Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 6, no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 1999)

GEORGIA
Adopt-A-Stream
Volume 6, Number 2, March / April 1999
Michele Droszcz and Harold Harbert, Editors

There's a New Riverkeeper in Georgia!

Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Welcome Altamaha Riverkeeper! It appears that one of the state's truly historic river systems is finally receiving the attention and protection it deserves. An excerpt from the Altamaha Riverkeeper states: "The Altamaha River system stretches from the Atlanta-Athens basin to the Atlantic Ocean. It spreads its influence over a 14,000 square mile river basin, through the heart of Georgia, enriching people's lives and providing habitat for innumerable species. Not only is this river system the jewel in Georgia's crown of rivers, but it has the only sub-tropical rain forest eco-system in North America. In short it is unique and precious." The Altamaha Riverkeeper was organized in January 1999 through a collaborative effort between the Coastal Georgia Center for Sustainable Development and the Georgia Waterman's Association. Members of this organization recently participated in Adopt-A-Stream biological and chemical workshops, and now are ready to begin monitoring! Georgia Adopt-A-Stream welcomes Altamaha Riverkeeper as one of our Community/Watershed Programs. If you are interested in helping to protect and preserve this valuable river system, contact their founder and President, James Holland at 912437-8164. Or write: Altamaha Riverkeeper, PO Box 2642, Darien, GA 31305.

More Adopt-A-Stream Community/Watershed Programs Initiated

More good news! Effingham, Chattooga, Forsyth, Fayette, Rockdale, and White County, along with SCREEK, have registered as Adopt-A-Stream Community/Watershed Programs. As if by design, these groups have initiated programs just as Georgia AAS has begun prioritizing the expansion of community / watershed programs across the State. The rise in interest for community / watershed programs appears to be the result of many factors including the recognition of the effectiveness of AAS programs for satisfying many local watershed concerns.

Effingham County is very fortunate to have two energetic and enthusiastic coordinators for their Adopt-A-Stream program, Connie

On a clear winter day, Betty Shipes, Connie Bowen and Katie Gibbs guide their canoe through historic Ebenezer Creek.

Bowen and Betty Shipes. Effingham County AAS proudly touts Ebenezer Creek as the focal point for their conservation efforts. Their initial plans are to develop a budget, get supplies, and organize a watershed walk. They are hoping to partnership with local industry for funding. This program was initiated through the Ebenezer Creek Greenway Project and Effingham County Commissioners' office. For more information on how you can get involved, call Connie at 912-754-2141.

The contact for Chattooga County is Jane Pape of the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center, where she serves on Staff Development for Teachers and Student Program in Math and Science. Jane is stationed in Heritage Hall, at Floyd College. Created by court order, the Chattooga County AAS program will be coordinated through the city of Trion. To learn more about this program, call Jane at 706-802-5322.

Forsyth County's AAS contact is Cheryl Dukas of the Forsyth County Engineering Department in Cumming. Cheryl has been active with the AAS program for a number of years, and has even initiated two individual programs on her own! In addition to her duties in the Storm Water Division, Cheryl gladly accepts the challenge of coordinating AAS efforts on the county level. Call Cheryl at 770-781-2165.

Fayette County AAS is spearheaded by Ed Outlaw, a local tax consultant, who will be working closely with Marcia Brown, Director of the Flat Creek Nature Center. Ed and Marcia have already scheduled chemical and biological workshops for March and April. Ed has also organized local "experts" to provide educational seminars on water chemistry and biology, and environmental factors influencing water quality. For more information contact Ed at 770-631-8503 or Marcia at 770-486-9363.

Rockdale County has been working for years to initiate a local AAS program. Fortunately John Maddox, of the Rockdale Water Department, has agreed to act as coordinator of a program that is in its preliminary stages. For assistance in starting AAS programs in Rockdale County, contact John at 770-918-6538.

Preserve White County has agreed to act as the Adopt-A-Stream contact for White County. In recent months, several trainings have been conducted in White County by the trainers at North Georgia College and State University and several streams have been adopted. Preserve White County's mission is to preserve natural resources through education and the actions of citizens and local government. Please contact Ann Banke at 706865-7792.

Southside Stream and Creek Keepers (SCREEK) will help facilitate Adopt-A-Stream activities in south Fulton County. SCREEK is focusing their conservation efforts on Camp Creek and Utoy Creek, streams that they believe have suffered from a lack of support from individuals and local municipalities. If you want to get involved, contact Edith Ladipo at 404-755-4894.

Seeking Interns!!
The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream office is looking for interns to respond to requests and enter data. This is a lot more exciting than it sounds! We respond to questions about water quality, monitoring techniques, stream regulations and a variety of other concerns. The two main databases are the volunteer mailing list and the volunteer water quality database. Interns may also participate in workshops, trainings and planning meetings. Interns must commit to at least 4 hours a week and be college age or older. Contact Michele Droszcz at 404-656-0099.

Special Community Watershed Workshop Meeting
The City of Atlanta will be sponsoring a special Community Watershed Workshop meeting at 6:30 pm on April 13, 1999, at the Civic Center in the Piedmont Ballroom. This workshop will highlight the findings of the Metro Atlanta Urban Watershed Initiative (MAUWI), review and distribute the assessment reports and the watershed management guidance document, discuss the Atlanta Stream Cleanup Project and receive input on the City's Adopt-A-Stream program. If you have questions, please call Keshia Johnson at 404-330-6980.

What's a TMDL?

The following is from the Purdue University education page, http://purdue.edu/KYW/TMDLFact.html.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the maximum amount of pollution that a waterbody can assimilate without violating state water quality standards. Setting TMDLs has been required for years. It was mandated by Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (passed in 1972). At that time people had a more limited idea of what constituted pollution than we have now. In the early `70s they were picturing the big nasty pipe spewing stuff into the river. Now we know a whole variety of sources and activities can degrade water.

In addition to setting a TMDL the responsibility for reducing pollution among both point sources (pipes) and diffuse sources is also assigned. Diffuse "sources" include, but are not limited to run-off, leaking underground storage tanks, unconfined aquifers, septic systems, stream channel alteration, and damage to a riparian area. Recent law suits have brought setting TMDLs on impaired waters to the forefront in most states. When states set TMDLs, they:

1. Identify waters that do not meet water quality standards. In this process, the state identifies the particular pollutant(s) causing the water not to meet standards,
2. Prioritize waters that do not meet standards for TMDL development (for example, waters with high naturally occurring "pollution" will fall to the bottom of the list), and
3. Establish TMDLs (set the amount of pollutant that needs to be reduced and assign responsibilities) for priority waters to meet state water quality standards. A separate TMDL is set to address each pollutant with concentrations over the standards.

After the state sets a TMDL, it develops a strategy to reduce pollution and assess progress made during implementation of the strategy. This is when a watershed partnership most likely will want to get involved. If the partnership has already developed a plan of action, it should be shared with the state.

Note: The State of Georgia is encouraging watershed partnership plans in the State's strategy for specific TMDLs. If you have questions about TMDLs in Georgia, contact Clint Moye, TMDL Coordinator for the Environmental Protection Division at 404-657-9492.

Project Wet Environmental Education Workshops!

Join the U.S. National Park Service and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for an exciting day of first hand, hands-on instruction in Project WET's successful, environmental education activities. Our most precious resource, water, is the fascinating vehicle for this interdisciplinary professional development and enrichment workshop. All participants will receive the 530 page Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide, great posters, additional lesson plans, and many other resources. Workshops will be held March 13 and May 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

You can also join U.S. National Park Service and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for a day of instruction in the successful educator's guide, Wow! The Wonders of Wetlands. All participants will receive the 330 page Wow! The Wonders of Wetlands educational guidebook, great posters, additional lesson plans, and many other resources. Workshops will be held March 20 and April 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

Cost: Members Non-members College Students Membership/workshop

$15.00 $25.00 $15.00 $25.00

Registration is open to private and public school teachers, youth organization leaders, nature center instructors, and all interested volunteers. For more information on these fantastic workshops, call the National Park Service at 770-518-1134 or 770-642-8386 or Georgia Project WET at 404-651-9998.

Stream Corridor Restoration Document
The EPD has recently received a copy of EPA's document, "Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices." This 2-inch thick document was prepared by EPA, 15 other federal agencies, and non-government experts, with assistance from Tetra-Tech. Published in 1998, the document includes the full range of restoration approaches, and encourages locally led public involvement in stream restoration planning and implementation. There are numerous lists, tables, and charts, as well as color photos of many waterways across the country illustrating different types of stream corridor conditions. This document is available via internet at www2.hqnet.usda.gov/stream_restoration. Or, call National Technical Information Service at 1-800-533-NTIS to order your personal copy for $71.00, and CD-ROM for $60.00.
Citywide Storm Drain Stenciling Project
When rain water rushes over yards, streets, sidewalks and parking lots, it picks up trash, oil, animal waste and yard trimmings coated with fertilizers. These pollutants are washed into storm drains that often empty directly into nearby streams and rivers. This Earth Day join the City of Atlanta on Volunteer Day, Saturday, April 24, and stencil storm drains in your community or watershed. This is a great project for Adopt-A-Stream groups, civic associations and youth groups. The City will assist volunteer groups in identifying stormwater inlets that drain to rivers and streams, provide stencils, paint, cleaning supplies and instructions. If you're interested in getting involved, notify Keshia Johnson by March 19th, at 404330-6980.
Georgia Children's Water Festival
Come join the fun at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds on Thursday, May 7, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, as we celebrate National Drinking Water Week. This water festival will assist in raising awareness and educating the public about water issues, such as drinking water, groundwater, watersheds, and wetlands. Drinking water is our most precious unrenewable resource. Did you know that less than 1% of water on earth is drinkable? 97% of the water on Earth is held in oceans and sea, 2% in ice caps, and 1% fresh water. The festival targets 5th grade school children and is open to all schools across the State. For more information on how your school can get involved, call Jennifer Gardener, US EPA, 404-562-9436 or Kerrin Gee, GA DNR, 404-657-7430.
CALL FOR PRESENTERS The National Drinking Water Week Committee is looking for three presenters to talk about Adopt-AStream. The event will be held April 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. Each presenter will conduct several 20 minute talks on the same subject throughout the day. The presentations will be made to 5th grade classes. If you are interested in being a presenter, contact Jennifer Gardener at 404-562-9436.

Adopt-A-Stream Annual Conference Survey
Over the past five years, the Annual Adopt-A-Stream Conference has been held in October at various state schools throughout north Georgia. In an effort to move the conference around the state, the 1998 conference was held in Columbus. The conference was fantastic yet the attendance was low.
The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Advisory Board would like to ask you, the volunteers, what your preferences are for conference locations and dates. This will assist us in planning a conference that will be enjoyable and accessible to more volunteers. Please take a moment to fill out this survey and mail it to Georgia Adopt-AStream.

Please number, from 1 to 5, (with 1 being your first choice) your preferred location for the next conference.
Cohutta Springs Conference Center, near Cohutta Wilderness in NW Georgia
Epworth By The Sea, on St. Simons Island Georgia FFA Center in Covington, near Lake Jackson Calloway Gardens, NE of Columbus Rome, Georgia

Please number your top 3 preferred months with 1 being the most preferred.

February March April May June

July August September October November

Resources Available

Georgia Adopt-A-Stream provides the following resources to communities, watershed organizations and individuals interested in using the Adopt-A-Stream program.

Y Technical and logistic support for volunteers and communities starting new projects

Y Level I "Getting Started" manual

Y Level II "Biological and Chemical Monitoring" manual

Y

"Georgia Adopt-A-Stream" introductory video

Y

"Watershed Walk" video

Y Level I Adopt-A-Wetland manual

Y Adopt-A-Lake manual

Y Adopt-A-Stream Teachers Guide

Y Level I workshop-2 hours

Y Level II Biological Monitoring workshop-5 hours

Y Level II Chemical Monitoring workshop-4 hours

Y Train the Trainer workshop-7 hours

Y Newsletter published bimonthly (6 times per year)

Y Web page at www.ganet.org/dnr/environ/

Y Annual conference and awards ceremony

Y Adopt-A-Stream brochure

Y "Pointless Pollution" brochure and video

Must include return stamp
Return to: Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Suite 643 7 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., SW Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Adopt-A-Stream is Now On Line!!!
Were you wondering if Georgia AAS would ever have their own web page? We were too! Well, we still don't have our own web page but we are on line. Let us walk you through the maze of our EPD web site to access the AAS web site. Go to www.ganet.org/dnr/environ/, then click on About EPD in the lefthand green menu box. Now you've accessed a page with EPD branches, click on the Water Protection Branch. This pulls up a page listing programs within the Water Protection Branch. Georgia Adopt-AStream is housed in the NonPoint Source Program. Scroll down the page to find the section on AdoptA-Stream. This page is not fancy, but it does hold valuable, up-to-date information about AAS, such as: all newsletters ever published, all our manuals (which you can print off the Internet), listings of workshops across the state, AAS individual groups and more!
Trainings Held in Athens
This winter Athens-Clarke County AAS and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia hosted two Train-TheTrainer workshops for volunteers and community program leaders interested in becoming more involved in their local programs. The workshops were attended by more than 40 individuals. All participants were trained, tested and certified by the state program for conducting chemical and/or biological workshops. These trainers are now certified for one year, in which they will be asked to conduct at least two regular workshops. The trainers usually organize workshops in conjunction with a local Community/Watershed Program. For more information on how you can get involved as an AAS trainer, call us and register for an upcoming Train-The-Trainer workshop. Check the back of this newsletter for a list of future workshops.

Get "Down to Earth Day" and Win $1000

The Environmental Fund for Georgia is sponsoring a statewide high school contest for public and private schools in conjunction with Earth Day 1999. High school students are encouraged to design and implement a group environmental project which creates positive environmental changes at the high school or community level. Projects will be rated on the following characteristics:

C

creativity and innovation

C

lasting environmental impact

C

group organization and participation

C

education and involvement of the student body

C

partnerships with organizations, companies, committees or clubs

A panel of judges will review applicant proposals and recognize the top three winners at a reception held on Earth Day, April 22nd. The High School Contest is an official program of Down to Earth Day, an annual community-wide celebration in honor of Georgia's environment. Down to Earth Day promotes environmental awareness, volunteerism and public involvement. For more information on the Down to Earth Day High School Contest please contact the Environmental Fund for Georgia at 404-873-3173.

Hall County Adopt-A-Stream Meetings
Get to know your Hall County Adopt-AStream Program! They have two new employees recently certified to conduct workshops in your community! Hall Co. has had an active AAS program for many years. You can get involved by attending one of their meetings in Gainesville.

Adopt-A-Stream Meetings ConAgra Training Center 949 Industrial Blvd. at 7:00 pm 11
Adopt-A-Stream Steering Committee Meetings Hall Clean Council Office

March 9 April 13
May
March 16 April 20 May 18

Eighth Annual Southeastern Lakes Management Society Conference
The theme for this year's conference is Developing Watershed Solutions: Community Partnerships. The conference is hosted by the North American Lake Management Society, Lake and Watershed Association of South Carolina and Southeast Watershed Forum. It will be held at the Conference Center and Inn at Clemson University, Clemson, SC, March 24 - 27, 1999. For registration information please contact: SELMS INTERNET URL: http://www.nalms.org/indexf.htm or Terry Thiessen, NALMS, PO Box 5443, Madison, WI 53705-5443 Phone: 608-233-3186 Fax: 608-233-3186 E-mail: thiessen@nalms.org

Adopt-A-Stream Calendar of Events The following are trainings and workshops which educate citizens about wetland and stream monitoring. In 1999 we are placing more emphasis on providing Train-The-Trainer workshops. Note that one day chemical and biological recertification workshops will be offered quarterly. If you are a trainer who will be conducting a workshop, tell us about it and we'll include it in the next newsletter. Please call early to register. Space is limited!

What Biological Workshop Bio. & Chem. Recertification Wksp. Biological Workshop Biological Workshop 8006
Adopt-A-Wetland
Level I / Chemical Workshop Level I / Biological Workshop Biological Workshop Biological Workshop Peavine Creek Clean Up 508-7603
Lev. I / Chem. Train-The-Trainer
Level I / Chemical Workshop Biological Workshop
Level I / Chemical Workshop
Level I / Chemical Workshop
Biological Train-The-Trainer
Level I / Chemical Workshop Biological Workshop 8006 Biological Workshop 7603

When Mar. 6 Mar. 13 Mar. 13 Mar. 18

Where Morgan Falls / Big Trees Fernbank Science Ctr. Davidson Arabia Autry Mill (Fulton Co.)

To Register 404-730-8006 404-656-0069 404-508-7602
404-730-

Mar. 27

GWF Alcovy Site

404-656-0099

Mar. 27

TBA (Fulton Co.)

404-730-8006

April 3

Lake Laurel (Milledgeville) 706-485-9243

April 10

Fernbank Science Ctr.

404-508-7602

April 17

TBA (Fulton Co.)

404-730-8006

April 17

Lake Claire Community

404-

April 24 April 24 May 1 May 1 May 1 May 8 May 8 May 15
May 15

Dunwoody Nature Ctr.

404-656-0069

TBA (DeKalb Co.)

404-508-7602

Augusta Area TBA (Fulton Co.)

706-722-8997 404-730-8006

Lake Laurel (Milledgeville) 706-485-9243

Fernbank Science Ctr.

404-656-0069

TBA (Emory Area)

404-508-7603

Cochran Mill Nature Ctr.

404-730-

TBA (Emory Area)

404-508-

Don't forget, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream requires that you must get recertified every year so that your data is QA/QC! Sign up for a workshop now!

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 7 ML King Dr. SW, Suite 643 Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0069

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