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JUNE 2013
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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. 
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. 

More... 


Webinar 5: Strategic IWRM:
Implementation at the State Level in Oregon and California

Date/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 
Webinar archives are available at no cost to AWRA members and for $50 each for non-members. Email [email protected] to request access.
Media of Water
Agriculture- A River Runs Through it
Agriculture- A River Runs Through it

MOVIES and VIDEOS

Agriculture- 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 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

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.

To sign up as a blogger, contact Christine McCrehin

AWRA 2013 Conference Deadlines Update
AWRA State Section and  
Student Chapter News 

Save the Date - 2013 Mid-Atlantic Conference!

September 26-27, 2013 - The NJ, PA, DE, Philly Metro and National Capitol Sections of AWRA will host the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC). Call for abstracts now available.     

 

NJ-AWRA logo

New Jersey State Section Seeks Nominations for Excellence in Water Resources Protection & Planning Award
Nominations for the 4th Annual Excellence in Water Resources Protection and Planning Award are now being accepted and due on or before August 2, 2013. The award will be presented at the NJ State Section's annual "Water New Years Eve" on Thursday, September 26th as part of this years Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC 2013).  If you have questions or wish to submit a nomination please email John Miller, Excellence in Water Resources Award Committee Chair. Details on the nomination requirements, supporting documentation and rules are included here (pdf).

 

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.    

In This Issue
IWRM Webinar Series
Media of Water
AWRA Announcements
IMPACT May 2013
JAWRA April 2013
AWRA Events
Non-AWRA Events
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May 2013 IMPACT
May 2013 IMPACT
The May issue of IMPACT is now available. Read the TOC for the current and back issues.
JAWRA
APRIL 2013

JAWRA's April issue is now available
 in print and online.  

Read TOC for all issues.

AWRA Members:
Access JAWRA online
  log on to the AWRA website, then follow link to JAWRA Online.

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AWRA EVENTS
 
June 2013
 AWRA Webinar Series Strategic IWRM: Implementation at the State Level in Oregon and California
June 5, 2013
1:00pm EDT
Non-member: $50
Member: Free

AWRA Webinar Series IWRM Lessons Learned: A Wrap-up of this Series
June 18, 2013
1:00pm EDT
Non-member: $50
Member: Free

2013 AWRA Summer Specialty Conference Environmental Flows
Hartford, CT
June 24-25, 2013

2013 AWRA Summer Specialty Conference Healthy Forests = Health Water
Hartford, 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

2013 AWRA Washington State Conference
Seattle, WA
September 26, 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 Conference
Portland, OR
November 4-7, 2013
Water Awareness Calendar
ripple

 

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?
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].  

AWRA sends this e-newsletter to members of the American Water Resources Association and others interested in the activities of AWRA. Connections is a free service of AWRA designed to build community, conversations and connections of persons interested in water resources issues. Send  comments or news items to [email protected].

AWRA Confidentiality Promise: AWRA does not share its email list with any individual or non-AWRA organization, ever.