Decision Trees for Screening Potentially Contaminated or Underutilized Site for Solar and Wind Potential

This webinar will give an overview of two draft decision trees that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory  (NREL) created to screen potentially contaminated and underutilized sites for solar and wind potential. These decision trees were created to guide state and local governments and other stakeholders through a process for screening sites for their suitability for solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy.  Targeted sites include underutilized "greyfields", commercial/industrial rooftops, brownfields, Superfund sites, RCRA sites, publicly owned facilities, abandoned parcels, and landfills. EPA encourages the development of these targeted sites, instead of green space.

Through the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative, the EPA encourages renewable energy development on potentially contaminated land.  The EPA also promotes redevelopment of urban sites to achieve "Smart Growth" objectives.  Community vision for the site, as well as the site's key attributes, should shape the redevelopment plan.

These decision trees can be used to screen individual sites for solar or wind potential or for a community-scale evaluation of candidate sites. They are not intended to replace or substitute the need for a detailed site-specific assessment that would follow an initial screening based on criteria contained in the trees. Tips on how users can obtain information relevant to various parameters in the trees are provided.

These draft tools have been posted on EPA's RE-Powering America's Land website at http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/develop_potential_fs.htm. EPA is seeking your feedback on these draft decision trees. Please send comments by February 16 to Shea Jones at jones.shea@epa.gov

Feb 7, 2012
1:00PM-2:30PM EST
18:00-19:30 GMT

More Information & Registration

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Call Shea Jones at 202-566-0540

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Warm Winter Greetings from Friends of Deckers Creek!

Survey Participants Needed

The WVU Division of Forestry is conducting a state-wide study regarding the quality of water recreation.  They are interested in your perspective and opinion about recreational quality of West Virginia's rivers and streams. 

The best way for them to understand and to acquire an accurate representation of West Virginia's waters is by going straight to the source and asking you and others who utilize the rivers and streams regularly.  From your input, they will be looking for relationships between biological data and recreational quality to determine if any trends or patterns stand out and if so, why?  By obtaining local input of water recreational quality, they hope to further strengthen management of these waters and look to the future in preserving and improving one of our most valuable resources.  The survey consists of only 15 questions and will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.  The more surveys completed, the more accurate their results will become thus making their conclusions and recommendations more credible.  It would be greatly appreciated if you could take the time to complete the survey and pass the link along to those also interested in the topic and willing to participate.

Please follow this link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HS23Q3B

If you have any questions or comments regarding the survey, please feel free to contact Jennie Franks, Graduate Research Assistant, at JFranks1@mix.wvu.edu.

Reflections: Homage to Dunkard Creek

"Reflections: Homage to Dunkard Creek is a collaborative installation art project created by 90 practicing artists to memorialize the many species who perished in Dunkard Creek in 2009, will open on Thursday, February 2  in Brooks Gallery of Wallman Hall at Fairmont University, with an artist’s reception from 7 to 9 pm, featuring the creator and organizer of the exhibition, Ann Payne, and others.  The exhibition will run through the 24th.

The exhibition features ninety artists-- united by a shared physical connection to the Monongahela Watershed-- representing ninety species— including mussels catfish, mudpuppies, shiners, darters, minnows and insects,  in a variety of media. 

For more information about the exhibition and the causes of the Dunkard Creek kill-off, see:

http://fineartsfsu.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/reflections-homage-to-dunkard-creek-to-open-feb-19-in-brooks-gallery-wallman-hall/

 2012 Spring Meltdown – Save the Date!

Please save the date for this fun annual benefit with live auction action and live music! Auction items will include outdoor gear, salon gift packages, local art, adventure trips, WVU gear, loads of Patagonia apparel and much more! The Soul Miners will be grooving 60's and 70's soul and funk, so bring your dancing shoes! All proceeds benefit FODC and our OSM Americorps VISTA worker. See below for a schedule of events and we hope to see you there!

We are currently seeking donations of goods and services of any kind for the auction portions of the event.  If you or someone you know are interested, please contact Pamela at Pamela@deckerscreek.org.

Upcoming River Network Webinars

Liz Birnbaum spent six years running government affairs programs for American Rivers, and also has served as director of a federal agency and staff director to a congressional committee. On February 1, she will share some of her secrets for how to be an effective advocate during our next webinar.

On February 15, you can join Merritt Frey, River Network’s Habitat Program Directo r, for a webinar on a fundamental tool of the Clean Water Act: water quality standards. This will be a 101-level training, suitable for river and watershed organizations, land trusts, tribal governments and wildlife or lands groups interested in better understanding the power of one of the Clean Water Act's core programs.

Both webinars are free, but because space is limited, please be respectful to others and only RSVP, if you sincerely plan to participate.

River Rally 2012 Registration Open!

River Rally 2012, a joint production of River Network and Waterkeeper Alliance, promises to be the largest gathering ever of the NGO watershed conservation community. Join us on May 4-7 in Portland, Oregon for more than 90 educational workshops, keynotes by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Alexandra Cousteau, educational field trips that include rafting, biking, paddling and hiking, and incredible networking opportunities. Registrationis now open! Scholarshipsupport is available to River Network Partnerorganizations. Rally Ho!

   Newly Formed Local Watershed Group Seeks Community Input on Direction to Address  Water Quality of the South Branch River.

   All residents of Hampshire County are invited to attend an informal meeting at the Bank of Romney Community Center on February 8, 2012 at 6:00PM to discuss the goals and objectives of the newly formed South Branch watershed group.  The goal of this meeting is to gain community input on the direction the group is taking in addressing local natural resource concerns and how to work together to make positive changes in the watershed.  Do you have ideas on how the South Branch River can be improved? Come learn about what people in the community are doing to improve your watershed!

   The meeting will be facilitated by the West Virginia Conservation Agency. A review will be given about the goals and objectives of the group, along with discussion on the group’s first, upcoming project to address water quality. Afterward, the meeting will be turned over for discussion on steps to address concerns and organizing for improving and/or maintaining the water quality of the South Branch River.

   For more information on this meeting and ways to become more involved, email Melissa Merritt, Conservation Specialist at WVCA: mmerritt@wvca.us  or call 304.538.7581, extension 7010.

Please be our guest on Thursday, February 16, 2012 for a free “Lunch & Learn” with Jim Fawcett, Appalachian Power.  He will be discussing ways to help your business save energy through Appalachian Power’s incentives and rebates.    

James Fawcett is Manager-Energy Efficiency and Consumer Programs for Appalachian Power Company (APCo), serving approximately 1 million customers in
West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.  Appalachian Power Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEP, an electric utility serving more than 5 million customers
in 11 states.

In 1990 Fawcett joined AEP and has worked in Customer Service, Business Development, Regulatory Affairs and Demand Side Management in various locations
in West Virginia and Kentucky.  He is currently working in AEP’s Appalachian Power Headquarters in Charleston, WV.

If you have already registered, thank you.  If not, please go to the Marshall University Sustainability Department website at:  www.marshall.edu/sustainabilityto register.

We look forward to seeing you at the “Lunch & Learn”.

Agenda

Friday, June 1^st, 2012

9:00 to 9:30 am - Meet and Greet

WVSU Wilson Student Union, Room 134, coffee and croissants

9:30 to 9:45 am – Jared Beard, President WVAPSS

Welcome

9:45 to 10:00 am - Dr. Amir Hass

Introduction

Who are the “players”?  What are the best management practices (BMP’s)?  Where to find technical assistance?

10:00 to 11:00 am - Sherry L. Wilkins

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, Regulations and Permitting.

11:00 am to 12:00 noon - Thomas F. Elkins

Storm Water Management in the Capitol City

12:00 to 1:00 pm - Box lunch

1:00 to 2:00 pm - Robert R. Dobos

West Virginia Storm Water Soil Interpretations
Web Soil Survey (WSS) and Soil Data Mart (SDM)

How to rate your soil for infiltration and retention.

2:00-2:10 – Karen Thomas – Research Associate

Short History of West Virginia State University

2:10 to 2:30 pm - Walk across campus to Wallace Hall, room 623

2:30 to 4:00 pm - Dave Kingsbury

Hands on Web Soil Survey workshop, at the computer lab, Wallace Hall, room 623, on how to find storm water soil interpretations on Web Soil Survey and Soil Data Mart.
 

7:00 pm - WVAPSS annual business meeting

Saturday, June 2^st, 2012

8:00 am to 12:00 noon - Tour of three Storm Water BMP’s in the downtown Charleston area.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            Contact: Tom Aluise
Jan. 19, 2012                                                                                      Phone: (304) 926-0499

State’s Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan for
Chesapeake Bay TMDL available for comment

West Virginia has released its draft Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) as part of its requirement under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay initiative.

The Phase II WIP continues the process of defining how West Virginia, in partnership with federal and local governments, will achieve the pollution load reductions required to support the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant a body of water can receive and still meet its water quality standards.

The Bay TMDL, which grew out of a 2009 Executive Order from President Obama calling for the natural sustainability of the Bay Watershed, involves a six-state region and deals with the effects on water quality from 17 million people. It targets load reductions of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus from sources such as agriculture, wastewater treatment facilities, non-point storm water runoff and permitted storm water.

Eight West Virginia Eastern Panhandle counties – Pendleton, Grant, Mineral, Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson – are part of the Bay Watershed. The Potomac River, which flows through the Eastern Panhandle, drains into the Chesapeake Bay.

West Virginia’s Phase II WIP is a modification of its Phase I WIP and adds local detail, as well as increased specificity and accountability. It was developed by the West Virginia Departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, as well as the state Conservation Agency, with significant input from The Conservation Fund-Freshwater Institute, Cacapon Institute, WVU Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and many other partners.

A draft of the Phase II WIP is available at www.wvca.us/bay.

Public comment on the draft will be accepted through Feb. 20, 2012. Comments may be sent to Alana Hartman, WVDEP-DWWM, HC 63 Box 2545, Romney, WV 26757 or electronically to alana.c.hartman@wv.gov.

The final Phase II WIP is currently scheduled for submission to the EPA on March 30, 2012.

EPA Releases Recovery Potential Screening Website to Assist Restoration Planners

EPA announced the release of a new technical assistance tool for surface water quality protection and restoration programs: the Recovery Potential Screening website (www.epa.gov/recoverypotential/).  Recovery Potential Screening is a user-driven, flexible approach for comparing relative differences in restorability among impaired waters.  The website provides step-by-step screening directions, time-saving tools for calculating indices and displaying results, summaries of over 120 ecological, stressor and social indicators, a recovery literature database, and several case studies.
Practical applications include: assisting watershed-level programs that need to focus on priority places due to limited resources; developing a 303(d) impaired waters list prioritized schedule; prioritizing implementation among many TMDLs; planning statewide nonpoint source control projects and restoration initiatives; helping develop strategies to meet performance tracking measures; identifying opportunities for synergy between healthy watersheds protection and impaired watersheds restoration; and revealing underlying factors that influence restoration success to improve programs.  EPA developed this technical method and website to assist states and others in complex planning and prioritizing activities, provide a systematic and transparent comparison approach, and help improve program results.  For additional information, please contact Doug Norton (norton.douglas@epa.gov).

New EPA PCB TMDL Handbook Released (PDF) (33 pp, 262K, About PDF)

EPA has issued a technical document titled Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Handbook, which provides EPA regions, states, and other stakeholders with updated information for addressing Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) waters impaired by PCBs.  PCBs rank sixth among the national causes of water quality impairment in the country, and of the 71,000 waterbody-pollutant combinations listed nationally, over 5,000 (eight percent) are PCB-related.  This handbook identifies various approaches to developing PCB TMDLs and provides examples of TMDLs from around the country, complete with online references.  It aims to help states complete more PCB TMDLs and ultimately restore those waters impaired by PCBs.

M2M-Ethane Development Conference

The West Virginia Manufacturers Association, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Commerce, will hold the first annual MARCELLUS TO MANUFACTURING-ETHANE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE on March 21-22, 2012 at the Charleston Civic Center in conjunction with EXPO.  

This event will host companies interested in locating new facilities or expanding existing operations in the state, and will provide companies the opportunity to gain an expanded understanding of the potential for ethane and ethylene related product development in West Virginia.

"The opportunities available to manufacturers associated with the ethane and ethylene derived from Marcellus shale are enormous,” said Karen Price, president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. "These raw materials are key building blocks forming the foundation for the vast majority of our consumer products.”

Conference attendees will learn about West Virginia’s advantages, including tax incentives, environmental permitting, workforce development, availability of employees and site options, and will have the opportunity to network with West Virginia leaders, manufacturers, and suppliers.

“West Virginia is the right place to locate your future operations for manufacturing products made from ethane and ethylene,” says Keith Burdette, WV Cabinet Secretary of Commerce.  Come to the M2M-Ethane Development Conference and let us show you how we are “Open for Business in West Virginia.”

For more information regarding M2M registration and conference agenda, please contact Patty Barnhart of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association at 304-342-2123 or patty@wvma.com

A new exhibit area at EXPO is being devoted to M2M Conference exhibitors.

Kitchen Creek 319 Projects

Farm Field Day & Tour

Gap Mills, WV

April, 27, 2012

The West Virginia Conservation Agency in cooperation with the Greenbrier Valley Conservation District will be demonstrating conservation practices on three farms. The conservation best   management practices were installed on farms along the same stream to prevent excess bacteria from livestock entering the stream. Best Management Practices installed include: Manure Storage Facilities, Stream Fencing, Windmill Pumping Plant, Stream Crossings, Tire Troughs, Alternative Grazing and Livestock Watering Systems. Learn firsthand from the farmers how these practices have improved water quality along the stream and benefited the overall production system of their farm as well. University and Industry experts will also be in attendance to speak on topics of grazing techniques, spring seeding, weed control, and nutrient management.

Itinerary

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. -  Load Hay Wagons and Tour Farms

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Lunch

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. -  Speaker Wrap Up & Q&A

For additional information and to RSVP contact:

Greenbrier Valley Conservation District

Phone: 304.645.6173

Fax: 304.645.4755

E-mail: gvcd@wvca.us

Continuing Education Credits Available: Pesticide License Recertification 6 credits, Conservation Planning 3 credits, Nutrient Management credits pending

ARE YOU A FARMER OR LANDOWNER IN THE

MUDDY CREEK WATERSHED?

FREE COST-SHARE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE!

· Do you need financial assistance with replacing a failing septic system or pumping your septic system?

· Would you like to provide a clean and dependable water source for your livestock?

The Muddy Creek Watershed includes the communities of Alderson, Blue Sulphur Springs, Asbury, Alta, and Williamsburg. If you live in these areas and are interested in alternative water facilities for livestock (pond, well, spring development, stream fencing) or are a landowner that needs help paying for replacement of a failing septic system, we have funds available to help with these issues. We can also help to pay for half the cost to pump an existing septic system.

For more information contact:

West Virginia Conservation Agency

Mike McMunigal 304.645.6172 ext. 117

Dennis Burns 304.645.6172 ext. 109 –or-

Friends of the Lower Greenbrier River

Renee Hemmelgarn 304.445.2005

The 2012 Faces of Leadership conference will be held August 7-9 at the Charleston Civic Center. The conference planning committee is currently looking for high-quality, informative and interactive workshop presentations.

The Call for Presenters is here:

http://www.volunteerwv.org/nd/assets/downloads/CallforPresenters12.pdf

Please consider submitting a workshop proposal and please forward this email to anyone who might be interested.

If you have any questions, feel free to call or email Moya Doneghy at Moya.Doneghy@wv.gov
304-558-0111.

Hello, friends of Piney Creek Watershed Association!

Note that PCWA meetings will be every other month in 2012.  Notices will be sent if other meetings are added to the schedule.  We will continue to meet at the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce office at 5:15 pm, the 2nd Thursday of January, March, May, July, September and November.

     January 12th - unconfirmed, but speaker invited to address hazard wastes found in our homes and how to safely dispose of them!

 Recent project of installation of Pet Waste Stations in public areas will appear in Sunday's newspaper (1/8).  Second phase of this project will be distribution of pet leash waste bag dispensers - at no cost - to local pet owners - do you need one?

Interested in learning how to build a 'rain garden' at your homesite to control water runoff, or simply to have a conservation method to handle runoff from your buildings?  Stay tuned to notices about an upcoming "Rain Garden Seminar", with a special speaker and a hands-on demo activity! 

Based on the success of our rain barrel workshop in 2011, we anticipate another "Rain Barrel Demo & Sale" in late spring, 2012 - do you want one?  Put your name on our List of Interested Folks by emailing or calling, by March 1st.

 June 22nd - PCWA Watershed Celebration will be held at Little Beaver State Park!  Mark your calendar now for a great time of learning, games, food and fellowship with like-minded folks!

  I look forward to seeing you next Thursday, January 12th - or hearing from you about your ideas for PCWA!

The Upper Ohio Conservation District will have 2 Agriculture Adult Classes this winter.

The following dates & subjects are:

   January 26, 2012 – Where: West Virginia Northern Community College, New Martinsville, WV.

                                         Topic: “2011 In Review” “What’s Working? What’s New?”

                                         Speaker: Scott Bauerbach. Green Valley Co-Op, Inc.

                                         Time : 7:00 p.m.

  February 21, 2012 – Where : Senior Citizen Building, Middlebourne, WV.

                                          Topic: Pasture Management

                                          Speaker : Blox Daugherty, Range & Pasture Development Specialist,

                                         Dow AgroScience

                                          Time : 7:00 p.m.

 For additional information contact:

 Harry Huff

 Conservation specialist

hhuff@wvca.us

304.758.2512

Upper Ohio (UOCD)
Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel
201 Underwood Street
Middlebourne, WV 26149
Phone: (304) 758-2512
Fax: (304) 758-5007
Email: uocd@wvca.us

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2012 Environmental Stewards Summer Program and invite you to participate in this opportunity to provide 10 week summer service positions. 

The Environmental Stewards Summer Program, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Youth, Service & Partnerships, are working together to sponsor this initiative.   The summer positions will be supported and managed by Environmental Stewards staff with experience operating summer programs and an individual placement program nationwide.

Summer positions can assist your agency or organization with a wide range of activities including: water monitoring, grant writing, program development, volunteer project organization, outreach and education, GIS mapping, interpretive services, trail maintenance and building and other hands-on work related to environmental stewardship. At the same time, these positions are intended to provide professional development and hands-on experience with environmental and conservation projects for the Summer Program Member. The attachedflyer provides an overview of the AmeriCorps Summer Program structure and expectations.

The 2011 Environmental Stewards Summer Program was a great success. Projects focused on environmental stewardship through youth and adult environmental education, volunteer generation and management, and improvement projects like watershed restoration projects, stream assessment surveys, and wildlife and endangered species assessments.  The attached report describes the impact AmeriCorps Summer Program Members made around the country during the summer of 2011.

An informational flyer about the 2012 Environmental Stewards Summer Program and an application are attached.  Please consider sponsoring one or more summer program members in summer 2012 or forward this information to others who may be interested.  This initiative supports the Department’s youth employment initiative as well as the Let’s Move Outside campaign.

Please note the deadline for DOI applications is January 15, 2012.  Completed applications should be sent to summerprograms@hardrockteam.org  or faxed directly to Program Director Rachel Folk at (970) 259-9424.    For questions about the 2012 Environmental Steward Summer Program, please contact your Bureau Youth Officer or Jessica_Wahl@ios.doi.gov or summerprograms@hardrockteam.org .   Additional information is attached.

Thanks so much for your attention to this.

Robin Snyder

Acting Deputy Director

Office of Youth, Partnerships, and Service