NOVEMBER 2023 STREAMLINES:
News and Events from BWA
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UPDATES TO THE BWA WEBSITE |
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BWA'S WEBSITE HAS A FRESH LOOK AND NEW CONTENT
Over the last few weeks, we've been working to update the BWA website - refreshing it's look, adding to the archives, and creating new content.
Just a few things to highlight...
We've been collaborating with Middle Smithfield Township on an informative kiosk design and installation for Green Stormwater Management.
A few years back, we also had educational signage installed at Minisink Park. If you haven't seen it in person, we encourage you to visit!
But now, you can find both of these projects and more highlighted on our Municipal Assistance page. Click HERE
We've also added a climate change issues page that will be updated frequently.
Click HERE to take a look!
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2023 SUMMER SNAPSHOT REPORT |
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On August 9th and 10th, BWA volunteers collected data at 44 sites throughout the watershed. Temperature and Conductivity measurements were recorded with temperature readings taken mid-afternoon on a warm sunny day to approximate daily high water temperature. Chloride values were generated by converting snapshot conductivity readings to chloride using conductivity-chloride rating curve from historic BWA data.
SITES INCLUDED:
Upper Brodhead - 9
Paradise – 3
Pocono - 14
Lower Brodhead - 8
McMichaels 1
Marshalls 1
Cherry – 8
Want to review the full report? Click below!
THANK YOU TO OUR STREAMWATCH VOLUNTEERS AND TO DAVID BRESSLER AND JOHN JACKSON FROM STROUD WATER RESEARCH CENTER AND KEITH FRITSCHIE FROM NJ TROUT UNLIMITED FOR PREPARING THE REPORT.
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REAL TIME DATA FROM AROUND THE WATERSHED |
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If you're curious about what's going on in the waters of our watershed, you can check in and check out the water depth, temperature, and conductivity of our streams in real time. These monitoring stations are a small part of a much larger citizen science (EnviroDIY) effort launched across Pennsylvania and our nation.
These stations transmit data (via a cell phone link) to the Monitor My Watershed website, where they can be viewed on your phone or computer. You can visit the BWA website and click the link for each site to view the data.
Each is important on its own, but taken together, water depth, temperature, and conductivity can give us a record that measures how development and other landscape activities are affecting our stream health. Additionally, this data can provide insight on how climate change is warming streams and if winter salt application or other pollution events will affect our stream life.
How can BWA members help?
BWA needs volunteers interested in helping to maintain the data loggers currently in place. We're also looking for community members who are willing to learn about the loggers and share what information they can reveal about the streams nearest them.
Interested? Or know someone who might be?
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You may have seen her name pop up on BWA correspondence over the last few months since joining BWA back in May, but we'd like to formally introduce BWA staff member, Stephanie Uhranowsky, to our members and friends.
Stephanie is a Northeast PA native born and raised in Lackawanna County before moving to Pike County in 2017. Since the move, she's been working to cultivate a biodiverse habitat on her property - rewilding monoculture spaces, removing ornamentals and invasives, and re-establishing native species. Her favorite wild personality? The Red Squirrel. Insect? Moths and Dragonflies. Tree? The Eastern White Pine. Plant? Bergamot. Favorite subject to write about? Nature. Obviously. If you ask about her favorite bird, she'll probably name ten.
Stephanie completed her graduate degree from Marywood University, receiving her MA in Communication Arts with a concentration in leadership studies. After gaining experience in digital marketing, SEO, and content creation for a local start up company, she realized her passion was working for a mission-driven cause. Her previous experience includes advocacy for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking and community outreach to increase equity, accessibility, and inclusion for individuals with intellectual, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Stephanie is also working towards her requirements to complete the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program as part of the 2023/24 cohort.
"Thanks to my grandfather, I've had a deep and reverent connection to wild things since I was a child. Nature has always been an adventure, a curiosity, a retreat, a wonder, a source of inspiration, a driver of imagination, a wise teacher, and a sought-after companion. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of BWA's mission and collaborate with like-minded organizations, partners, and community members in our collective efforts to conserve and protect the waters, forests, green spaces, and natural resources of our region. To give back to a place that has given me so much over the course of my life is a privilege. I look forward to what 2024 will bring." - Steph
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A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS |
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BWA would like to introduce the newest members of the BWA Board of Directors. We're grateful for the individual experiences, skills, expertise, and passion you will bring to the BWA mission. |
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Mrs. Dr. Marilyn M. Brown resides in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. She is the CEO of Mrs. Dr. Marilyn M. Brown LLC, a consultation company that facilitates workshops and promotes spiritual, emotional, and academic education. She is also the community outreach coordinator at the First Baptist Church of East Stroudsburg.
Brown is a two-time alum of Touro University where she is now a professor in the Special Education Department. She attended Touro University where she earned two dual Master of Science Degrees in Special Education, Childhood Education, School Building, and School Leadership. She earned her Doctorate in Special Education from North Central University with an emphasis on childhood and adolescent trauma and PTSD. She counsels adults and children who have suffered traumas due to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as she is a #metoo survivor. Brown has been appointed and employed with the New York City Public School System for the last nineteen years.
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Nasaiah Hoskins is a nationally recognized social impact leader with a background in civic engagement and youth development. Nasaiah serves as the Program Manager for the Tobacco & Vape Free Initiatives at Pocono Mountains United Way, where he actively engages with communities to empower young people to make informed choices.
His role as a Commissioner on the PA Governor's Advisory Commission on African American Affairs further highlights his commitment to community welfare, as he also serves as Vice Chairman of the Workforce Development Committee.
Nasaiah brings a wealth of experience in advocacy and community development, making him a valuable asset to the BWA Board. He is dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and enhancing the well-being of our local communities. Nasaiah looks forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals to advance conservation efforts and promote sustainable practices within the watershed.
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Doug recently retired after 40 years leading environment affairs and regulatory compliance functions in addition to facilities and asset management in multinational companies. A graduate of IUP, he has lived throughout the eastern and southeastern United States.
Doug has been an avid outdoorsman from an early age, having spent his high school years in upstate NY, developing a love for winter camping there and in VT. Recently becoming a full-time resident of the Poconos, his extended family has spent significant time in the Barrett community for decades. During his career supporting multinational companies, Doug had the opportunity to travel extensively in support of environmental initiatives, product stewardship and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in multiple countries. The development of local environmental focus groups at company locations was a priority.
The privilege of serving on the BWA board will allow Doug to share his professional experiences and personal passion for protecting & improving the environment that we all cherish. Doug is also an active Streamwatcher.
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BWA Board Members continuing their service into 2024 |
Annette Atkinson
Brittney Coleman
Michelle Farley
Paula Heeschen
W. Michael Johnson
Genni Martinelli
Joe Memoli
Donald Miller
Adam Mosher
Michael Penn
Stuart Poppel
Barbara Roberts
Emily Rollinson
Darryl Speicher
Craig Todd
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Even though she was our honoree of the evening at this year's Annual Celebration and had announced her retirement, Edie Stevens will continue to be active and involved with BWA.
Thank you to Don Baylor, Matt Dilger, Dr. Catherine Folio, and Jennifer Shukaitis whose terms have ended but continue to support BWA through their involvement in special projects, advocacy efforts, and participation in BWA committees.
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SAVE THE DATES - 2024 Delaware River Sojourn |
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The dates have been set for the 2024 Delaware River Sojourn!!
Mark your calendars for June 14th-22nd, 2024
BWA will be participating in the mid-week stretch again this year! We're so excited to be partnering with the DRS team and all the organizations involved with planning and orchestrating this incredible weeklong journey on the water.
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Planning for our 2024 Get Outdoors Poconos monthly outings are under way.
Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2024 schedule!
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PROTECTING CLEAN WATER TOGETHER:
A DROP IN THE BUCKET
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Do you really want road salt, detergent, oil and gas residue from washing your car to end up here?
It doesn’t take a crystal ball: a look out the window says that winter weather, road salt, and grunge-caked cars are coming our way.
Even if you’re one of the hardy souls who enjoys washing the car, a numbing breeze and temps in the 30s cut a big slice out of that pleasure. And if bitter winter weather sends you to a commercial carwash instead of the driveway — that’s a good thing. Because unless you are really, really careful, driveway washing can be a serious polluter of our pristine local creeks. FIND OUT HOW HERE
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NATURE AT RISK SERIES: RESTORING THE LIFE OF THE FOREST |
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American martens are mainly nocturnal and are excellent climbers, spending most of their time in trees. They are solitary and only tolerate other martens in mating season. (Photo: PA Game Commission)
Europeans arriving here in the 1600s faced wilderness like nothing they had ever seen before.
The ancient forests looked infinite — dark, deep, ominous — climbing over seemingly endless miles of ridges and valleys, full of fast-running creeks. Wolves, moose and elk, black bears, cougars, and wild cats ruled.
Unlike indigenous people who lived in balance with the land, the newcomers felt a need to control this new world, a need to tame it.
“Taming” the wilderness ended up leveling it. Clearings for family crops led to villages, towns, cities. By the late 1800s, the forest was gone, clear cut all across Pennsylvania. As our forests were restored, so too were some of the species that were thought to be lost. The native American pine marten is still waiting its turn. Read on for the rest of the story HERE
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BWA's Get Outdoors Pocono's Series is supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
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