The program recruits, trains, and engages knowledgeable volunteers who can work with Conservation Districts, local governments, and other organizations, supporting and enhancing their missions.
The volunteers can:
-- Help local governments implement stormwater permit requirements
-- Coordinate and run litter clean-ups
-- Organize educational workshops
-- Set up educational booths at community events
-- Install and maintain best management practices and more!
1,080 Stewards, 55 Counties And Counting
In 2025, the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program grew to 1,080 dedicated community volunteers in 55 counties who logged 51,871 volunteer hours across the state.
Since the program began in 2013, the total volunteer hours are 255,951, valued at $8.9 million.
In their collective efforts this past year, working with local conservation organizations, the Master Watershed Stewards--
-- Made over 142,465 personal contacts with Pennsylvania residents and shared information on protecting our water resources
-- Reached 254 MS4 Stormwater Management communities with qualifying stormwater education and outreach
-- Organized 295 workshops and educational presentations for their communities
-- Set up educational displays and engaged with residents at 308 community events
-- Taught students about the environment in 141 schools
-- 242 Master Watershed Stewards used their knowledge to support municipal boards and community watershed groups
-- Planted 32,267 trees and 9,547 herbaceous perennials
-- Distributed 707 rain barrels
-- Conducted water quality monitoring on 352 sites along 201 streams
-- Protected 352.5 acres of habitat and 12.8 miles of streams
-- Removed 152 acres of invasive species
-- Removed 6,780 55-gallon bags of trash
Thank you to the Master Watershed Stewards for all the good they've done in 2025!
Spring Training Signups
If you would like to become a Master Watershed Steward, classes are forming for 2026.
Click Here to sign up and for more information.
Support Their Work
If you would like to support our work with a year-end donation, you can help us to:
-- Train new watershed stewards across Pennsylvania
-- Provide tools and materials for restoration projects
-- Support community education and outreach
-- Strengthen the long-term health of local ecosystems
When you give to this program, you're investing in cleaner streams, healthier habitats, and more resilient communities—not just for today, but for generations to come.
Click Here for the announcement.
Visit the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program webpage to learn more.
Visit the Penn State Extension website to learn more about many other education opportunities.
Upcoming Extension Events:
-- Launch Your Ag Conservation Journey At The PA Farm Show - Jan. 10-17
-- Penn State Extension Jan. 12 In-Person Program On Road Salt Usage Trends And Environmental Impacts, Adams County Ag & Natural Resources Center, Gettysburg, 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.
-- Penn State Extension Hosts Jan. 27 Community Forestry Webinar - Forester's Featured Working Tree Solutions [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Jan. 28 Water Cooler Talk Webinar- Soil Health Practices For Clean Water, Noon to 1:00 p.m.
-- Penn State Extension Feb. 3 Webinar - Exploring Nature Through Journaling, Noon to 1:30 p.m.
-- Penn State Extension Feb. 13 Webinar On Making Cover Crops Pay - How Regenified Certification Works [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension: Making Cover Crops Pay: Feb. 20 Webinar On Understanding What Each Cover Crop Contributes To Soil Health [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension In-Person Southeast PA Green Industry Conference March 5 In Montgomery County [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension March 16 Webinar On Elm Zigzag Sawfly Update - Frontiers Of Forest Health [PaEN]
-- Conservation Pros: Join In Ag Literacy Week - March 16-20
Related Extension Articles:
-- Tips On Watershed-Friendly Deicing
-- Youth Water Education Resources
-- Do’s And Don’ts Of Winter Manure Spreading
-- Funding For Sustainable Farming
-- Improve Stormwater Quality With Low-Impact Development Practices
-- Abandoned PA Oil And Gas Wells Leak Methane, Metals Into Groundwater
-- Penn State Extension Ag Conservation News: Funding For Sustainable Farming; Launch Your Ag Conservation Journey At The PA Farm Show
(Reprinted from the latest Penn State Extension Watershed Winds newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own copy (bottom of the page).)
Related Articles This Week:
-- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Announces Jan. 15 Deadline To Apply For Major Conservation Assistance Program, Including Regenerative Pilot Program [PaEN]
-- Fish & Boat Commission Grant Funding Available To Improve Watersheds In York, Lancaster Counties [PaEN]
-- Westminster College Honors Student Research And Creative Works At 18th Student Symposium On The Environment [PaEN]
-- Unionville H.S. Rowing Club Finds New Home With Chester Water Authority On The Octoraro Reservoir; Student Service Projects Help Protect Reservoir [PaEN]
-- Kensington Teens Win $17,000 Grant To Turn Trash-Filled, Empty Lot Into Public Garden To Prevent Dumping In Philadelphia [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: PA River Of The Year Finalist Chillisquaque Creek Offers Microcosm Of Issues And Opportunities For Bigger Susquehanna River System
-- The Allegheny Front: EPA Hears Competing Views On New Proposed Rollbacks For Federal Wetlands, Water Protections
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: 2026 Middle Susquehanna Naturalist Calendar Now Available For Order
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Maryland Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto Of Bills To Study Costs Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions In MD; Economic, Energy, Environmental Impacts Of A.I. Data Centers, Setting Up State Energy Office
[Posted: December 18, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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