university of idaho extension update waterwatch · etc. idah2o is working with a high school...
TRANSCRIPT
WaterWatch UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO EXTENSION UPDATE
Spring 2016 Volume 6 Issue 1
University of Idaho, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Idaho counties cooperating.
Highlights
Upcoming events
Our Gem Symposium
Spokane River Forum
Stormwater Webinar
Snake River Basin Clean-up
Summer IDAH2O Workshops
Photos from winter
Contact Information
Jim Ekins
Area Water Educator
208-292-1287
Marie Pengilly
IDAH2O Volunteer Coordinator
208-292-2540
www.uidaho.edu/cda/idah2o
1031 North Academic Way
Suite #242
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
The University of Idaho is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and
educational organization. We offer our programs to persons regardless of race,
color, national origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
Hello Master Water Stewards!
I hope you are well. You may not have heard much from us this winter; Marie and I
have been hard at work on program development and getting prepared for summer
educational programs. From a busy summer of IDAH2O Master Water Steward
workshops, to cutting-edge research projects, to a variety of community-based
outreach events, we are looking forward to a great transition from spring to
summer.
In this episode, I would like to announce the Summer 2016 IDAH2O workshop
schedule, several upcoming events around the state, and some conference
announcements. Finally, we have been getting outside to collect still photo and
video clips for use in a variety of outreach videos, interpretive signs, public events,
etc. IDAH2O is working with a high school teacher to develop water-educational-
themed custom playing cards, and the Community Water Resources Center
continues to complete research about floating treatment wetlands, and other
laboratory studies.
As the spring and summer monitoring season approaches, be sure to check your
kits for expired or broken equipment. Check out your thermometers to be sure
there’s not a bubble in the fluid (thump it gently to move the bubble upward into
the fluid chamber), and that everything is organized and ready to go. Let me know if
you need monitoring supplies! And do be safe out there. The water will run high
and cold for a while, so don’t do any monitoring activity that might put you in any
danger or uncomfortable situation. We’ll get that data later, once the creek comes
down a bit.
Happy monitoring!
Sincerely,
Jim Ekins
www.facebook.com/idah2o
Upcoming Events
Our Gem Symposium
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Lake Management Plan team, in partnership with CDA 2030 and the University of Idaho Community Water Resource Center, are pleased to be hosting our 2nd “Our Gem” Coeur d’Alene Lake Symposium, to be held on March 22nd at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. This year’s focus is on sharing stories of the lake, research updates from the Tribe, IDEQ and the U-Idaho MILES project, and stories of early days of environmental regulation in the Basin, those of local high school teachers and students, environmental non-profits and natural resource agencies. Nearly a decade of LMP water quality monitoring, and implications will be discussed to help us take steps to protect Coeur d’Alene Lake. The conference fee is only $20, and registration is at: spokaneriver.net/Spokane-river-forum-conference
Spokane River Forum
Organized in cooperation with the Our Gem Symposium, the 2016 Spokane River Forum Conference brings together experts and interested parties to share information about the Spokane River. Topics include water quality, water quantity, recreation and stewardship. Click on these links for Conference Agenda and Conference Registration. Sample Topics include:
Water Quality: Stormwater Management and Integrated Management Planning; Toxics Task Force; Local Source Control; PCBs and Contaminants of Concern; Modeling; Non-point Source Pollution Reduction; Best Practices and Green Solutions; DO TMDL Implementation.
Water Quantity: Climate Change, Water Availability, and Future Water Demand; Instream Flows; Water Rights and Adjudication; Ground Water Pumping.
Recreation and Stewardship: Invasive Species; Shoreline Management; Spokane River Water Trail; Fisheries, Ed. Outreach.
2016 National Watershed and Stormwater Webinar
Tuesday April 12, 2016, U of I Research Center, Nation-wide and Post Falls, Idaho: Register Now!
This is a National Webinar that can also be viewed from our venue in Post Falls. The Panhandle Stormwater Erosion Education Program (SEEP) is sponsoring this event locally. *The time slots in red are for our local panel-ists. This is a great opportunity to learn what other professionals around the country are doing to manage stormwater. It is also an excellent opportunity to network with professionals around our region. Local topics and panelists to be announced soon.
Earth Day Celebration in Coeur d’Alene: Trees for the Earth
Sunday, April 24th.
Join us at the Coeur d’Alene Earth Day Fair on Sunday April 24th from Noon-3:00 at the Coeur d’Alene Library. Admission is free, so bring the whole family. We will have live music, yoga, children’s activities, information booths and a Kid’s Fun Run at 1:30pm. This year we will also have a special birds of prey demonstration by the Idaho Fish and Game at 12:30pm and again at 2:30pm. We are also having a T-shirt graphic contest. This contest is for kids 12 and under. Submit your drawing by April 10th at the Earth Day Coeur d’Alene Facebook page or mail drawing to KEA 408 Sherman Ave #301 PO Box 1598 Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816-1598. The drawing must be submitted in Black and White and be tied into the theme “Trees for the Earth”. The winner will receive a free T-shirt and that graphic will be used as a printing option at the event by the Traveling T’s. The Traveling T’s is an on site screen printing company that gives you the choice of graphic, size and color of shirt on the spot. No wasted shirts! And if you bring your own shirt to print on you will get a discounted price for the printing.
Summer 2016 IDAH2O Workshops The IDAH2O summer schedule has just been completed!
April 30 (Saturday): Boise, ID
May 7 (Saturday): Sandpoint, ID
May 14 (Saturday): Coeur d'Alene, ID
June 11 (Saturday): Moscow, ID
June 18 (Saturday): Lewiston, ID
June 21 (Tuesday): Driggs, ID
June 22 (Wednesday): Island Park, ID
June 24 (Friday): Salmon, ID
July 16 (Saturday): McCall, ID
Specifically for your group (twelve +)
Please contact us if you or your group would like to host an IDAH2O workshop, get more information, or schedule a workshop for your watershed group.
For instance, the entire Lake Pend Oreille High School’s Water Chemistry students are now Master Water Stewards, through a partnership with the school district and Selkirk Outdoor Learning and Education. Another example: the Henry’s Fork Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists was interested in the program, but the drive to Driggs was inconvenient. With their guidance, I set up an identical IDAH2O workshop the very next day, and gave everyone who had already registered for the Driggs workshop to switch if they wanted.
Snake River Basin River Clean-Up April 2nd
Mark your calendars for Snake River Waterkeeper's annual "Adopt-a-Stream" river cleanup on waters across the Snake River Basin on Saturday, April 2.
Groups in Jackson, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Boise, and the Tri-Cities will be heading out with friends old and new to remove trash from local streams and water-ways while enjoying this warm early spring weather!
Volunteers can sign up to be paired with an existing group: http://www.snakeriverwaterkeeper.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Last year, our 7 groups hauled an estimated 1,000 lbs of trash and hardware from local rivers, and with the number of folks committed for April 2, we should be able to more than double that this time.
Water Use Efficiency Tips
Indoors: It takes FOREVER for hot water to get to the kitchen sink, right? Try capturing that not-hot water in a pitcher to put in
the fridge for later, use for watering plants, add it to the pet drinking bowl, or toss it onto the lawn. There are many uses for this perfectly good water. There are also indoor systems that can loop that cold water back to the hot water tank so that it is not wasted.
Outdoors: Wash your car on the lawn or where the water will runoff into the bushes, or better yet, use a local carwash where
the water is recycled a couple of times. Don’t wash your driveway and sidewalks, instead sweep them clean.
Meet Emily Nightingale, IDAH2O/MURI Stormwater Intern
Emily Nightingale, North Idaho College student, and accepted student at University
of Idaho, had been spending the last year in two intensive water quality related
internships. During the Summer, 2015, she worked on the Floating Treatment
Wetland research project as an INBRE intern. For Spring semester, 2016, Emily is
working on understanding the range of stormwater issues and potential careers,
with a focus on stormwater chemistry. Her research includes analyzing grab
samples of pre– and post-treatment stormwater for Nitrate, turbidity, and pH. She
will be presenting a poster at the 2016 Spokane River Forum Conference. Emily is
doing a great job of working toward a good, challenging, and rewarding career in
stormwater management and mitigating stormwater pollution by understanding
its’ chemistry.
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO EXTENSION UPDATE
WaterWatch Looking back at Winter 2016...
Call for Unused Kits!
Do you have an IDAH2O monitoring kit collecting dust?
If you find that, for whatever reason, you are unable to
monitor for us at this time, please contact us about
returning your kit. We do have limited funds so we
need to make sure our kits are being used as much as
possible.
Remember! Check your monitoring
kit equipment for expiration dates!
Contact us for replacements.