CDRW UPDATES
WRDA Support Letter – Earlier this month, the Coalition submitted a letter of support for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which would authorize $10 billion in water infrastructure projects, including environmental restoration, dams, flood control projects, and more. Our letter also calls for the consideration of a project in the Delaware River Watershed which was only included in the House version of the bill. Read our letter here.
What's Up in DC – Check out our latest blog post summing up news from our nation's capitol that could impact our Watershed. This week's post covers an update on the Water Resources Development Act and the Pipeline Saftey Act, as well as avictory for the clean water rule and a setback for fracking regulation on federal lands.
New Communications and Outreach Intern – CDRW welcomes our our first intern, Katie Tunkavige. Katie finishing up her final semester at Rutgers University studying Political Science and English this summer. Katie can be reached by email at katie.tunkavige@njaudubon.org. Please join us in welcoming her to our team!
4th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum – As you probably saw, an electronic save-the-date for our upcoming forum went out last week; registration will open up in mid-July. Mark your calendars forSeptember 19-20, 2016 for the 4th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum in Blue Bell, PA! To see the save-the-date, click here.
Member News
The Delaware River Basin (DRB) Project Survey (your input is needed!) - As part of the “DRB2070” modeling efforts, Shippensburg University (Center for Land Use & Sustainablity) is gathering input from stakeholders across the DRB on issues specific to their region of the watershed. All of the individual concerns will then be combined to create a basin-wide vision. Please take this survey to share your vision of the watershed, and encourage anyone who lives or works in the Delaware River Basin to do the same. Responses will be collected until August 1st. Please contact Antonia Price (afprice@ship.edu) with any questions.
Petition to Support the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership – Wissahichon Valley Watershed Association launched a petition to support the Wissahickon Alternative TMDL (renamed the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership).Click here to read more about this project or sign the petition.
PA Stream Redesignation – Four streams stream segments are up for Exceptional Value (EV) redesignation including three in the Delaware River Watershed; Mill Creek, Sobers Run, and Swiftwater Creek. Swiftwater Creek's redesignation was petitioned jointly by multiple organization's including three of our members Brodhead Watershed Association, Tobyhanna-Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Association & Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Comment period closes July 25. Click here for more information.
Upcoming Events
Plant Performance in Green Infrastucture Systems Symposium – Join Delaware Valley Green Building Council and the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia's GSI Partners next Monday, June27th for a half-day symposium that will explore the technical aspects of plant performance as it relates to stormwater management. There is still time to register, click here.
Workshop: NJ Water Quality - 303(d) Impaired Waters List and TMDLs –The Watershed Institute is hosting a joint presentation by EPA Region 2 and NJDEP on June 29th at 10am. State and federal officials will address the ways in which their agencies use water quality data (including data collected by nonprofits and citizen scientists) to identify and prioritize waterways for restoration. Click here to learn more or register.
Check out more events in the watershed on the Member Calendar that can be found on the Member Access page of our website (password is CDRWmember1).
Funding
US EPA Brownfields Area Wide Planning Grant – EPA announced the availability of funding to eligible entities who wish to develop an area-wide plan for brownfields assessment, cleanup, and subsequent reuse. This funding is for research and/or technical assistance activities directed to one or more brownfield site(s) located in a specific area (such as a neighborhood, downtown or business district, local commercial corridor, community waterfront or city blocks). Applications due August 10th, or a draft can be submitted to NJIT TAB's team by July 27th. They will review your draft grant proposal and provide comments on how to strengthen your proposal to be more competitive (draft should be submitted in MS Word format to tab@njit.edu by July 27, 2016). For more information, click here.
Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance – This program supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation. For more information, click here. Applications are due by June 30th to be considered for 2017 technical assistance.
Jobs/Internships
Trout Unlimited is seeking a Policy Director (Mid-Atlantic Region) to lead campaigns that result in the protection of important coldwater habitats. The Policy Director will work with multiple stakeholders, including working closely with TU volunteers and other hunters and anglers, who are among the most effective advocates for conservation when given opportunities to engage with decision-makers. For more information, click here.
National Parks Service is hiring a Community Planner in the Upper Delaware Region. This position will provide professional, technical, and administrative work to assist management in assuring that land use issues and growth, through collaborative planning, within the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Corridor. For more information, click here.
The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia is accepting applications for a part-time Aquatics Programs Educator. This position is responsible for assisting in the development and delivery of new programming related to the ecology, biology, chemistry and physics of the Delaware River Basin. For more information, click here.
The Nature Conservancy is filling several positions in the Watershed including a Water Fund Project Manager (Wilmington, DE) and a Coastal Resilience Manager (Delmont, NJ). For more information, visit TNC's career page.
- The Water Fund Project Manager is responsible for the development of a water fund or similar conservation investment model for the Brandywine-Christina watershed by working with key stakeholders to create and execute revenue, governance, and implementation mechanisms for coordinated conservation interventions.
- The Coastal Resilience Manager will lead the development and implementation of a community and stakeholder engagement strategy focused on strategic partnerships that mainstream the use of nature and nature-based solutions to address coastal hazards.