Announcements 2026.7.2

[Walker, Jane]

1.) Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) Events – Various Dates, Starting: July 5, 2026
2.) Public Comments Accepted: Draft 2026 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report -- Webinar: July 7, 2026; Comments due: July 15, 2026
3.) Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Upcoming Events – Various Dates, Starting: July 14, 2026
4.) River Course 101: Stream Morphology Assessment -- July 15-17, 2026 or October 6-8, 2026
5.) Webcast -- Integrated Water Management: Coordinating Stormwater, Wastewater, and Water Supply -- July 15, 2026
6.) American Water Works Association (AWWA) Events – Various Dates, Starting: July 15, 2026
7.) Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series (virtual) – Various Dates, Starting: July 16, 2026
8.) Virginia Save Our Streams (VASOS) Field Certification Opportunity -- July 18, 2026
9.) Virginia Oyster Gardening Seminars – Various Dates, Starting July 18, 2026
10.) Webinar -- Navigating Native Plants: Selection, Sourcing and Installation Strategies -- July 23, 2026
11.) The Taste: Celebrate the Chesapeake -- September 10, 2026
12.) North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) 2026 Conference & Research Symposium – Conference: October 6-9, 2026; Symposium: October 6-7, 2026
13.) DEQ News – Vol 5, Issue 5 – https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/newsroom
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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.) Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) Events -- For more information about these and other events, see https://potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/events-calendar/.
   ++ Volunteers Needed: Gravelly Point After Independence Day Clean Up – July 5, 2026 (9-11am)
   ++ Water Wednesday: Musseling Our Way to A Healthier Potomac -- July 8, 2026 (12-1pm)
   ++ Explorations with Your Riverkeeper: Shenandoah Snorkeling Paddle w/ Shenandoah Riverkeeper -- July 17, 2026 (10am-4pm)
   ++ Splash and Dash: All Out Open Water Swim w/ District of Columbia Aquatics Club -- August 1, 2026 (8-11am) (Fundraiser for PRKN)
   ++ Explorations with Your Riverkeeper: Goodbye Summer Blowout w/ Potomac Riverkeeper -- August 22, 2026
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2.) Public Comments Accepted: Draft 2026 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report -- Summarizes water quality conditions in Virginia from DEQ monitoring during January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2024. The report, registration link for webinar, and more information is available at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/assessments/integrated-report.
   ++ Webinar: July 7, 2026 (10am) – Presenting findings in the report
   ++ Comments due: July 15, 2026
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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.
   ++ Forestry Basics -- July 14, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
   ++ Video: Fifteen Minutes in the Forest -- July 24, 2026 (12:15pm)
   ++ Generation NEXT Legacy Planning Workshop -- July 24 & 25, 2026 -- Warrenton, VA
   ++ Beyond the Basics Woodland Owner Retreat: Managing Your Forest for Timber Income – Rescheduled: August 7-8, 2026 – Appomattox, VA
   ++ Pest Management in the Home/Yard/Landscape -- August 18, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
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4.) River Course 101: Stream Morphology Assessment -- July 15-17, 2026 (Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, VA); October 6-8, 2026 (NC State University - Raleigh, NC) -- This 3-day workshop will introduce concepts of fluvial geomorphology and stream processes related to channel and floodplain formation, bankfull stage identification, regional hydraulic geometry curves, applications of the Rosgen classification system for natural streams in the Southeast, and stream stability assessment. Attendees will work in small groups in the field to measure stream physical conditions and calculate stream morphology relationships for channel dimension, pattern, and profile. They will also learn about field techniques for measuring streambank erosion, pebble count techniques for substrate analysis, and channel stability assessment. For more information and to register, see https://bae.ncsu.edu/workshops-conferences/rc-101/. Organized by Viriginia Cooperative Extension and North Carolina State University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
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5.) Webcast -- Integrated Water Management: Coordinating Stormwater, Wastewater, and Water Supply -- July 15, 2026 – Learn more and register for these webcasts at https://www.cwp.org/2026_webcast_list.php. Offered by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP).
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6.) American Water Works Association (AWWA) Events -- For more information about these and other AWWA events and to register, see  https://www.awwa.org/event-calendar/.
   ++ Water Project Permits: Virtual Roundtable -- July 15, 2026 (11am-12:30pm)
   ++ Water Infrastructure Conference -- August 30-September 2, 2026 -- Indianapolis, IN
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7.) Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series (virtual) – Monthly, 3rd Thursday (11am) – Learn more and register at https://www.cee.psu.edu/events/women-advancing-river-research.aspx.  Co-hosted by University College Dublin; Caltech; Trent University, Canada; University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Penn State. 
   ++ July 16, 2026 -- Riparian Wetlands as River Modulators Across Landscapes
   ++ August 20, 2026 -- Open Discussion, Feedbacks, and Community Bonding
   ++ September 17, 2026 -- Urban Stream Biogeochemistry
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8.) Virginia Save Our Streams (VASOS) Field Certification Opportunity -- July 18, 2026 (10am-1pm) – Woodstock, VA -- There are 2 parts to becoming a certified monitor – online certification & field training. The online certification and macroinvertebrate ID quiz (estimated time 3-4 hours) must be completed prior to attending the field training.  Learn more about becoming a VASOS monitor at https://vasos.org/become-a-monitor/. Learn more about the field certification and register at https://iwla.org/events/. Virginia Save Our Streams is a program of the Izaak Walton League of America and is associated with the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative.
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9.) Virginia Oyster Gardening Seminars – Various Dates, Starting July 18, 2026 -- Learn how to become a successful oyster gardener.  Registration is available for those who would like to “listen and learn” as well as those who want to participate in this program.  Oyster gardeners will receive spat-on-shell (baby oysters set on recycled shells), two 18″ x 9″ cages, as well as other necessary supplies. Participants must attend an oyster gardening seminar before taking home spat on shell.  There are a limited number of public locations available for gardeners without their own dock. Learn more and register at https://www.cbf.org/resources/virginia-oyster-gardening-seminars/.   Organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
   ++ July 18, 2026 (9-11am) -- Irvington, VA
   ++ July 21, 2026 (6-8pm) -- Newport News, VA
   ++ July 23, 2026 (6-8pm) -- Gloucester Point, VA
   ++ July 30, 2026 (6-8pm) – Portsmouth, VA
   ++ August 1, 2026 (9-11am) -- Virginia Beach, VA
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10.) Webinar -- Navigating Native Plants: Selection, Sourcing and Installation Strategies -- July 23, 2026 (12pm) -- Part of the webinar series, Landscapes that Last. The series is for coastal residents, local governments, HOAs, and nurseries — to build shared knowledge and healthier coastal communities. Designed for North Carolina coastal communities but applicable in Virginia.  Learn more, register, and view recordings of past webinars in this series at https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastal-landscapes/. Offered by NC Sea Grant and the Coastal Landscapes Initiative.
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11.) The Taste: Celebrate the Chesapeake -- September 10, 2026 -- Richmond, VA -- This fundraiser event supports the work of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The event will feature live music, locally-inspired eats, awards, and camaraderie, and aims to bring together like-minded corporations and conservationists within three distinct Chesapeake Bay watershed communities. Early-bird tickets are available through July 6, 2026. For more information and to purchase a ticket, see https://www.allianceforthebay.org/event/thetaste/. Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
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12.) North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) 2026 Conference & Research Symposium – Conference: October 6-9, 2026; Symposium: October 6-7, 2026 – Portland, OR -- Theme: “Imagine If…” Learn more and register at https://conference.naaee.org/.  Hosted by the North American Association for Environmental Education in partnership with the Environmental Education Association of Oregon.
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13.) DEQ News – Vol 5, Issue 5 – The current issue of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) newsletter includes information about their drought monitoring dashboard, nonpoint source pollution reduction grants, volunteer water monitoring grants, 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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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.