PA Environment Digest Blog: 2024

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards Accepting Volunteer Applications For Spring 2025 Training

The Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards are seeking individuals who enjoy learning, have the desire and time to volunteer, and value working with others.

No previous experience is needed - our program empowers you to make a difference in your community and beyond!

The Master Watershed Steward Program provides training, resources, and ongoing support to volunteers looking to engage in environmental restoration projects and educational programs.

Next spring, the program is offering training classes across 38 counties.

The program provides broad water science and natural resources coursework with ongoing volunteer and educational opportunities that equip participants with the tools to make a difference in their communities.

We seek individuals who enjoy learning, have the desire and time to volunteer, and value working with others. No previous experience is needed - our program empowers you to make a difference in your community and beyond!

This spring's training will be held virtually via Zoom on Thursday evenings starting February 20th, 2025, and will run through May 29th.

Some county programs may begin on February 13th, offering an initial in-person meeting. In-person, outdoor field experiences will also be scheduled locally, and online "enrichment" sessions on various niche topics will also be offered.

In exchange for 40 hours of instruction, candidates must agree to contribute 20 hours of volunteer service in their first year, followed by 20 hours of volunteer efforts and 10 hours of continuing education per year after that.

Volunteer activities available to Master Watershed Stewards include organizing educational events, designing demonstration rain gardens, organizing stream cleanups, planting riparian forest buffers, working with municipal officials to plant native meadows, monitoring streams for bacteria, and more.

Info Session Schedule

To learn more about the Master Watershed Steward program, you can attend one of our county information sessions. Links will be added when registration is available.

-- Adams: Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 p.m.

-- Allegheny: Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM Contact Laurie Magliettat 412-336-2038 or llm5621@psu.edu.

-- Berks/Schuylkill: Thursday, January 9th at 7:00 pm

-- Bucks/Montgomery: No information session. Contact Coordinator Kathleen Connally at kxc30@psu.edu for details.

-- Cumberland Valley: Thursday, December 12th from 6:00-7:30 PM in-person and Monday, December 16 from 4:00-5:00 PM virtually.

-- Chester/Delaware: Tuesday, December 17th at 7:00 PM

-- Dauphin/Lancaster/Lebanon: Thursday, January 9th at 6:30 PM

-- Endless Mountains (Susquehanna, Sullivan, Wyoming, Wayne, Lycoming, Tioga and Bradford): No information session. Contact Coordinator Jeremy Leaidicker at jxl6817@psu.edu for details.

-- Lackawanna/Luzerne: Thursday, January 16th at 6:30 PM

-- Lehigh/Northampton: Thursday, January 9th at 6:30 PM

-- Monroe: Thursday, December 19th at 7:00 PM

-- Pennsylvania Wilds (Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter, Clinton, Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson, Forest, and Clarion): December 5th at 6PM; December 10th at 12PM

-- Westmoreland/Indiana/Armstrong: Monday, December 9th at 7:00 PM

-- York: Monday, December 16 at 7pm, Monday, January 6, at 7pm Contact Jodi Sulpizio at jrb143@psu.edu/

Click Here for all Master Watershed Stewards County Programs.

Visit the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards website to learn more about this program.

Upcoming Extension Events

-- November 24: In-Person: Meadow Seeding For A Hands-On Stormwater Solution. Rose Tree county Park, Media, Delaware County 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

-- November 26: Webinar: Do On-Lot Septic Systems Impact Water Quality? Noon

-- December 10: Webinar: On-Lot Septic System Questions And Answers. Noon

-- Penn State Extension Water Online Courses

Master Watershed Stewards Naturalize Stormwater Basin In York County

By Jodi Sulpizio, York County Master Watershed Stewards Coordinator

Stormwater basins are engineered structures that capture stormwater from nearby development. During storm events, stormwater runoff moves across impervious surfaces such as streets, parking lots, sidewalks, etc., and is usually directed into stormwater basins in urban areas.

Historically, the purpose of these stormwater structures was to channel the runoff into streams quickly.

The current thought is to "slow the flow" to keep water in the basins longer, increasing infiltration. This will help filter pollution and recharge groundwater. Slowing the flow can also help prevent flooding and erosion downstream.

Retrofitting and naturalizing these stormwater structures can help improve water quality.

This fall, Master Watershed Stewards in York County set forth to retrofit a stormwater basin to make it function more naturally. They worked together to design and develop a native planting plan.

The basin was formerly turfgrass, which did little to improve water quality.

The team replaced the turfgrass with a more diverse mix of native plants, including flowering perennials, grasses, sedges, and rushes.

Some species planted include great blue lobelia, little bluestem, New England aster, blue flag iris, golden ragwort, beardtongue, common rush, and bee balm.

The native plants are aesthetically pleasing and will help filter pollutants, improve infiltration, provide wildlife habitat, resist drought and pests, and will not require frequent mowing.

On an unseasonably hot fall morning, the team of Master Watershed Stewards planted the basin along with North York Rotarians who funded the project.

They planted and watered over 2,500 native plant plugs that morning.

It was an amazing accomplishment from such an enthusiastic group of volunteers! It will be exciting to see the new vegetation grow next spring!

The project is located along the York County Heritage Rail Trail (a York County Park) at the Louck's Mill Road parking lot along Codorus Creek.

It will help educate the public about stormwater and the benefits of implementing green infrastructure to help improve water quality.

Educational signage will help educate park visitors about stormwater and the benefits of naturalizing stormwater basins.

A key strength of the Master Watershed Steward program is collaborating with other organizations and agencies like North York Rotary and the York County Parks.

Together, we can leverage resources to offer more education and implement more on-the-ground restoration projects in the community.

See more information about stormwater, more information about the Master Watershed Steward Program in York, or contact Jodi Sulpizio, Natural Resources Educator at jrb143@psu.edu or 717-840-7408.