (or recertified) to monitor your local waterways at a safe, socially-distanced workshop.
Find a workshop near you with the AAS Workshop Calendar.
Thank You Poster Presenters!
The AAS Water Science Poster Session, held every year at Confluence, showcases student and volunteer research projects and monitoring results. We would like to thank all of the students and volunteers that presented
https://mailchi.mp/156cd9991a44/adopt-a-stream-newsletter-april-june-2851204?e=b2d12c658b[11/30/2020 12:30:47 PM]

Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter July-September 2020

their research at our first virtual poster session, as well as everyone that attended their talks and asked questions!
Check out this year's posters on our website. You can also watch the 2020 poster session presentations, as well as all of the other Confluence 2020 session recordings, on our YouTube channel!
Paddle Across the State with Georgia River Network!

Instead of their standard weeklong Paddle Georgia event, which attracts over 300 participants each summer, Georgia River Network (GRN) is taking on 14 river basins in 12 months through small, socially distanced paddling events! The trips will span from the Tennessee basin in far North Georgia to St. Marys basin along the Georgia-Florida line, allowing paddlers to fully experience the ecological diversity of the state as well as its rich history. Additionally, seven of these trips will be bike-paddle adventures, using bicycles to run shuttles to avoid placing participants together in buses, vans or vehicles.
GRN's adventures in Georgia's river basins begin in January and continue through November. Registration opens soon! Click here to view the trip schedule and descriptions of each adventure!
New Adopt-AStream Groups

Trainer Awards

https://mailchi.mp/156cd9991a44/adopt-a-stream-newsletter-april-june-2851204?e=b2d12c658b[11/30/2020 12:30:47 PM]

Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter July-September 2020
Mar Doyle Willeo Creek Watershed of Mabry Park Kaeden Hill Allatoona Creek Park Survey Fulton County Public Works Dekalb Water Watch Indian Springs Waterkeepers The Ticos Wheeler High School Internship '20 A. Stultz Lake Allatoona Warriors

Watershed Awards

Riffles Around Us
EPA "How's My Waterway" Webcast December 15th, 3:00 - 4:30 pm
AAS Award Nominations due January 15
Confluence 2021 March (TBD), Virtual
EEA Annual Conference March 12-13, Virtual
Georgia Water Resources Conference March 22-23, Virtual
Visit our online calendar for monitoring workshops and AAS events!
If you'd like to become an AAS trainer, please contact the State Office for workshop information.
Connect With Us!

Thank You for Making Our First Virtual Confluence a Success!
2020 has been a year of change in many ways, and Confluence was no exception! To ensure that attendees and staff remained safe during the pandemic, we adapted our traditional 3-day, in-person conference to a month-long virtual conference with daily sessions so that everyone could attend from the comfort of their own homes. While we had to overcome some technical difficulties and adapt to the online format, your support, participation, and positive feedback made it all worth it! Check out some of the numbers from our virtual conference below.

Check out our website! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! Subscribe to our Youtube Channel!

Board Member Highlight: Luke Roberson, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
Hailing from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Luke grew up exploring the woods, creeks, and limestone sinkholes around the central part of the state. He and his family enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing on his grandparents' farm, which helped form his deep attachment to the outdoors. He attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington and received a degree in Graphic Design; however, he found himself stuck behind a desk most of the time, so on a whim he volunteered for the US Forest Service as a seasonal biology technician in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. It changed his life. He then served two summers researching sea turtles for the Buck Island Reef National Monument in St. Croix, US Virgin

https://mailchi.mp/156cd9991a44/adopt-a-stream-newsletter-april-june-2851204?e=b2d12c658b[11/30/2020 12:30:47 PM]

Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter July-September 2020
Islands, went back to the University of Kentucky to get his Biology degree, and moved up to Maryland to work at Maryland DNR in freshwater non-tidal streams. There, Luke trained the Maryland Stream Waders, a team of volunteers who collect benthic macroinvertebrates to be identified by state taxonomists. While working at DNR, he received his MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Read more
Adopt-A-Stream and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our work, lives, and society. We are constantly adapting, and now more than ever, we need to find safe ways to come together as a community and support one another. Adopt-A-Stream staff are working hard to ensure that trainers and volunteers who would like to continue holding workshops and monitoring their local waterways have the resources and support to do so safely. Adopt-A-Stream certification and recertification workshops are currently being offered with additional safety precautions. Gretchen Quarterman, the Executive Director of WWALS Watershed Coalition and an AAS community coordinator, used a hybrid training model for her latest workshop virtual for the classroom portion and in-person for the field. Although not all trainees felt comfortable meeting in person, Quarterman states that "...those that did had great time practicing their new skills and showing off their masks, gloves, and boots." Ruth Mead, another AAS community coordinator and the Education Director at Phinizy Center for Water Sciences, held her most recent workshop entirely outside, with social distancing measures and masks. She encourages people to use AAS monitoring as a way to reengage with the AAS community and spend time in nature. "It is easy to social distance outside at your creek," Mead states, "and wearing a mask [is] extra protection. Moreover, being outside brings great health benefits!" If you feel comfortable, we encourage you to start or continue monitoring your local waterway in a safe and healthconscious way. For questions about sampling during the pandemic, or more information about workshop safety precautions, please contact us at AAS@dnr.ga.gov or check out our COVID-19 Sampling Guidelines page. Please follow all local regulations and CDC guidelines.
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream is a program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Outreach Program. The preparation of this newsletter was financed in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
under provisions of Section 319(h) of the Federal Clean Water Act of 1987, as amended.
Our mailing address is: Georgia Environmental Protection Division 2 MLK Jr. Dr. S.E. Suite 1462 E Atlanta, GA 30334 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
https://mailchi.mp/156cd9991a44/adopt-a-stream-newsletter-april-june-2851204?e=b2d12c658b[11/30/2020 12:30:47 PM]