Recruit Volunteers
Use Serve.gov and River Network
With school out and 10%
percent of us unemployed, there are volunteers-to-be itching to be of service. River Network wants to connect your organization to these capable, and available hands. All you have to do is send them your volunteer position
descriptions to be posted on their website.
Simply follow this link, enter the relevant information and presto… your volunteer opportunities will be there for those willing and able to take advantage.
More on the volunteer front: President Obama has launched the "Summer of Service" to encourage Americans to volunteer for their communities. The President will direct potential volunteers to www.serve.gov to find local opportunities for service.
EPA is using this opportunity to promote volunteer monitoring and watershed stewardship. We hope this Presidential initiative will encourage many more people to work to protect their watersheds. Think through what opportunities you might have for this summer- streams to monitor, debris to clean up, river banks to restore, communities to educate, storm drains to mark, and more.
We have already registered our Project RED (Riverine Early Detectors) to request volunteers to help us battle aquatic invasive species).
We strongly encourage you to advertise your volunteer opportunities on both www.rivernetwork.org and www.serve.gov
We are often asked how charitable giving is doing in this economy. The annual Giving USA Foundation report for 2008 was released recently. They found that “charitable giving in the United States exceeded $300 billion for the second year in a row in 2008… Donations to charitable causes in the United States reached an estimated $307.65 billion in 2008, a 2 percent drop in current dollars over 2007.”
“With the United States mired in a recession throughout 2008, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that charitable giving would be down,” said (Ms.) Del Martin, CFRE, chair of Giving USA Foundation. “However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions."
The bottom line is people are still giving. Your group should not hold back from asking your supporters and members to continue to contribute to your good work. They may give less than before, but most will still donate.
You can read the entire Giving USA Foundation 2008 Report online.
Free Clean Water Act Webcast-July 1
EPA’s Watershed Academy sponsors free Webcasts to help build the capacity of watershed practitioners from around the globe. On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, the Watershed Academy will sponsor the first in a series of Webcasts about the Clean Water Act (CWA).
This first Webcast will provide an introduction to the CWA including a brief
history of the Act, an explanation of technology vs. water quality-based
approaches, and a brief overview of key components of the Act and related EPA
regulations. Future Webcasts will focus on key aspects of the CWA including
water quality standards, monitoring and assessment, total maximum daily loads,
programs for managing point sources and nonpoint sources, and wetland
protection.
The Webcast will feature William (Bill) Painter, Environmental Scientist with
EPA’s Watershed Branch. Bill serves as an expert trainer on the CWA and is the
author of a popular online Watershed Academy Web module, “Introduction to the
Clean Water Act.”
Registration is now open. Archived audio versions of
past Webcasts are also available.
Wetland Gems are high quality habitats that represent the wetland riches—marshes, swamps, bogs, fens, and more—that historically made up a quarter of Wisconsin’s landscape. Located throughout the state of Wisconsin, the Wetland Gems are high-quality representatives of each type of wetland found in each part of the state.
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association embarked on the task of selecting Wetland Gems as part of the organization’s work to increase appreciation for and protection of wetland resources. The 100 Wetland Gems all represent high quality wetland habitats and collectively represent Wisconsin’s wetland heritage.
Since the early 1800s, nearly half of Wisconsin’s 10 million acres of wetlands have been drained or filled to make way for land uses like agriculture, forestry, and urban and suburban development. A large portion of the 5 million remaining acres have been altered and degraded.
“Historically, wetlands were not recognized and valued as natural treasures, but were instead generally considered wastelands and obstacles to progress,” said Becky Abel, Wisconsin Wetland Association Executive Director. “The fact that so many of our wetlands have been destroyed only heightens the value of the high quality wetland treasures that remain.”
Many Wetland Gems are connected to rivers including: Black River, Cherokee Marsh (Yahara River), Des Plaines River, Flambeau River, Lower Wisconsin River, Milwaukee River, Root River, St. Croix River, Sugar River, and Wolf River.
Visit the Wetland Gems website for more information including downloadable copies of full-color fact sheets for each of the 100 Wetland Gems.
In This Issue
Need volunteers?
Where's the money?
What is the CWA about?
Do you have a gem?
Read the latest issue of our quarterly print newsletter
