By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County

Maybe you’re a hiker, birder or hunter. Or maybe you love fishing, nature photography, trail running or mountain biking.

And maybe you’re a curious kind of person, someone who enjoys learning about the world — and sharing what you know with others.

If so, you might have what it takes to become a Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward.

The Master Watershed Steward program is an award-winning, multi-part experience — part practical knowledge training, part hands-on activities, part community service.

It’s run by Penn State Extension and geared to ordinary citizens.

For some people, it’s life changing.

In field trips and 40 hours of training, you’ll learn about the complex, watery life of creeks and streams, about the amazing critters that thrive in our waters, about groundwater and water quality, about native plants — and how human recreation fits in the picture. And much more.

It’s a deep, deep look at how the natural world works. An important part of the program happens after the formal training, when you take part in 20 hours of service in your community, sharing what you’ve learned.

You might organize stream cleanups, design and install a demonstration rain garden, or plant native plants to stabilize stream banks — or one of dozens of other ways to help.

An additional 10 hours of continuing education with Penn State Extension is also part of the overall program.

In the process, you’ll get to know the local environment you love more deeply than ever before.

The 2025 Monroe County program is forming right now (Pike and Carbon County residents also welcome).

The deadline to apply is soon: Friday, January 24, 2025.

Part training, part community service — as a Master Watershed Steward, you can make a difference in your community.

Click Here to find out more.

The Brodhead Watershed Association protects water quality and quantity and works with municipalities throughout our area to keep creeks and streams pure. Get involved!

Upcoming Events:

-- The Center Square: PA Farm Show Says Agriculture ‘Powering Pennsylvania’ [Jan. 4 - 11]

-- ​​Stroud Water Research Center ‘Cut The Salt’ Citizen Science Project Invites You To Test Your Nearby Stream For Salt  [PaEN]

-- Pike Conservation District: From Source To Sink - Groundwater Education Workshop Series Starts Jan. 13

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts Jan. 16 Webinar On Winter Salting and Local Waterway Impacts: Opportunities To Work For Change  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Jan. 29 Webinar On Ice Melter Impacts And Reduction Strategy  [PaEN]

-- Pike Conservation District: Pike/Wayne Counties Contractor’s Workshop Feb. 11

Resource Links:

-- ​​Stroud Water Research Center ‘Cut The Salt’ Citizen Science Project Invites You To Test Your Nearby Stream For Salt  [PaEN]

-- Pike Conservation District: Sliding Into Winter! One 12 Ounce Mug Of Salt Is All You Need To Prevent Ice From Forming On A 20 Foot Driveway  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Watersheds:

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft Guidance For Land Application Of Excess Water From Shale Gas Well Development Impoundments  [PaEN]

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light Accepting Requests For Free Native Trees From Anywhere In PA  [PaEN] 

-- Pike Conservation District: Funding Available To Farmers Through Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program  [Check With Your County Conservation District]

-- DEP Invites Groups To Submit Data Related To Stream Redesignation Evaluations Of 66 Wild Trout Streams In Berks, Blair, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Indiana, Jefferson, Lebanon, McKean, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Tioga, Venango Counties

-- ​​Stroud Water Research Center ‘Cut The Salt’ Citizen Science Project Invites You To Test Your Nearby Stream For Salt  [PaEN]

-- DEP Extends Comment Deadline On Draft Guidance On Community Water Systems Design Standards To March 3

-- DEP Publishes Examination Schedule For Sewage Enforcement Officers

-- Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals: Level 1 Certification Training Registration Now Open  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Association Water At Risk - Counting Our Blessings - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Association: Protecting Clean Water Together - Become A Master Watershed Steward - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County   [PaEN[] 

NewsClips:

-- Brodhead Watershed Association Water At Risk - Counting Our Blessings - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Congress Passes Water Resources Bill That Could Mean Millions For Western PA: Abandoned Mine Cleanup, Environmental Infrastructure

-- Scranton Times: Dolph Mine Fire Extinguished In Olyphant, Reclamation Work Underway In Lackawanna County

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Bipartisan Bill Signed Into Law To Extend Federal Chesapeake Bay Restoration Programs

-- Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Bay State Lawmakers Tackle Wide Range Of Green Bills

-- Pike Conservation District: 2024 Water Quality Data Report Now Available

-- Brodhead Watershed Association: Protecting Clean Water Together - Become A Master Watershed Steward - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County   [PaEN[] 

-- Herald-Standard: Independence Conservancy On A Mission To Improve The Environment In Western PA

-- HiddenCityPhiladelphia: Watershed Restoration Efforts Aim To Manage Stormwater

-- York Dispatch: Group Petitions FERC To Reconsider Permit For Susquehanna River Pump Storage Hydroelectric Facility In York County

-- Tribune-Democrat: Officials Working To Track Down Source Of Fuel Spill In Somerset County

-- Lock Haven Express: Alternate Stream Water Testing Method Detects Emerging Contaminants, Penn State Extension

[Posted: January 2, 2025]

1/6/2025