The Penn State Master Watershed Stewards in York County presented Ted Evgeniadis, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, with the 2018 Outstanding Partner Award at their MWS Winter Celebration in February.

Partnerships are the keystone to building a successful Master Watershed Steward Program. By working together with other conservation agencies and organizations, watershed associations and municipalities, we can stretch limited conservation funds and leverage resources to increase watershed restoration and awareness efforts.

Even though we are two very different agencies, our collaboration and partnership with the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association in York County has been a great success.

The Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the ecology and aesthetic qualities of the Lower Susquehanna and Juniata watersheds.

The Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper works not only as an alliance builder, diplomat, and educator, but also as an unrelenting defender and advocate of our right and the river’s right to be healthy and prosperous.

The LSR utilizes education, chemical and biological monitoring, pollution patrols, partnership building, public events, research and legal action to improve the health of the Susquehanna’s waterways.

Looking back over 2018, the Master Watershed Stewards partnered with the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper on several projects, including the Mayfly Festival, the Street 2 Creek Storm Drain Art Project, the Youth and Family Fishing and Conservation Day, stream monitoring, stream clean ups, restoration projects and more.

At the end of 2018, Master Watershed Stewards teamed up with the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and ALLARM (Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring) out of Dickinson College to implement a larger water quality monitoring program in York County.

Findings through the monitoring program can help York County make more informed watershed management decisions. We look forward to partnering on this endeavor in 2019 and beyond.

We also plan to work together to expand the Street 2 Creek Project and offer another Youth and Family Fishing and Conservation Day in the City of York.

It’s been a pleasure to work with Ted, and we look forward to a continued partnership. Together, we can continue to protect our water resources quality in York County.

More information about the Master Watershed Steward Program can be found on the York County Extension page.

For more information on watershed stewards, visit the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program webpage.

(Photo: Ted Evgeniadis – Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Jodi Sulpizio - MWS Coordinator, York County Extension, Donna Scherer – Penn State Extension Client Relations Manager, and Doug Hoke - York County Commissioner.)

(Reprinted from the March 21 Penn State Extension Watershed Winds newsletter.)

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[Posted: March 21, 2019]

3/25/2019