Stream Restoration, Inc. and its many partners are hosting a series of free workings on Datashed, the watershed information tool designed to give provide a space for posting and analyzing water quality data from a variety of mine drainage and watershed restoration projects.

The workshops will be held--

-- March 9: St. Francis University, DiSepio Institute and Wellness Center, Room 213/214, Loretto, Cambria County;

-- April 12: Eastern Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Office, Ashley, Luzerne County; and

-- April 19: Westminster College Field Station, Lawrence County.

Initially designed to support and highlight the efforts of students and volunteers, Datashed has grown to become a valuable tool for watershed groups, conservation districts, researchers, non-profits, government agencies, and anyone involved/interested in treating abandoned mine drainage and restoring acid mine drainage-impacted watersheds.

In addition to storing and managing water monitoring data, the website can be used to store electronic copies of documents, such as, construction drawings and photographs, in order to further provide a resource for education and outreach efforts.

Due to the ongoing commitment of project partners, access for uploading information is password protected and is provided at no charge.

Datashed is used to store, organize, and display: Project information to provide a historical record of site activities, Water monitoring data for treatment systems and streams, Restoration plans, reports, and other important documents, Design Engineering Drawings, As-Built Drawings, and Schematics, Maps, Photos ... and more.

The workshops will cover: Finding, viewing, and using stored information, Creating webpages for projects not on Datashed (Passive and Active Systems, Streams, Restoration Plans, etc.), Creating sample points in the database and uploading water monitoring data, Uploading documents, photos, etc., Using the site to record site inspections, maintenance events, and field data, Using the help section... and more.

All training sessions start at 10 a.m. and are planned to end by 4 p.m. with an hour break for lunch. Lunch is on your own and options will vary depending upon location. Additional time will be available to address specific questions of participants.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop, if they have one. As most locations have a limited number of laptops or desktops for use, when registering, please let us know if you will or won’t be able to bring a laptop.

While walk-ins may attend if there is room, space is limited and participants are strongly encouraged to register. Additional specific information will be provided to participants prior to the events.

To register, please contact Cliff Denholm, Stream Restoration Inc. at 724-776-0161 or send email to: sri@streamrestorationinc.org.

We greatly appreciate the cooperation and support from our generous hosts who are providing the use of their facilities free-of-charge!  We also wish to thank the Department of Environmental Protection, EPCAMR, Foundation for PA Watersheds, WPCAMR, 241 Computer Services, and BioMost, Inc.

2/11/2013