Announcements 2025.12.19

[Walker, Jane]

1.) James River Association (JRA) News
   ++ Input Sought: Greening Amherst County Public Libraries to Reduce Stormwater Runoff (survey) – Closes: December 31, 2025
   ++ Request for Proposals: Construction Services for Greening Richmond Public Libraries -- Deadline: January 5, 2026
   ++ Volunteers Sought: Invasive Species Removal -- January 23, 2026; February 20, 2026; March 13, 2026; and more (monthly)
2.) Virginia Sea Grant 2026 Graduate Fellowships -- Applications due: January 5, 2026
3.) Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Internship Virtual Open House -- January 7, 2026
4.) Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) News – Various Dates, Starting: January 12, 2026
5.) Project WILD Workshops -- January 17, 2026 and February 28, 2026
6.) Future Harvest Conference -- January 22-23, 2026
7.) Nominations Accepted: Erchul Environmental Leader Award -- Nominations Due: February 5, 2026
8.) Soil Science EnviroLearn – Application Deadline: February 6, 2026; Event: March 31-April 2, 2026
9.) Walking Softer Education Program -- Application Deadline: February 20, 2026
10.) Applications Accepted: Mid-Atlantic Community Forestry Fund -- Deadline: February 27, 2026
11.) Request for Proposals: 2025-2026 Virginia Watershed Educational Programs Project: Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Grants -- Application Deadline: March 5, 2026
12.) Wastewater Surveillance Programs
   ++ Virginia Department of Health (VDH) SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater/
   ++ VDH Fentanyl Surveillance Pilot Project -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/wastewater-surveillance-for-covid-19/
   ++ WastewaterScan -- https://www.wastewaterscan.org/en
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.) James River Association (JRA) News
   ++ Input Sought: Greening Amherst County Public Libraries to Reduce Stormwater Runoff (survey) – Closes: December 31, 2025 -- Seeking input from residents of Amherst County and library users on green infrastructure plans that can be made to the grounds of Amherst County Public Library branches. Learn more at https://thejamesriver.org/greening-amherst-county-public-libraries-post/.
   ++ Request for Proposals: Construction Services for Greening Richmond Public Libraries -- Deadline: January 5, 2026 -- https://thejamesriver.org/greening-richmond-public-libraries/
   ++ Volunteers Sought: Invasive Species Removal -- January 23, 2026; February 20, 2026; March 13, 2026; and more (monthly) -- Chapel Island, Richmond, VA -- https://thejamesriver.org/events/
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2.) Virginia Sea Grant 2026 Graduate Fellowships -- Applications due: January 5, 2026 -- This fellowship provides up to $40,000 per year for up to two years and professional development opportunities for graduate students to address issues relevant to Virginia communities and of importance to coastal and marine resources. Learn more at https://vaseagrant.org/grf-for-applicants/ and https://vaseagrant.org/graduate-fellowships/. Provided by Virginia Sea Grant.
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3.) Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Internship Virtual Open House -- January 7, 2026 (1-3pm) -- This virtual information session will provide insight on DEQ's 2026 Summer Internship Program for current college sophomores and juniors. Locations of the internships are Abingdon, Glen Allen, Harrisonburg, Salem, Virginia Beach, and Woodbridge VA. For more information and to register, see https://deq.virginia.gov/internopenhouse. Organized by the Virginia DEQ.
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4.) Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) News
   ++ Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute -- Application deadline: January 12, 2026; Institute: June 8-July 22, 2026 -- https://www.cuahsi.org/events/applications-for-the-2026-summer-institute-are-now-open
   ++ Webinar Series: Integrating Hydrology and Geophysics -- January 28-March 11, 2026 -- https://www.cuahsi.org/cyberseminars/series/integrating-hydrology-and-geophysics
   ++ HudroLearn-CIROH Workshop and Hackathon -- Application deadline: January 31, 2026; Workshop: May 27-29, 2026; Virtual Hackathon: June 2-5, 2026 and June 8-11, 2026 -- https://www.cuahsi.org/workshops/hydrolearn-ciroh-may-june-2026-workshop-and-hackathon.
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5.) Project WILD Workshops -- These workshops are available for K-12 educators and equip participants with hands-on environmental education activities. Includes a copy of the Project WILD K–12 Activity Guide. For more information, see https://www.fishwildlife.org/projectwild. Organized by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.
   ++ January 17, 2026 -- Boyce, VA -- https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/235017
   ++ February 28, 2026 -- Norfolk, VA -- https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/235519
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6.) Future Harvest Conference -- January 22-23, 2026 -- Silver Spring, MD – Theme: “Pivot, Care, Grow” – Also offering optional pre-conference and post-conference events. Learn more and register at https://futureharvest.org/2026-conference/.
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7.) Nominations Accepted: Erchul Environmental Leader Award -- Nominations Due: February 5, 2026 -- Any Virginia resident can nominate a current Virginia resident aged 18 or over who has a “Record of Significant Individual Effort to Better our Environment.” The winner will be announced during the Environment Virginia Symposium being held March 24-26, 2026 in Lexington, Va. For more information and to nominate an individual, see https://vmieva.cventevents.com/event/b92e4a1e-0f51-4fa4-a737-f7e9976c2a09/awards/. Organized by the Environment Virginia Symposium.
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8.) Soil Science EnviroLearn – Application Deadline: February 6, 2026; Event: March 31-April 2, 2026 -- Dublin, VA – This professional learning experience is for Virginia K-12 independent, public and homeschool educators. Attendees will spend 3 days and 2 nights exploring healthy soil science with expert-led sessions, outdoor adventures, and practical classroom applications. Food, lodging, expert speakers, outdoor activities, VA SOL integration, and all materials are included. For more information and to apply, see https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/environmental-education/. Organized by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
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9.) Walking Softer Education Program -- Application Deadline: February 20, 2026 -- This free program is designed for high school-aged students in classes, clubs, or after-school programs to learn about sustainability. Groups then plan, design, and implement a community sustainability project with up to $2,000 in project funding. For more information and to apply, see https://www.walkingsofter.org/education. Offered by Walking Softer. 
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10.) Applications Accepted: Mid-Atlantic Community Forestry Fund -- Deadline: February 27, 2026 (4pm) -- This grant program leverages forestry to address environmental justice (EJ) issues. There are three tracks: 1) EJ Organization Capacity Building; 2) Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health, and 3) Workforce Development in Community Forestry. Open to community-based organizations that are tax-exempt or fiscally sponsored throughout the Mid-Atlantic region (VA, etc.), particularly those who have historically faced barriers in securing funding to address EJ issues. For more information and to apply, see https://cbtrust.org/grants/macff/. Funded through the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
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11.) Request for Proposals: 2025-2026 Virginia Watershed Educational Programs Project: Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Grants -- Application Deadline: March 5, 2026 -- Funding requests can be up to $45,000 with a total of $250,000 available statewide for qualified applicants who provide exemplary “meaningful watershed educational experiences” (MWEE) within Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed. For more information, see https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/environmental-education/funding-opportunities. Provided by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
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12.) Wastewater Surveillance Programs
   ++ Virginia Department of Health (VDH) SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater -- All data are preliminary and subject to change. Dashboard is updated weekly on Tuesday. Learn more at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/sars-cov-2-in-wastewater/. This program is funded by the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System and supported by VDH.
   ++ VDH Fentanyl Surveillance Pilot Project -- This testing pilot is a short-term public health project that measures the presence of fentanyl in the community’s wastewater. The pilot program will conduct sampling in the Cities of Hopewell, Roanoke, and Virginia Beach. Learn more at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/wastewater-surveillance-for-covid-19/.
   ++ WastewaterScan -- Monitors infectious diseases through municipal wastewater systems to inform public health responses at a local, regional, and national levels.  Learn more at https://www.wastewaterscan.org/en. Based at Stanford University, in partnership with Emory University, and funded through philanthropy.
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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 Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center. 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.