CDRW Updates
Member Meeting – We hope you can join us for our annual member meeting on February 23 at the Independence Seaport Museum! This is an opportunity to learn about the Coalition's work, vote on our 2017 policy priorities, discuss future efforts, and meet other Coalition members. This year we will also be joined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the newly formed Delaware River Basin Restoration Program. Please take a minute to RSVP, if you haven't already.
2017 Coalition Priorities – The Coalition identifies watershed-wide priorities each year through a nomination and adoption process with its members. The following updates were approved by the Steering Committee this month and will go to the full Coalition for adoption at our Annual Member Meeting on February 23rd. View 2017 Priority Nominations.
Delaware River Basin Restoration Program – We are encouraged to see that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already hit the ground running by dedicating staff and resources to begin implementing the planning phase of the new program established by the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act. Our staff have been working hard to make sure the voice of the nonprofit community is a part of this process and have shared a list of all of our member organizations with USFWS. We're also excited to have them join us at our Annual Member Meeting in February where they can hear directly from you.
We will simultaneously work to ensure the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program is funded by Congress. CDRW's Director, Maddy Urbish is traveling to DC next week to kick off these efforts and we hope to meet with all members of Congress representing our watershed at our annual Delaware River Watershed Hill Day on April 4-5 (more details to come)!
DRBCA Press Roundup – In December and January we celebrated the passage of the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act and our congressional champions who helped make this happen at events throughout the watershed. A BIG 'thank you' toFriends of the Upper Delaware, Delaware Nature Society, and PennFuture for helping to pull these together! Here's a quick roundup of some of the press coverage from this past month.
Feds finally turn attention to the Delaware River (Delaware Online)
Our view: Year ends with environmental progress, promise, opportunity (Press of Atlantic City)
Dawning a new day for federal attention (River Reporter)
Delaware basin conservation law resilient to any Trump rollbacks, supporters say (StateImpact PA)
A river runs through it: Local pols applaud the creation of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program (Watershed Post)
CDRW Welcomes Derek Noah – Derek Noah has joined the Coalition as an intern for the spring semester to provide additional support for our work. Derek is currently a working towards his Master of Science degree in sustainability management at Columbia University in New York City and has an Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Economics from Rutgers University.
Member News
Welcome to our newest members!
PennFuture joins forces with Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania to create a stronger and more effective environmental movement in the Commonwealth. With the policy, advocacy, and legal resource of PennFuture and the political strength of Conservation Voters of PA, this new partnership will give them the tools they need to fight for Pennsylvania’s air, land, water, and climate. Together, the two organizations represent more than 80,000 people in Pennsylvania!
River Network Webinar: Board Recruitment and Succession: How to Develop and Maintain an Exceptional Board – Our friends at the Choose Clean Water Coalition in the Chesapeake Bay region have opened up one of their capacity building webinars to members of our coalition. Please see the below description for more information and how to join. If you have any questions please contact Madeline Emde at madeline.emde@njaudubon.org.
- Feb 1, 2017 11:00 am
- Link to join
- Webinar call in: 1-800-944-8766; access code:74389#
One of the most important factors for achieving and maintaining organizational health is attracting and retaining skillful and engaged leaders – the Board of Directors. This webinar will cover the very deliberate process of recruiting Board members. We will explore the role the Nominating Committee plays in the process, and the steps to take to be ready for a smooth transition in Board leadership. There are critical and specific actions that an organization needs to take throughout the year to grow and renew the Board as well as plan for leadership transitions. During this webinar we will share some examples and tools to help you install the necessary structures for ensuring a healthy Board of Directors.
Schuylkill Water Stewards – Want to learn more about the issues facing our local streams, and be part of a network of dedicated, water quality volunteers? Sign up for the Schuylkill Water Stewards training program, which takes place over five classes in March and April. Learn more and join here.
Upcoming Events
Febuary
1/26 at 6:30pm Webinar: Economic Costs of the PennEast Pipeline
1/31 at 8:00am Balancing Nature & Commerce in Rural Communities and Landscapes
2/7 at 10:00am DRBC Water Quality Advisory Committee Meeting
2/16 at 10:00am DRBC Regulated Flow Advisory Committee Meeting
2/16 at 6:30pm Complying with New Jersey’s Stormwater Regulations
2/23 at 11:00am Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed Annual Member Meeting
March
3/1 at 6:30pm Protecting & Promoting National Parks & the Delaware River
3/5 at 1:15pm 2017 Pennsylvania Statewide Conference for Watershed Organizations
Funding
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) – USDA announced a $252 million federal funding project for conservation partners for locally driven, public-private partnerships that improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat, and protect agricultural viability. USDA is now accepting proposals for Fiscal Year 2018 RCPP funding. Pre-proposals are due April 21. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP website.
Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDG) – The EPA funds opportunities to conduct projects that promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution. WPDGs assist state, tribal, local government (S/T/LG) agencies and interstate/intertribal entities in building programs to protect, manage and restore wetlands. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are typically put out in the spring time. For more information click here.
Jobs/Internships
Program Coordinator, New Jersey Future – New Jersey Future is looking for a Program Coordinator for the Jersey Water Works collaborative. The coordinator will develop communications to Jersey Water Works members and its larger network via multiple channels, including e-newsletters, social media and the collaborative’s website. For more information click here.
Graduate Research Assistantships in Water Science & Policy Program – The University of Delaware is seeking two highly motivated Graduate Research Assistants (MS or PhD) on a new project investigating the input and fate of nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) from streambank legacy sediments and their implications for water quality. The project will also investigate sediment microbial communities and their role/function in nutrient cycling. For more details, click here.
Part-Time Education Director, American Littoral Society– Seeking a part-time (24 hours per week) Education Director from March 6 through June 30, 2017). The position will involve managing projects that educate students and the public on concepts related to coastal resiliency and coastal ecology. Applications are due by February 6. For more information and to apply, click here.
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy – This positions creates and implements marketing and communications projects, including publications, media relations and strategic events for the Delaware business unit to help advance the conservation, fundraising, and outreach goals and objectives of the organization. Applications due by January 31. For more information and to apply, click here.
Teacher/Naturalist Internship, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association – Seeking fill two PAID positions as Teacher-Naturalist Interns in the Education Department. The internship provides training and experience in a wide range of environmental education activities. For more information and to apply, click here.