"How to Build a Rain Barrel Workshop"

Summer 2008 in Richmond and Farmville, Virginia

Clean Virginia Waterways will be offering three "Make a Rain Barrel Workshop" during the summer of 2008. If you are interested, please send an email to CVW and we will let you know once dates are set. These workshops are made possible thanks to a grant from the VA Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund (which is funded by Virginians who buy the Chesapeake Bay license plate) and the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

Go to the CVW Rain Barrel web page

Help your local river, stream or beach -- be part of the Virginia Waterways Cleanup. You will also be participating in an international event -- the International Coastal Cleanup! Cleanup events are held between September 1 and October 31 every year (although the official date is the third Saturday in September).

Volunteers are needed to 1) serve as Site Captains, and help coordinate cleanup sites, and 2) to attend cleanup events. Volunteers remove litter and debris from our waterways and beaches, and also fill out data cards about the types and quantities of litter they find. Learn More!

Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its partners sponsor the Annual Clean the Bay Day. Held on a Saturday morning in mid-June, it's a great opportunity for individuals, families and groups to help clean up debris from waterways across Hampton Roads. Boaters, divers and landlubbers are welcome. Areas that participate in Clean the Bay Day are Chesapeake, Newport New, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and others in the Hampton Roads area. For more information, see the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's web site: www.cbf.org or send an email to Sharon S. Smith, Clean the Bay Day Coordinator. Or call (757) 622-1964

19th Annual Clean the Bay Day - June 2, 2007

Citizens for Water Quality is a statewide consortium of citizen groups, agency representative, businesses, and individuals interested in preserving and enhancing Virginia's water resources. The consortium strives to provide a communications link among its members and provide a strong foundation for citizen-based water monitoring and protection activities by: 1) working with the state to create an avenue for data use and other stewardship opportunities, 2) identifying the range of monitoring methods used across Virginia, and 3) identifying funding sources. This group of Virginians who care about water quality meet every summer at a Summit, offering opportunities to share information about water monitoring. Learn more at http://www.virginiacwq.org/

Organized by: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
More information: www.dcr.virginia.gov/sw/adopt.htm
Virginia's Adopt-A-Stream is a litter education and clean-up campaign aimed at promoting citizen stewardship of the Commonwealth's water resources. The program is meant to reduce litter entering Virginia's waterways, promote education and outreach, and facilitate community involvement. Participants (towns, local businesses, civic organizations, watershed associations, schools and scout groups) adopt ½ mile or more of a stream or river, and commit to one cleanup per year for two years. Volunteers can also distribute educational materials or plant vegetative buffers.

Another way AAS volunteers serve their community is by stenciling storm drains. See the next item for details!

Cost to sign up: $0. Call (804) 692-0903

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Storm Drain Stenciling Program.
More information: www.dcr.virginia.gov/sw/adopt.htm
People of all ages can help this community-based pollution control and awareness program. Many people don't understand the connection between their community's storm drains and nearby streams, rivers and lakes. Many people mistakenly believe stormwater runoff is treated before emptying into nearby waterways. These painted messages remind residents of the link between streets and a waterway's health. It's a community effort with lasting effects.

DCR provides Mylar® stencils, which read "Dump no waste, drains to (river/stream/lake/bay)," for free. They are available in English and Spanish.

Cost to sign up: $0. Call (804) 692-0903

 

Virginia Save Our Streams (SOS) trains and certifies volunteer water monitors throughout the state. Data collected by certified monitors is sent to state agencies for use in water quality assessments. VA SOS is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, and a project of the Virginia Division of the Izaak Walton League of America. They work with everyone from individuals to agencies to ensure that future generations inherit improved and protected streams, rivers, and estuaries across Virginia. Visit the SOS website or call (540) 377-6179.

Organized by: VA Dept of Transportation at 1-800-PRIDE-VA
Much of the litter deposited on roadways ends up in our rivers and streams. So clean up a highway and you'll be helping to keep our waters clean as well. For information on how your group can adopt or plant flowers on a highway, contact VDOT.

The Virginia Department of Forestry encourages all land owners to plant trees and other native plants along streams and banks. These buffers will stabilize the shore from erosion and establish vegetation that will absorb excess nutrients. Free trees are available in some cases—contact DOF for assistance and details.http://www.vdof.org/

Learn all you can about the river or waterway nearest you and find out why it is environmentally and historically important to your community. Join local groups to interpret your riverfront's past and examine its future. For information, see the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, http://state.vipnet.org/dhr/

There are many local watershed groups that would welcome your involvement. For example, the Potomac Conservancy, or the James River Association.

Other groups, like Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), also have watershed protection projects and would welcome your involvement. You can call ACE at 703-228-6427 or send an email to volunteer@arlingtonenvironment.org

Every inch of Virginia is covered by a Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). Your local SWCD can give you information on local watershed groups, volunteer opportunities and all kinds of local environmental issues. Find your local SWCD, and call them today!