Announcements 2026.3.27

[Walker, Jane]

1.) Youth Climate Institute (YCI) Chapter Interest Meetings -- April 7, April 23, May 12, and May 21, 2026
2.) Call for Topical Session Proposals: American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Annual Conference -- Submissions Due: April 10, 2026; Conference: November 9-11, 2026
3.) Webinar: Virtual Beach -- April 15, 2026
4.) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Cleanup Studies and Implementation Plans
   ++ Watershed Cleanup Plan for Clinch River, Little Stoney Creek, Staunton Creek, Fall Creek, Russell Creek, Lick Creek, Laurel Branch and Cigarette Hollow watersheds (Russell, Scott, Wise) – April 22, 2026
   ++ Watershed Restoration Plan for Horsepen Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, and Hatchets Branch (Charlotte County) – April 28, 2026
5.) Webinar: Invasion Pathways & Agricultural Biosecurity -- April 28, 2026
6.) Sustainability Matters Tea Party Fundraiser -- May 3, 2026
7.) Produced Water Forum -- May 20-21, 2026
8.) Call for Abstracts: North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) 2026 International Symposium – Abstracts due: May 22, 2026; Symposium: November 3-6, 2026
9.) Nominations Accepted: 2026 Paul L. Busch Award -- Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026
10.) Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) Events
   ++ Guidelines for Excellence: Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs Workshop -- June 13, 2026
   ++ Nature-Based Early Learning Conference -- June 24-27, 2026
11.) Bands in the Sand -- June 13, 2026
12.) Save the Date: Chesapeake Bay Paddle -- July 25, 2026
13.) New DEQ Mapping Applications
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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 Julia Porter, VWMC intern, for developing and organizing this week’s set of VWMC announcements.
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1.) Youth Climate Institute (YCI) Chapter Interest Meetings -- April 7, April 23, May 12 and May 21, 2026 (4-4:30pm) -- These meetings are geared towards teachers or other adults interested in running a chapter at their school or organization. They explain how to launch a YCI chapter. For more information and to register, see https://youthclimateleader.org/yci-public-events/. Organized by the Youth Climate Institute.
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2.) Call for Topical Session Proposals: American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Annual Conference -- Submissions Due: April 10, 2026; Conference: November 9-11, 2026 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Water resources professionals, researchers, educators, practitioners, and students are invited to propose a topical session that addresses issues influencing water science, policy, and practice. Topical sessions may be organized as panel discussions, workshops, or coordinated presentation sessions. For more information and to submit a proposal, see https://www.awra.org/Members/Events_and_Education/Events_and_Education_Conferences.aspx. Organized by AWRA.
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3.) Webinar: Virtual Beach -- April 15, 2026 (3-4pm) -- This webinar will feature a live demonstration of the new version of EPA’s Virtual Beach software – ShinyVB – a browser-based application developed using the R-Shiny package. The demo will use an example dataset to introduce the ShinyVB graphical user interface and analytical features. It will also discuss how VB has been used to assist in advisory issuances in the Great Lakes states and to forecast water conditions using other recent case study examples. For more information and to register, see https://www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-and-resources-webinar-series. Provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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4.) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Cleanup Studies and Implementation Plans – Learn more about TMDL studies under development across Virginia at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/tmdl-development/tmdls-under-development. Learn more about Virginia’s cleanup implementation plans under development at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/implementation/implementation-plans-under-development.
   ++ Watershed Cleanup Plan for Clinch River, Little Stoney Creek, Staunton Creek, Fall Creek, Russell Creek, Lick Creek, Laurel Branch and Cigarette Hollow watersheds (Russell, Scott, Wise) – April 22, 2026 (3pm) -- Lebanon, VA -- https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=43110
   ++ Watershed Restoration Plan for Horsepen Creek, Little Roanoke Creek, and Hatchets Branch (Charlotte County) – April 28, 2026 (1pm) -- Charlotte, Va -- https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=43175
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5.) Webinar: Invasion Pathways & Agricultural Biosecurity -- April 28, 2026 (11am-12:30pm) -- Speakers: Schmale Lab at Virginia Tech and Lieurance Lab at Penn State. For more information and to register, see https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/G1Xuv0EqTfWl6v0f4SNWig#/registration. Hosted by the Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC) at Virginia Tech.
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6.) Sustainability Matters Tea Party Fundraiser -- May 3, 2026 (2pm) -- Star Tannery, VA -- This fundraiser will feature hors d’oeuvres, fine wines, and tea; a silent auction featuring works by local artists; and a harpist. Proceeds support Sustainability Matters. For more information and to purchase a ticket, see https://sustainabilitymatters.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents. Hosted by Sustainability Matters.
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7.) Produced Water Forum -- May 20-21, 2026 -- Oklahoma City, OK -- This forum will feature panel sessions that dive deeper into the challenges and opportunities surrounding produced water reuse. Discussions will explore research and technology advancements, regulatory considerations, and end-user potential. Participants will work together to identify next steps. These steps include potential studies, workgroups, publications, and collaborative activities to advance progress in this space. For more information and to register, see https://www.gwpc.org/event/produced-water-forum/. Organized by the Groundwater Protection Council (GWPC).
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8.) Call for Abstracts: North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) 2026 International Symposium – Abstracts due: May 22, 2026; Symposium: November 3-6, 2026 -- Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada – Theme: “Swimming Upstream: Tackling Environmental Challenges through Partnership, Innovation, & Science” -- Accepting oral and poster presentations on any aspect of lake and reservoir management.  Submissions should indicate presentation preference (oral, poster, or either). For more information, see https://www.nalms.org/nalms2026/. Organized by the North American Lake Management Society.
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9.) Nominations Accepted: 2026 Paul L. Busch Award -- Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026 (3pm) -- This $100,000 award recognizes an outstanding individual for innovative research in the field of water quality and the water environment. The award is named in honor of Paul L. Busch, PhD, who demonstrated creativity, visionary thinking, and practical application of scientific research, all of which are essential to ensure a clean water environment for future generations. The funding is for the recipient to further their work, take risks, and explore new directions.  Individuals from all segments of the water quality community are encouraged to submit nominations, either for themselves or others. For more information and to submit a nomination, see https://www.waterrf.org/paul-busch. Provided by the Water Research Foundation (WEF).
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10.) Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) Events -- For more information about these events and to register for them, see https://www.eevirginia.org/events.  
   ++ Guidelines for Excellence: Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs Workshop -- June 13, 2026 (10am-1pm) -- Boyce, VA -- This is a free 3-hour workshop taught by the Virginia Guidelines Trainers’ Bureau.
   ++ Nature-Based Early Learning Conference -- June 24-27, 2026 – Theme: “Imagine If”
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11.) Bands in the Sand -- June 13, 2026 (5:30-10pm) -- Annapolis, MD -- This fundraising event supports the work of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and features live music, food, and drink. For more information and to purchase a ticket, see https://www.cbf.org/bands-in-the-sand/. Organized by the CBF.
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12.) Save the Date: Chesapeake Bay Paddle -- July 25, 2026 -- Kent Island, MD -- There will be 3 paddle races during this event. All registration fees will be donated to Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Oyster Recovery Partnership, and Chesapeake Conservancy. For more information and to register, see https://www.baypaddle.org/. Hosted by Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club.
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13.) New DEQ Mapping Applications – Offered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
   ++ Water Withdrawal Dashboard – https://datascience.deq.virginia.gov/Water-Withdrawals-View/ -- This mapping application can be used to show withdrawal data reported to DEQ by facilities across Virginia. This data (reported monthly in millions of gallons) is summarized in a table in the "Withdrawal Data" tab. The "Watershed Map" tab shows a map of HUC12 (Hydrologic Unit Code) watersheds throughout the state, allowing a user to select one and see what facilities withdrawal from that area.
   ++ Brownfields Development Resource Tool -- https://www.deq.virginia.gov/land-waste/remediation-programs/brownfields -- This mapping application is designed to support the identification, evaluation, and redevelopment of brownfields and other potentially developable sites across Virginia. The application integrates more than 20 geospatial data layers from state and federal sources to help users understand site conditions, regulatory considerations, infrastructure access, and redevelopment constraints.
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The VWMC announcements are provided with support from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey. Thank you to our sponsors!

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.