Announcements 2026.8.10

[Walker, Jane]

Accepting Scholarship Applications: Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) Conference – Applications Due: September 4, 2026; Conference: September 29, 2026 – Hanover, VA -- The VWMC is offering two scholarships to cover the registration fee of the 2026 VWMC Annual Conference. Full-time undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Recipients will be recognized at the conference. Learn more and apply at https://vwmc.vwrrc.vt.edu/conferences/.
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1.) Virginia Environmental Education (VAEE) Certification Program – Enrollment Deadline: August 11, 2026
2.) Rappahannock River Invasion Catfish Cookout and Watershed Festival -- August 15, 2026
3.) Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Upcoming Events – Various Dates, Starting: August 18, 2026
4.) Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) Roundtable Webinar - Tidal Wetlands: Trends and Tactics -- August 19, 2026
5.) Webinar: Designing & Implementing Effective Participatory Science Projects -- August 19, 2026
6.) Open House: Sunken Meadow (Surry County) -- August 19, 2026
7.) Wild Ones Webinar - The Ecology of Home: Creating Habitat That Works -- August 19, 2026
8.) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Events – Various Dates, Starting; August 19, 2026
9.) Request for Proposals: Meadow Restoration at Fort Slocum Park -- Proposals Due: August 21, 2026
10.) Comments Accepted: Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia – Due Date: August 22, 2026 (extended deadline)
11.) DEQ News – Vol 5, Issue 6 – https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/newsroom
12.) Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Publications – https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/
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 Julia Porter, VWMC intern, for developing and organizing this week’s set of VWMC announcements.
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1.) Virginia Environmental Education (VAEE) Certification Program – Enrollment Deadline: August 11, 2026 -- Designed for both formal and nonformal educators and accredited by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).  To learn more and to enroll, see https://www.eevirginia.org/programs/certification. Offered by the Virginia Association for Environmental Education.
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2.) Rappahannock River Invasion Catfish Cookout and Watershed Festival -- August 15, 2026 (12-4pm) – Fredericksburg, VA -- Featuring blue catfish dishes, live music, and educational activities.  Learn more and purchase tickets at https://dwr.virginia.gov/events/2nd-rappahannock-river-invasion-catfish-cookout-watershed-festival/. Organized by Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative (EJJI) and partners. 
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3.) Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Upcoming Events – For more information about these events and others, see https://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/eventscalendar.html. Organized by Virginia Cooperative Extension and partners.
   ++ Pest Management in the Home/Yard/Landscape -- August 18, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
   ++ Course: The Woods in Your Backyard (Online) -- August 31-November 9, 2026
   ++ Forest Stand Improvement -- September 8, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
   ++ Southeast Virginia Beginning Woodland Owner Retreat -- September 11-12, 2026 -- Providence Forge, VA
   ++ Do It Yourself Small Acreage Woodlots -- September 17, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
   ++ Small Scale Forestry Expo -- September 18-19, 2026 – Bland, VA
   ++ Generation NEXT Workshop -- September 19, 2026 (9am-3pm) -- South Boston, VA
   ++ Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tours: October 20, 2026 (Mongomery County -- Shawsville, VA); October 21, 2026 (Franklin County -- Wirtz, VA); October 22, 2026 (Orange County -- Montpelier Station, VA); October 23, 2026 (Hanover County – Doswell, VA)
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4.) Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) Roundtable Webinar - Tidal Wetlands: Trends and Tactics -- August 19, 2026 (12-1pm) -- This webinar will discuss sea level rise, restoration case studies, and wetland goals. For more information and to register, see https://chesapeake.org/crc-roundtable/. Organized by CRC.
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5.) Webinar: Designing & Implementing Effective Participatory Science Projects -- August 19, 2026 (3pm) -- Participatory science uses the collective strength and knowledge of the public to collect, analyze, and use data to answer environmental and public health questions. This webinar will walk through common steps and processes to design and implement a participatory science project as well as case studies from across the country. The presenters will walk through their planning process steps, discuss outcomes, and highlight lessons learned. For more information and to register, see https://www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-tools-and-resources-webinar-series.  Offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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6.) Open House: Sunken Meadow (Surry County) -- August 19, 2026 (5:30-7pm) – Claremont, VA -- Share how you experience Sunken Meadow and offer ways The Nature Conservancy can improve it for both people and wildlife.  Learn more at https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/virginia-aquatic-resources-trust-fund/. Hosted by The Nature Conservancy.
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7.) Wild Ones Webinar - The Ecology of Home: Creating Habitat That Works -- August 19, 2026 (7pm) -- This webinar, presented by Shain McCoshum, will teach participants how to identify key habitat resources wildlife need beyond food plants, understand how ecological processes shape healthy ecosystems, incorporate nesting, shelter, overwintering, and breeding habitat into residential landscapes, and apply practical habitat-building strategies that complement native plantings and support greater biodiversity. For more information and to register, see https://wildones.org/the-ecology-of-home-creating-habitat-that-works/. Organized by Wild Ones.
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8.) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Events -- Learn about these and other events at https://www.cbf.org/events/.
   ++ Bunker Talk: Why Menhaden Matter -- August 19, 2026 – Cape Charles, VA
   ++ Richmond Oyster Social -- August 27, 2026 – Richmond, VA
   ++ Volunteer Opportunity: Tiny Forest Tuesdays -- September 1, 2026 and October 6, 2026 -- Richmond, VA
   ++ Portsmouth VoiCeS Class -- September 15, 2026 -- Portsmouth, VA
   ++ Webinar: Marsh Challenges, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities for Action -- September 16, 2026 (12-1pm)
   ++ The Power of Nature in a Changing Climate -- September 28, 2026 -- Virginia Beach, VA
   ++ Webinar: Living Shorelines: Adaptation to Rising Sea Level -- October 13, 2026 (12-1pm)
   ++ The Changing Chesapeake: Impacts of a Warming Bay -- October 15, 2026 -- Virginia Beach, VA
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9.) Request for Proposals: Meadow Restoration at Fort Slocum Park -- Proposals Due: August 21, 2026 -- Rock Creek Conservancy (the Conservancy) is soliciting proposals to provide management, labor, tools, equipment, repair parts, supplies and any other items needed for a meadow restoration at Fort Slocum Park. The meadow restoration will include a site survey/assessment; invasive plant management; woody debris management; site preparation and the procurement and installation of native grassland plants and associated materials, and the mowing and watering of plantings. Proposals may be submitted for individual components of this project or the full scope of services requested. For more information and to submit a proposal, see https://www.rockcreekconservancy.org/our-team (see “Other Opportunities” near the bottom of the page) Organized by Rock Creek Conservancy.
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10.) Comments Accepted: Commercial Leasing for Outer Continental Shelf Minerals Offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia – Due Date: August 22, 2026 (extended deadline) -- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has extended the public comment period for its proposed leasing of federal waters off Virginia’s coast for seabed mining. Those providing comments should provide the information requested in section 6. Those interested in leasing in and around the RFI Area should provide the types of information described in section 7.  Learn more and leave a comment at https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2026-0100-0001.  Organized by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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11.) DEQ News – Vol 5, Issue 6 – The current issue of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) newsletter includes information about drought in the Roanoke region, Environmental Justice Town Hall, Eastern Virginia Groundwater Supply Study, and more.  The current issue and previous issues are available at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/newsroom. You can also subscribe to the newsletter. Published by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
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12.) Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Publications – VCE offers numerous publications and resources for residents about water and much more.  Search for topics of interest at https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ (e.g., drinking water, waste water, stormwater, streams, irrigation, etc.).
   ++ Virginia Streams -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/tags.resource.html/pubs_ext_vt_edu:virginia-streams
   ++ Home Water Quality -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/tags.resource.html/pubs_ext_vt_edu:home-water-quality
   ++ Home Systems -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/tags.resource.html/pubs_ext_vt_edu:home-systems 
   ++ Urban Stormwater -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-119/426-119.html
   ++ Fisheries -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/tags.resource.html/pubs_ext_vt_edu:fisheries
   ++ Environmental Quality -- https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/tags.resource.html/pubs_ext_vt_edu:environmental-quality
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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 with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  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.