Announcements 2025.4.1

[Walker, Jane]

1.) Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs) Ceremony – April 2, 2025
2.) Virginia Native Plant Sales – Various Dates, Starting: April 2, 2025
3.) EPA Training Webinars
   ++ Enhancing Nutrient Reduction Efforts with the National Nutrient Inventory – April 3, 2025
   ++ Detection and Forecasting of Harmful Algal Blooms – April 16, 2025
4.) Biocultural and Ecological Restoration Initiative Symposium – April 4, 2025
5.) Volunteer Opportunities: Elizabeth River Project – Various Dates, Starting: April 5, 2025
6.) Virginia Forest Landowner News – Various Dates, Starting: April 7, 2025
7.) Comments Accepted: Virginia K-12 Environmental Literacy Strategic Plan – Comment Deadline: April 9, 2025
8.) EnviroLearn: Arts in Environmental Education – Application Deadline: April 10, 2025; Workshop: June 25-27, 2025
9.) Water is Life Celebratory Banquet – April 10, 2025
10.) 77^th Annual Camp Woods & Wildlife – Application Deadline: April 11, 2025; Camp: June 16-20, 2025
11.) 2025 Chesapeake WILD Grants Program – Application Deadline: May 13, 2025
12.) Publication: “Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”
13.) Water Center Jobs Board – https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/jobs/
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See recent announcements and learn more about the Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) at www.VirginiaWMC.org. Feel free to forward these announcements. When forwarding, please acknowledge the VWMC. If you have a water-related announcement of regional or statewide interest, send it to vw...@vt.edu and ask that it be distributed to the VWMC membership. If someone forwarded this message to you, you can join the VWMC for free by sending your name, water-monitoring affiliation (if applicable), and contact information (email address, mailing address, and phone number) to vw...@vt.edu. Thank you to the VWMC’s intern, Logan Flanagan, for developing today’s announcements. 
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1.) Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs) Ceremony – April 2, 2025 (12-1pm) – Virtual -- The BUBBA Awards recognize best practices and programs being implemented in the urban environment across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Learn more and watch the ceremony at https://chesapeakestormwater.net/about-the-bubbas/. Organized by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
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2.) Virginia Native Plant Sales – Various Dates, Starting: April 2, 2025 – Throughout Virginia -- Offered by various chapters of the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) and others. Learn more at https://vnps.org/events/ (search “plant sale”).  Learn more about native plants in your area from regional plant guides found at https://vnps.org/virginia-native-plant-guides/ (download or order)
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3.) EPA Training Webinars
   ++ Enhancing Nutrient Reduction Efforts with the National Nutrient Inventory – April 3, 2025 (3-4pm) – This webinar will showcase the latest datasets and other products currently available in the National Nutrient Inventory Research Portfolio at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/national-nutrient-inventory-portfolio. Learn more and register for the webinar at https://www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-and-resources-training-webinar-series.
   ++ Detection and Forecasting of Harmful Algal Blooms – April 16, 2025 (3-4pm) – This webinar will go over two EPA research efforts related to detecting and forecasting cyanoHABs. The first uses satellite data to predict weekly probabilities of cyanoHABs and the second uses cyanotoxin encoding genes as an early warning system to predict blooms. Learn more and register for the webinar at https://www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-and-resources-webinar-series.
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4.) Biocultural and Ecological Restoration Initiative Symposium – April 4, 2025 (1-5pm) – Blacksburg, VA – The guest speaker will be James Aronson, restoration ecologist. Learn more and register at https://news.vt.edu/notices/2025/03/global-change-center-beri.html. Learn more about the initiative at https://globalchange.vt.edu/research/working-groups/restoration-ecology-working-group.html.  Hosted by the Global Change Center and Restoration Ecology Working Group at Virginia Tech.
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5.) Volunteer Opportunities: Elizabeth River Project – Learn more about these and other opportunities at https://elizabethriver.org/volunteer/. Interested individuals may also sign up to be an Outreach Volunteer. Organized by the Elizabeth River Project.
   ++ Paradise Creek Nature Park – Various Dates: April 5, 2025 to June 14, 2025 (9-11am) -- Portsmouth, VA
   ++ Landscape Maintenance at Ryan Resilience Lab -- April 10, 2025; April 24, 2025 (10am-Noon) – Norfolk, VA
  ++ Litter Clean-Ups -- April 26, 2025 (9-10:30am) -- Norfolk, VA
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6.) Virginia Forest Landowner News – Learn more and register for these and other events at https://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/eventscalendar.html. Provided by Virginia Cooperative Extension.
   ++ Online Woodland Options for Landowners Short Course -- April 7-June 9, 2025
   ++ Majestic Trees of Montpelier -- April 12, 2025 (10am-12pm) -- Montpelier Station, VA -- Presented in collaboration with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Master Naturalists.
   ++ Fifteen Minutes in the Forest -- Fourth Fridays (12:15) -- Bobcats in the Bush (April 25, 2025); Brush Piles (May 23, 2025) – See archived videos at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VFLEP) or YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/VirginiaForestLandownerEducationProgram).
   ++ Virginia Forestry Summit -- May 7-9, 2025 – Roanoke, VA
   ++ An Urban Forestry Tour of the Star City of the South -- May 9, 2025 – Roanoke, VA
   ++ Generation NEXT Deep Dive: The Family Factor (Virtual) -- May 13, 2025
   ++ Protecting Family Land: Legacy Planning for Farm and Forest Owners -- May 15 & 22, 2025 (6-9pm) – Abingdon, VA
   ++ Woodland Owner Retreat – May 30-31, 2025 (Abingdon, VA); September 5-6, 2025 (Providence Forge, VA)
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7.) Comments Accepted: Virginia K-12 Environmental Literacy Strategic Plan – Comment Deadline: April 9, 2025 – The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is accepting comments on the Virginia K-12 Environmental Literacy Strategic Plan. This inaugural plan outlines a blueprint to support environmental literacy across Virginia. View the document and learn how to submit a comment at https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewNotice.cfm?gnid=3073.
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8.) EnviroLearn: Arts in Environmental Education – Application Deadline: April 10, 2025; Workshop: June 25-27, 2025 – Richmond, VA – This 3-day immersive workshop explores how to weave environmental themes into art education with project funding and resources. All K-12 Educators are encouraged to attend. Learn more and register at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/environmental-education/. Offered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
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9.) Water is Life Celebratory Banquet – April 10, 2025 (6pm) – Roanoke, VA – Celebrate the past year of accomplishments in bringing safe drinking water, wastewater facilities, affordable housing, community development, and economic development to low-to-moderate income (LMI) individuals and rural communities across the Southeast. Learn more at https://www.sercap.org/connect/water-is-life-event and purchase raffle and banquet tickets at https://givebutter.com/WIL25. Organized by the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP).
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10.) 77^th Annual Camp Woods & Wildlife – Application Deadline: April 11, 2025; Camp: June 16-20, 2025 – This overnight camp, available to ages 13-16, provides outdoor field experiences in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest. Includes classes and presentations on forestry and wildlife topics. Learn more and apply at https://dof.virginia.gov/education-and-recreation/youth-education/camp-woods-wildlife/ or contact Ellen Powell at (434)-987-0475 or Ellen....@DOF.Virginia.gov. Organized by the Virginia Department of Forestry.
at ospre...@gmail.com. Hosted by the Virginia Osprey Foundation.
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11.) 2025 Chesapeake WILD Grants Program – Application Deadline: May 13, 2025 (12pm) – Funding is available to conserve, protect, and restore vital fish and wildlife habitat of the Chesapeake Bay. Three primary types of grants are available: Implementation, Collaborative Conservation, and Planning and Technical Assistance Grants. Information is posted at https://www.nfwf.org/programs/chesapeake-wild. Contact Jake Reilly at jake....@nfwf.org or Tori Sullens at tori.s...@nfwf.org for more information. Offered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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12.) Publication: “Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed” -- Published 2003 -- This publication includes user-friendly information, including photos, on native species appropriate for planting in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and adjacent coastal regions. Designed for use to plan and design for plantings of all sizes, from a small corner of a yard, to a two-acre meadow seeding, or a 100-acre wetland restoration. Download at https://www.fws.gov/media/native-plants-wildlife-habitat-and-conservation-landscaping-chesapeake-bay-watershed. Published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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13.) Water Center Jobs Board – View a listing of current job opportunities and employment resources on the Jobs Board at https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/jobs/.  Developed by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (Water Center).
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The VWMC announcements are provided with support from the Virginia Water Resources Research Center. Thank you to our sponsor!

You too can sponsor the VWMC announcements.  Tax-deductible contributions can be made to the VWMC to support information updates and other VWMC activities.  Make checks payable to: “The Virginia Tech Foundation” and on the memo portion of the check include “VWMC Fund #872802.” Mail contributions to the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (0444, Attn: Jane Walker) at 210 Cheatham Hall, Virginia Tech; 310 West Campus Drive; Blacksburg, VA 24061.