By Casey Clauser, Master Watershed Steward Coordinator for Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster Counties
Master Watershed Stewards in Lebanon, Lancaster, and Dauphin County are undertaking their training virtually so that they can become trained volunteers to help educate about resources in their watershed.
This Spring marks the exciting new launch of the first Master Watershed Steward program for the Lower Susquehanna Region (Lebanon, Lancaster, and Dauphin County)!
COVID-19 has not stopped the Master Watershed Steward Program as it has transitioned from meeting in-person to a virtual classroom. The classes have covered the following topics: watershed basics, soils, watershed landscapes, land use impacts, lake and pond ecology, aquatic invasive species, and communication.
The upcoming online lectures are as follows: entomology, water and the law, native and invasive plants, geology, groundwater, stormwater management, drinking water, wastewater, and wildlife in the watershed.
The Watershed Stewards are looking forward to getting back to the face-to-face classroom and planned field trips which will most likely happen this summer. [Classes and field trips will resume when declared safe based on Penn State University policies in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions.]
The planned field trips include tours that range from visiting the Stroud Water Research facility, Capital Region Water, Highspire Waste Water Plant, and Middle Creek Wildlife Center.
The tours are designed to give the Stewards hands-on experiences for learning about local watersheds and ways in which they can continue to maintain and/or improve them.
Once the Stewards complete the training portion of the program, they will be given a final exam where they must pass with a score of 80 percent or higher.
Upon passing their exam, they will be tasked with becoming volunteers to participate and support watershed projects throughout the region.
As volunteers, they will experience the opportunity to use their newly acquired knowledge to transform and support their communities.
Stewards can gain their volunteer hours through a variety of volunteer opportunities with local organizations and community partners.
Volunteer opportunities include but are not limited to the following: educating citizens about environmental stewardship, participating in stream restorations and cleanups, taking water quality monitoring samples, and supporting local watershed associations on their mission.
If you have any volunteer projects or opportunities in the Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon County area, feel free to reach out to Program Coordinator, Casey Clauser by sending an email to: cmc7444@psu.edu to discuss options and opportunities.
The Stewards must complete 50 volunteer hours within the first year to receive the official title of Master Watershed Steward!
The Stewards are then required to annually complete at least 20 volunteer hours and 10 continuing education hours to keep their Master Watershed Steward title.
The Penn State Extension is excited to bring this program to the Lower Susquehanna region and to partner with many organizations already doing great work in restoring the water and natural resources of the area.
[Visit the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program webpage for opportunities in your county.]
(Reprinted from Penn State Extension April 22 Watershed Winds Newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)
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