Watershed volunteers managing invasive porcelain berry at Brookside Reservation, February 2023.

[Photo credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Black History Month and Conservation

Greetings Watershed Stewards,

We hope you have found time to reflect on Black History Month (and all months) and pay tribute to generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American Society.

A recent episode of the podcast waterloop featured Sierra Taliaferro who, as the founder of The Green Obsidian, works to highlight achievements of Black leaders in Environmental Conservation. The interview of course asked her to mention a few water related conservationists and we thought you might also like to learn about their achievements. We have included a feature on Aliyah Griffith and Mahogany Mermaids in our Watershed Spotlight this week. You can see all the conservationists featured at the Green Obsidian Facebook page or on Sierra's LinkedIn profile.

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Salt Watch Monitoring Training, Monday MeetUp Learning event with Friends of Lower Lake, and Seed Processing, Invasive Plant Management and Live Stake Restoration events. You can find photos from the events and links to recordings on our past events page. We have been so excited to see an uptick in WVP participation as we wade through winter with hopes for spring!

Shout Out to our Enews Team: Be sure to check out the great news articles below compiled by Watershed Volunteer Program Steward Leader Bob Bennett featuring several local news stories including a highlight on the West Creek Flume Project that Janet Popielski from Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District presented to WVP in October. Thanks to WVP Steward Leaders Millie Harnocz and Carrie Hansen for their assistance with the job listings and edits!

We are looking forward to more reflection, learning, monitoring, restoration and outreach with you and encourage you to join us at an event soon! See event details here and below and sign up in volgistics!

Gratefully,

The WVP Team

Watershed Spotlight

Aliyah Griffith

Aliyah Griffith is a self proclaimed life long learner with a passion for the ocean. She started with a Marine and Environmental Science Bachelors Degree from Hampton University before going on to get her Master of Science and PhD in Marine Science from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In August 2016, Aliyah founded Mahogany Mermaids as a resource for young women of color to be exposed to marine science. The nonprofit offers virtual and in-person educational events, online educational resources, a list of scholarships and they have their own grant to support a marine studies student. We found her article on Why Increasing Diversity in Marine Sciences Will Save The Ocean to be inspiring and we hope you do too!

WVP Hosted Opportunities

Watershed Stewards helping to process native grass for restoration.

West Creek Watershed Stewardship Center. February 2023

[Photo credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

(R) Volunteer Led Work Session: Tree Care & Site Stewardship

Fri, Mar 3, 1 - 3 p.m. @ Clark Field Parking Lot, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation

(R) Work Session: Invasive Plant Management

Wed, Mar 8, Noon - 2 p.m. @ Brookside Reservation

(L) Workshop: Aquatic Plant Prep

Mon, Mar 20, 6:30 - 8 p.m. @ The Watershed Stewardship Center, West Creek Reservation

(R) Work Session: Live Stake Harvesting & Planting

Tue and Thu, Mar 21 and 23, 10 a.m. - noon. @ Mill Stream Run Reservation

(O) Outreach Event: World Water Day Macroinvertebrate Display

Sat, Mar 25, Two hour shifts from 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. @ The Watershed Stewardship Center, West Creek Reservation**

(O) Volunteer Led Work Session: Neighborhood Outreach Flyer Prep Party

Wed, Mar 29, 1 - 3 p.m. @ The Watershed Stewardship Center, West Creek Reservation

WVP volunteers, please log into Volgistics to register for primary events.

**Trained volunteers email us to register

Chagrin River 2023 Speaker Series*

Thu Feb 23, Thu Mar 9, Tue Mar 21, Wed Mar 22, Tue Mar 28, Thu Mar 30 @ various times online

Join Chagrin River Watershed Partners virtually for a variety of water related topics online. Register for the February 23rd Marblehead Lighthouse talk here. Sign up for the CRWP mailing list to get registration for upcoming talks. See recordings from the speaker series here.

Winter Waterfall Hike: Bedford Glens*

Sat, Feb 25, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. @ Bedford Reservation

Join Naturalist Jake Kudrna as we will plunge into the Bedford Glens along a lost section of trail that will take us under towering sandstone cliffs in search of one of the tallest waterfalls in the park. Sturdy footwear required, hiking poles encouraged, the trail may be icy. No registration required. Event Details here.

Friends of Euclid Creek Annual Kick Off*

Tue, Feb 28, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. @ Muldoon's Saloon, Euclid

Join Friends of Euclid Creek as they kick off their 2023 schedule at this "Open House" style event to learn more about Friends of Euclid Creek and how you can help the environment. Register with our partners here

World Water Day: The Power of Water*

Wed, Mar 22, 10:00 a.m. - noon @ Bedford Reservation

World Water Day celebrates the importance of fresh water. On this hike, Naturalist Jake Kudrna will show you the power of water by hiking to a tiny tributary with a trickling waterfall, then to the thundering Great Falls of Tinker’s Creek to see the value of these vastly different habitats. Sturdy footwear required, hiking poles recommended, some available to borrow. Event Details here.

World Water Day*

Sat, Mar 25, 11:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. @ The Watershed Stewardship Center

There is nothing more important to life on Earth than water! World Water Day is an international event celebrating all things H2O. Enjoy hands-on games, experiments and crafts. Check out an ice carving demonstration and snap a pic in the photo booth to commemorate the day. Visit with a variety of groups working to make sure our water systems stay clean and healthy at this fun and free family event. No registration required. Event Details here.

How to Build a Stream*

Thu, Mar 30, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. @ The Watershed Stewardship Center

Join a Naturalist to learn how healthy streams function and the ways they can become dysfunctional. We’ll build our own stream indoors, then walk out to West Creek to see different stream management techniques that have been used over time. Event Details here.

Water Management Association of Ohio Annual Student Scholarships:

ATTENTION: College Students

We invite you to apply for a $1,000 WMAO Scholarship through the Columbus Foundation. Each year, we offer one undergraduate and one graduate scholarship to recipients who are students with an academic focus on water resources pursuing a degree at an Ohio college or university.

Check out this informational video for guidance. More information and past recipients can be found on the WMAO website: Scholarships. Deadline to submit an application online is April 15, 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact Dennis Clement, Chair of the Education Committee.

Cleveland Metroparks | Digital Emerald Necklace*

Read and Watch here

*WVP volunteers can submit supplemental hours in Volgistics under (S) Watershed Partner Event by February 28. Contact us if you need assistance reporting any hours.

His name is Branagan and he's an eastern hellbender, the largest type of salamander found in Ohio.

Pictured here eating a crayfish dinner, Branagan has been living at the Jefferson Soil and Water

Conservation District since 2017. He is their mascot and even has his own Instagram account!

[Photo Credit: JSWCD]

Governor DeWine Meets Branagan Hellbender | Read on



Squeezed by I-480, an Abused Section of West Creek Is About to Become More Fish Friendly | Read on

A Vision for Lake Erie: Progress on Lakefront Development Now ‘Critical’ for Northeast Ohio | Read on

University of Toledo Works With Local and State Partners to Reduce Road Salt Use This Winter | Read on

She was reported to the police for spraying invasive lanternflies. Now she's been honored by Yale. | Watch video here

Natural Resources Specialist 3: Watershed Volunteer Program Assistant (Variable) 

Cleveland Metroparks, Parma, OH | Apply Here 

Surface Water Division Internships 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus, OH | Apply Here 

Summer Internships: 8 Water Quality Intern Positions | Apply Here 

4 Vector Intern Positions | Apply Here 

Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Parma, OH 

Natural Resources Technician 

Lorain County Metroparks, Park District Wide | Apply Here 

Administrative Support 

Water Management Association of Ohio – Chagrin Falls, OH | Apply Here (February 28th deadline)

Multiple Seasonal Natural Resources Positions

Cleveland Metroparks - Cleveland, OH | Apply Here

Watershed Volunteer Program Coordinator (Part-Time) 

Cleveland Metroparks - Cleveland, OH | Apply Here 

GIS Application Analyst I or II 

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District – Cleveland, OH | Apply Here 

GIS Paraprofessional Intern 

Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District – Cleveland, OH | Apply Here 

Southeast Conservation Associate Director 

American Rivers – Ashville, NC |  Apply Here 

Part-Time Manager of Finance and Administration

Chagrin River Watershed Partners - Willoughby, OH | Apply Here

Staff Scientist 

Ecosystem Services – Charlottesville, VA | Apply Here  

Water Resources Engineers/Stream Restoration Design Engineer 

Davey Tree – OH, VA, MD | Apply Here