Alright 2016 - that's a wrap! Please read on for a note from our Director and news from the watershed including an event being held tomorrow to celebrate the DRBCA. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and successful 2017!
Message from the Director
I want to take a brief moment to thank you all for the incredible work you do on a daily basis here in the watershed. Whether it's installing riparian buffers along critical tributaries, educating the community on stormwater management, helping landowners implement agricultural BMPs on their farms, advocating for clean water funding and policies at the state and national levels, or the other great work you're responsible for, your efforts are truly making the Delaware River Basin a better place for people, fish, and wildlife.
We are thrilled to see the passage and enactment of the DRBCA earlier this month, but our work is far from finished. We must work to ensure the new Delaware River Basin Restoration Program is funded by Congress in 2017 and that the NGO community has a voice with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as the program is developed. We know that we have hard work ahead of us defending the progress made over the past several years while also pushing forward on protecting clean water. We also know that our work in the states is incredibly important and we have great opportunities in the coming year to advance conservation efforts at the local and state level.
Our Coalition will continue to serve as a resource for you and our partners in the watershed in sharing information and coordinating and organizing efforts to advocate for a healthy Delaware River Basin. I congratulate you on all that you have accomplished in 2016 and sincerely look forward to working with you in the new year!
Best,
Maddy Urbish
CDRW Updates
Delaware River Basin Conservation Act signed by President Obama –
Last Friday, President Obama officially signed the DRBCA into law as part of a larger legislative package known as the Water Infrastructure Improvements Act for the Nation (WIIN) Act. Read our full press release on our website. This is the final hurdle in securing authorizing language for the first-ever federal program focused on restoration of the entire Delaware River Watershed.
Press on the DRBCA – The passage of the DRBCA has received significant media coverage since passing, including an op-ed today from National Wildlife Federation's Collin O'Mara, and an article from New Jersey Audubon published in the Atlantic City press.
Tomorrow, CDRW's state lead in New York, Friends of the Upper Delaware River, will be hosting a press conference with Representative Gibson celebrating this victory and it's importance for the Upper Delaware Region. For details of tomorrow's event, click here. We are hoping to celebrate with events in each of the other states in the new year!
CDRW reaches 100 members – Welcome to our newest members Northeast Pennsylvania Audubon Society Chapter & Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.
Member & Watershed NewsThe 7th edition of the Model Grant of Conservation Easements – The PA Land Trust Alliance released the latest update of the Model Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants after a year and a half
New EPA report on Fracking – The EPA recently released a study on Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources. As part of the report, EPA identified conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe as well as uncertainties and gaps in scientific data. Access the report here.
NPCA Celebrates the passage of National Parks Bill – National Park Service Centennial Act will expand the Centennial Challenge, establish and fund a national parks endowment, and provide additional opportunities for young people and volunteers to serve in and learn from our parks.The Delaware River Watershed is home to our country's most visited National Park units, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, more than 400 miles of National Wild and Scenic Rivers, and six National Wildlife Refuges.
Upcoming Events
Press conference tomorrow (12/22) in Hancock, NY with Friends of the Upper Delaware and Congressman Chris Gibson. We hope to see you there!
Please save the date for our Coalition's annual member meeting on February 23 - more information coming soon!
- The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is having their biennial Delaware Estuary Science and Environmental Summit on January 22-25 in Cape May, NJ - Register soon before rates increase on January 2.
Funding
Catalyst Planing Grants in the Delaware Watershed – OSI recently announced the release a Request for Proposals for Round 2 of their Catalyst Planning Grant Program, part of the Delaware River Watershed Initative. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for work with regional government agencies to integrate water quality into strategic planning, such as open space plans, ordinances, or other mechanisms for protection. Applications due by March 1, 2017
Environmental Education Grants, Captain Planet Foundation – The Captain Planet Foundation funds small grants to give the next generation of environmental stewards an active understanding and love for the natural world in which they live. Additional information here. Applications due by January 31, 2017
Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities – The goal of this program is to accelerate strategic protection of healthy, freshwater ecosystems and their watersheds by: developing funding mechanisms, plans, or other strategies to implement large-scale watershed protection; building the sustainable organizational infrastructure and long-term funding commitments; and supporting innovative or catalytic projects that accelerate funding for or implementation of watershed protection efforts. Addiotonal information available here. Applications due byFebruary 1, 2017.
Jobs/InternshipsDelaware Watershed Fellowship Coordinator, Audubon PA – Audubon Pennsylvania is collaborating with other local environmental centers in an effort to build a network focused on constituency building and stewardship of the Delaware River Watershed, as part of a network of 23 environmental centers spread across the Delaware River Watershed and interconnected by multi-use bike/pedestrian trails and waterways (rivers, streams, creeks). They currently seek a Program Coordinator to support a new Watershed Fellowship program created to advance our collective impact across the watershed. For full description, click here.