Connections
American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Newsletter
Greetings!
"Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
When did you first find your love of water? It seems that most of us in the water and natural resource fields developed a fondness for the outdoor early in our lives. For me, it was very early and centered-around coastal marshes, tidal rivers and bays and boats. I was lucky enough to grow up on the New Jersey shore in an era when it was fine for kids to roam their environs for sun up to sun down without a parent in sight! If I didn't get a case of poison sumac each summer from wandering around the marshes, there was something wrong. I was taken for my first boat ride when I was 7 months old and still happiest when sailing. Luckily I share the love of the water with my husband, whom I met when sailing at age 16. We have two grown sons who are both Eagle Scouts and love the outdoors. We made every effort, as they were growing up, to give them opportunities to explore different environments, but it was difficult given personal safety/security issues in suburban neighborhoods and competition from indoor enticements like video games. Personally, I'm worried about how the priorities of today's youth will impact our future environment. On the one hand, they have greater exposure to environmental teaching in school and are better recyclers than their parents. But, will they have that more rounded understanding of the natural world and a deep-seated love of the environment, whether it be mountains, rivers or the sea? If fewer and fewer of our youth gain this love of nature, what will be the future of local and global conservation? Can there be another ground swell of environmental protection as there was in the late '60s- early '70s? Will the environment be a priority? Every June there is a Delaware River Sojourn which is an eight day trip down the river in canoes and kayaks ( one can do single or multiple days). I love to watch the middle and high school students who have been brought along by their parents for an "outdoor family adventure." For the most part, they don't want to be seen with their parents at that age and think it is a lame vacation compared to a trip to the amusement park. At the beginning of the first day there are many unhappy, bored faces. However, after being set loose in a kayak for a day and finding that they must be in control of their destiny, the mood changes. They want to challenge one of the ACA safety patrol members to a race or learn to do an Eskimo roll. They are enjoying their freedom on the river. Getting their feet wet makes all the difference! What should AWRA be doing to help our youth find that love of water? It is not an area in which we have been very active in the past. With the combination of members in national, state sections and student chapters, we should be able to come up with some good ideas. If there are suitable activities in your area, such as the Sojourn, maybe the AWRA section could offer a competition for a free day on the water. Maybe AWRA National could develop an educational page on the website with information that would be of interest to youth and teachers. I'd like to hear from you on how you developed your love for water and what you think AWRA should be doing to help our youth. Post your comments after this same article on AWRA's Blog.
Thank you,
Ps. Spread the word about Connections! Forward this email to a friend or colleague. Email [email protected] with questions or comments.
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Register for IWRM Webinars
Don't miss the remaining webinars in this series based on the IWRM cased studies report. This series and subsequent archive is offered free to all AWRA members and costs $50.00 per webinar (includes archive) for non-AWRA members.
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Webinar 5: Strategic IWRM: Implementation at the State Level in Oregon and CaliforniaDate/Time: June 5, 1:00pm EDT
This webinar will feature Brenda Bateman, Senior Policy Coordinator Water Resources Department, Salem, OR; Alyssa Mucken is the policy coordinator for Oregon's Integrated Water Resources Strategy; and Lisa Beutler, MWH Consulting, CA, discussing IWRM implementation in their respective states. Michael Campana will moderate.Webinar 6: Wrap-up: What's Next for IWRM? Date: June 18, 2013 - 1:00 PM EDT
Register Here Featured Speakers: Eugene Stakhiv, recently retired from the USACE but is back as a visiting scholar; and Jerry Sehlke, former program manager, Idaho National Laboratory. Michael Campana will moderate. ARCHIVES AVAILABLE
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Media of Water
Agriculture- A River Runs Through it
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MOVIES and VIDEOSAgriculture- A River Runs Through it Heather Welch, Claire Rose, and Richard Coupe, U.S. Geological Survey scientists involved in the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Study of Agricultural Chemical Transport (ACT) study, outline agricultural effects on water quality in the Mississippi Delta region. Topics include research results on nutrient modeling using the SPARROW model, environmental effects of biofuel production, and glyphosate transport. This Week at Interior, May 31, 2013
This Week at Interior May 31, 2013 |
This week: the official handoff of Landsat 8 from NASA to USGS; stakeholders talk about the way forward in the Colorado River Basin; Secretary Jewell announces a youth corps to help restore New York, New Jersey Parks after Hurricane Sandy; the Secretary visits Rhode Island to highlight the value of national parks and public lands to the nation's economy; and Saturday marks National Trails Day.
WEBINARS/CONTINUING EDUCATION/TOOLS
INTERESTING BLOG POSTS
REPORTS
WEBSITES/APPS
Do you know of any new publications, reports, websites or other resources that our readers should know about? Email them to [email protected].
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AWRA HQ Announcements
AWRA Members: Have You Moved or Changed Jobs Recently?
To insure that you receive the full range of your AWRA benefits, please take a moment now to login to the AWRA website and update your member record.
JAWRA Selects New Associate Editor Cole Rossi, BOR/BLM Utah, has been chosen as JAWRA Associate Editor for Water Quality Monitoring. Rossi brings to us a strong background in laboratory and sampling procedures as well as modeling.
AWRA Seeks Bloggers!
Got something to say? Write for the AWRA Blog. The AWRA blog is a platform for discussion of current and emerging issues in water resources management and administration. Share your expertise and experience.
The AWRA blog will be posted to the AWRA Facebook, LinkedIn and GovLoop pages and may also be re-posted by other blogs and social media. AWRA membership is encouraged, but not required, so pass this on to colleagues who may be interested. Previous blogging experience is helpful, but also not required. Student and new professional perspectives are encouraged.
The blog is updated regularly so we are looking for several writers to submit content through the end of 2013. Guest writers will be responsible for selecting the topic of choice, however AWRA has a list of possible topics as well.
AWRA 2013 Conference Deadlines Update
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AWRA State Section and
Student Chapter News
Save the Date - 2013 Mid-Atlantic Conference!
AWRA State Section and Student Chapter Directories
Interested in joining an AWRA State Section or Student Chapter? Click the respective link to find a listing of all sections and chapters. The directories also list all available section and chapter websites.
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May 2013 IMPACT
The May issue of IMPACT is now available. Read the TOC for the current and back issues.
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AWRA EVENTS
2013 AWRA Summer Specialty Conference Environmental FlowsHartford, CT June 24-25, 2013 2013 AWRA Summer Specialty Conference Healthy Forests = Health WaterHartford, CT June 27-28, 2013 September 2013 2013 Water for Mega Cities - Challenges and Solutions International Specialty Conference: AWRA and Beijing Hydraulic Engineering Society Beijing, China September 16-18, 2013 Hosted by The NJ, PA, DE, Philly Metro and National Capitol Sections of AWRA Princeton, N.J.September 26-27, 2013 November 2013
2013 AWRA Annual ConferencePortland, OR November 4-7, 2013
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Water Awareness Calendar
2013 Groundwater Awareness Week March 10-13 World Water Day March 22 Drinking Water Week May 5-11 National Protect Your Groundwater Day
September 11
World Toilet Day November 19
Know of any other national events for the calendar?
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Non-AWRA Events and Education Opportunities
CONFERENCES
34th Annual IWRA Spring Symposium
Muncie, IN
June 19-21, 2013
2013 EPA Community Involvement Training Conference
Boston, MA
July 30-August 1, 2013
2013 International Conference on Water Sustainability in Arid Regions
Lanzhou, China
August 12-14, 2013
Abstract Deadline: May 15, 2013
Myrtle Beach, FL
August 18-22, 2013
Seventh International Phosphorus Workshop (IPW7)
Uppsala, Sweden
September 9-13, 2013
2013 Susquehanna Water Science Forum Camp Hill, PA
October 7-8, 2013
Desert Technology 11 International Conference
San Antonio, TX
November 19-22, 2013
Do you know of events, conferences, or other educational opportunities that our readers should know about? Email them to [email protected].
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