In November 2012, we presented a bacteria monitoring workshop at the North American Lake Management Society Symposium in Madison, WI.

The workshop included an introduction to bacteria monitoring in surface waters and hands-on practice for participants to use 3M Petrifilm and IDEXX methods.

Agenda (37 KB pdf)

Bacteria 101 Presentation (2.4 MB pdf)

Citizens Monitoring Bacteria Manual

Introduction to Monitoring Bacteria (468 KB pdf)

Bacteria Monitoring Methods (916 KB pdf)

Presenting Bacteria Data Effectively (522 KB pdf)

Equipment list (44 KB pdf)

Sampling Plan (168 KB pdf)

Data Sheet (16 KB pdf)

3M Interpretation Guide (1.2 MB pdf)

Comparison Study (163 KB pdf)

In May 2012, we presented a workshop called "Evaluating Volunteer Monitoring Program Success"

Not included in materials to the right are a plethora of meterials shared with us from participating programs, including reports, and photos of volunteer recognition items.

Agenda (85 KB pdf)

Introduction (130 KB pdf)

Georgia Adopt-a-Stream Confluence (7.8 MB pdf)

Alabama Water Watch Case Study (412 KB pdf)

Alabama Water Watch Data Example (1.8 MB pdf)

Georgia Adopt-a-Stream Data Example (2.4 MB pdf)

In May 2012, we presented a workshop called "Bacteria Monitoring 101 – Citizens Monitoring Bacteria" at the National Monitoring Conference in Portland, OR.

The workshop included an introduction to bacteria monitoring in surface waters and hands-on practice for participants to use 3M Petrifilm and IDEXX methods.

Agenda (37 KB pdf)

Bacteria 101 Presentation (833 KB pdf)

Citizens Monitoring Bacteria Manual

Introduction to Monitoring Bacteria (468 KB pdf)

Bacteria Monitoring Methods (916 KB pdf)

Presenting Bacteria Data Effectively (522 KB pdf)

Equipment list (43 KB pdf)

Sampling Plan (168 KB pdf)

Data Sheet (16 KB pdf)

3M Interpretation Guide (1.2 MB pdf)

Comparison Study (163 KB pdf)

In September 2011, working with our planning team members from Alabama Water Watch and Georgia Adopt-a-Stream, and other local partners, we presented a workshop called "How to Be Outstanding in the Stream: Exploring Methods and Approaches for Volunteer Stream Monitoring" at the Southern Regional Water Conference in Athens, GA.

This workshop included both classroom and field components.

Agenda (105 KB pdf)

Supporting Volunteer Monitoring Efforts Across the USA (4 MB pdf)

In February 2010, we presented a workshop "Community-Based Water Monitoring Programs: Things to Consider Before Getting Your Feet Wet" at the Land and Sea Grant National Water Conference in Hilton Head, SC.

The workshop included presentations about the programs our project staff coordinate, focusing on what to consider when initiating a program. These were followed by discussion with workshop participants.

Agenda (29 KB pdf file)

URI Watershed Watch, 23 Years and Growing (790 KB pdf file)

Gallatin Watershed, MT (1.4 MB pdf file)

Wisconsin's Water Action Volunteers (876 KB pdf file)

Workshop Agenda (43 KB pdf file)

Why Volunteer Monitoring Makes Sense (782 KB pdf file)

Wisconsin's Water Action Volunteers (4.5 MB pdf file)

In February 2009, we presented "Making the Most of Your Monitoring Data: Strategies for Effective Outreach in Your Local Community", a 4-hour workshop at the CSREES National Water Conference in St. Louis, MO.

This workshop included group discussions as well as a series of short presentations about a variety of topics related to communicating results of volunteer monitoring in local communities. The agenda at the right includes links to all presentations and resource materials we developed for the workshop, some of which were not covered due to great interaction with participants.

Workshop Description (9 KB pdf)

Workshop Agenda (77 KB pdf)

Start with the End in Mind: Key Ingredients for Effectively Putting Your Data to Use (834 KB pdf)

Indexes Illuminate & Educate (3.4 MB pdf)

Presenting Data Effectively (1.9 MB pdf)

In February 2008 we conducted a workshop called "Putting it All Together – Using Data to Tell the Story" at the CSREES National Water Conference.

Agenda and Workshop Description (42 KB pdf)

What’s the Score? Developing Metrics and Indices (4.3 MB pdf)

Presenting Data Effectively (1.9 MB pdf)

From the Trenches – Tips and Tools for Effective Presentations (Jeopardy Game) (1.4 MB pdf)

In October 2007 we worked with Georgia Adopt-a-Stream, Oklahoma Blue Thumb, and the Changing Public Behaviors Nataional Facilitation Project to conduct a half day workshop on Volunteer Management and Support at the CSREES Southern Region Water Quality Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Agenda and description for the workshop (18 KB pdf)

The 5 R's of Volunteer Management (Kris Stepenuck) (329 KB pdf)

Volunteer Support: Meeting Education Goals with BEP Research (Kate Reilly) (1.4 MB pdf)

Oklahoma Blue Thumb (Cheryl Cheadle)

Coastal Georgia Adop-a-Wetland Program (Angela Bliss) (614 KB pdf)

Supporting Volunteers with Multimedia (Kris Stepenuck) (4.2 MB pdf)

In January 2007 we sponsored a workshop called "Building Credibility: The Key to Successful Volunteer Monitoring Programs" at the CSREES National Water Conference in Savannah, GA.

Agenda and Description for the workshop (51 K pdf)

Introduction (Linda Green) ( 45 K pdf)

Life Cycle of a Volunteer Monitoring Program (Bill Deutsch and Laura Robinson) (1.9 M pdf)

Quality Assurance and Quality Control (Linda Green) (1.9 M pdf)

Introduction to Data Credibility Laws (Kris Stepenuck) (135 K pdf)

Ohio Case Study re: Data Credibility Laws (Jerry Iles) (579 K pdf)

Volunteers vs. Professionals: Are we good enough? (Elizabeth Herron) (461 K pdf)

Case Studies of Volunteers Involved in Research Projects (Elizabeth Herron) (342 K pdf)

In October 2006, Linda Green and Danielle Donkersloot (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) were invited to present internationally through an EPA webcast. Their workshop, called "Getting Started in Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring", was described in the following way to participants:

Throughout the world, trained volunteers provide an invaluable service: monitoring and providing data on the quality of rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, and wetlands. This session will provide a primer on starting a volunteer water quality program. Instructors will discuss key steps to follow, questions to ponder, examples of success stories, and where the best resources are for further information. They will also introduce a tiered approach to ensure the best use of volunteer-collected data. The data use tiers are defined by the purpose of the program, the intended use of its data, and the intended data users. Also, learn about World Water Monitoring Day, celebrated every October to raise awareness about the importance of water quality monitoring (http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/).

The conference had over 200 attendees (81 by phone and 130 simulcast attendees). They represented at least 36 states, plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and two foreign countries: Chile and Canada.

Getting Started in Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring (34 M pdf file)

Handout regarding NJ's tiered approach (reference for second half of presentation included above) (204 KB pdf file)

In May 2006 we co-sponsored the National Water Quality Monitoring Council Conference in San Jose, CA. We worked with partners to host three workshops/short courses as part of this Conference. These were:

• Getting Started in Volunteer Monitoring (Linda Green and Danielle Donkersloot)
• Building Credibility: Quality Assurance & Quality Control for Volunteer Monitoring Programs (Elizabeth Herron and Ingrid Harrald)
• Data Management and Databases: Capturing, Storing, and Managing Data for Success in Monitoring (Lynette Seigley and Revital Katznelson)

Getting Started in Volunteer Monitoring: Things to Think About Before Getting Your Feet Wet (1.4 MB pdf file)

Building Credibility: Quality Assurance & Quality Control for Volunteer Monitoring Programs (1.3 MB pdf file)

Data Storage Session Handouts (Katznelson) (83 KB pdf)

In February 2006 we hosted a workshop in conjunction with the Nonpoint Source Education for Municial Officials (NEMO) National Facilitation Project at the USDA-CSREES National Water Conference.

Description and Agenda

An Overview of Volunteer Monitoring (3.6 MB pdf file)- January 2006

Enhancing the Use and Availability of Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Data in New England (1.2 MB pdf file)

Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring (3.9 MB pdf file)

Enhancing Credibility in Volunteer Monitoring Programs (2.5 MB pdf file)

Pulling it All Together: Points to Consider Before Getting Your Feet Wet (2.6 MB pdf file)

At the invitation of Jane Herbert, Michigan State University Extension Land and Water Programs and Janice Tompkins, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Grand Rapids District Office, we organized & held a two day workshop in conjunction with Geoff Dates from River Network in Kalamazoo, Michigan in January 2006.   The purpose of the workshop was to bring together groups in west and southwest Michigan who were interested in developing a sustainable volunteer stream monitoring strategy for the area. There were 30 participants.

Invitation to Attend (29 KB pdf)

Workshop Agenda (23 KB pdf)

An Overview of Volunteer Monitoring (Green) (3.6 MB pdf file)

Volunteer Monitoring In Massachusetts (Dates) (636 KB pdf file)

Pulling it All Together: Points to Consider Before Getting Your Feet Wet (Green) (2.6 MB pdf file)

In October 2005 we worked with Alabama Water Watch, North Carolina's Watershed Watch, and the University of Kentucky to conduct a training about volunteer monitoring at the CSREES Southern Region Conference. The presentations by Linda Green, Bill Deutsch, and Wendy Patoprsty were as follows:

Description and Agenda (44 KB)

Volunteer Monitoring: Overview (4.3 MB pdf file) (Green)

Volunteer Monitoring in the Watauga Watershed (862 KB pdf file) (Patoprsty)

Alabama Water Watch: A Citizen Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program (1.6 MB pdf file) (Deutsch)

Getting Started in Volunteer Monitoring (3.4 MB pdf file) (Green)

UK Cooperative Extension: An Agents Perspective on Watershed Watch Volunteering (9.4 MB pdf file) (Fox)

In February 2005 we hosted a workshop at the USDA CSREES National Water Quality Conference, in La Jolla, California

Workshop description and agenda

Introduction to Volunteer Monitoring (4.1 MB pdf file) - February 2005

Volunteer Monitoring Program Management Considerations (2.6 MB pdf file) - February 2005

Successes and Challenges of Volunteer Monitoring (1.9 MB pdf file) - February 2005

Obtaining Quality Data (2.3 MB pdf file) - February 2005

Monitoring for Action (2.5 MB pdf file)

As follow up to a workshop presentation in 2003, Kitt Farrell-Poe, Water Quality Coordinator for CSREES Region 9, invited us to conduct a 2-day training session for Arizona water resources educators. We worked with Kitt to carry out the training in Yuma, AZ in December 2004.

Workshop Agenda (41 KB pdf)

Getting and Using Volunteer-Collected Information (3.1 MB pdf file)

Partnering with Extension for Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring (4.5 MB pdf file)

Success and Challenges of Volunteer Monitoring (3.4 MB pdf file)

What It All Means (in terms of the data that are collected while monitoring) (448 KB pdf file)

Workshop agenda (46 KB pdf)

Effectively Working with Volunteer Water Quality Monitors: "Why's, What's, and How To's" (3 MB pdf file)

In December 2003 we partnered with CSREES in Arizona to present information about why volunteer monitoring makes sense for Extension, and getting a program started efficiently and effectively. Components of our presentation covered the following:

• Project Overview
• History of Volunteer Environmental Monitoring
• Why Volunteer Monitoring Makes Sense for Extension
• Getting Started Effectively
• Funding Overview
• Training Outline
• Resources

We partnered with the Southern Region CSREES Water Quality Program to provide a training about volunteer monitoring at the 2003 Regoinal Conference in Ruidoso, New Mexico, October 19-20, 2003

PowerPoint presentations from the training are available in the right column. They include an overview of this National Facilitation Project and a snapshot of how URI Watershed Watch got up and running early on in the world of volunteer water quality monitoring.

Project Overview (936 KB pdf file)

How One Program Got Started (2.3 MB pdf file)

We co-coordinated a 2-day training session with the Pacific Northwest Voluntary Water Quality Monitoring Program for educators involved with, or aspiring to coordinate volunteer monitoring programs in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The training was held in Ketchum, Idaho, July 14-15, 2003. There were 36 participants.

PowerPoint presentations created by Project staff for the training are available for download using links at the right. Topics include "Obtaining and Using Volunteer-Collected Information", "Resources Available for Monitoring Programs", "Overall Program Management Considerations", "Volunteer Management Considerations",and "Funding Options for Local Programs".

Additional information about the training and resources are available at the Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality program website (EXIT CSREES website).

Workshop Agenda (89 KB pdf)

Obtaining and Using Volunteer-Collected Information (2.8 MB pdf file)

Resources Available for Monitoring Programs (871 KB pdf file)

Overall Program Management Considerations (1.6 MB pdf file)

Volunteer Management Considerations (2.1 MB pdf file)

Funding Options for Local Programs (221 KB pdf file)