1. Identification and Taxonomy of Stoneflies (Plecoptera) Facilitator: Jane Earle (
[email protected])
2. Identification and Taxonomy of Chironomidae Facilitator: Rhonda Mendel (
[email protected])
3. Salamander Taxonomy and ID Workshop Facilitator: Matt Neff (
[email protected])
This workshop will commence with a short lecture on the general biology of salamanders. This will be followed by an introduction to the common salamanders families of the North/Central Appalachians with a focus on ones that utilize bodies of water such as streams and vernal pools (some woodland salamanders will be included as well). While some species of salamanders are easy to identify, members of some genera can be more challenging. The workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to learn some of the key differentiating features between some of the trickier species. In addition to examining the key characteristics for species identification in the field, this workshop will include a review of salamander ecology, distribution, natural history, and conservation issues. If weather allows, some live specimens will be provided to examine.
4. Electrofishing Facilitator: Alan Temple (
[email protected])
5. Mid-Atlantic Chapter of SFS meeting: WikiWatershed®: A web toolkit for modeling stormwater runoff and water quality and for sharing and exploring monitoring data Facilitator: Dr. Robert Smith (
[email protected])
WikiWatershed is an online toolkit designed to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater. The public can access this tool at www.WikiWatershed.org. The web app Model My Watershed®(MMW), within the WikiWatershed toolkit, is a free web application for modeling the influences of land use and best management practices on stormwater runoff and water quality. In addition, Monitor My Watershed® was launched in 2018 and supports real-time sensor data acquisition, data visualization, and data discovery. The data discovery tool is linked to data catalogs (including the EPA/USGS’s Water Quality Portal) with access to thousands of water quality records that can be searched within your area of interest (for the 48 contiguous United States).
Any person with access to the internet can launch MMW and begin exploring landscape features within their watershed. Users can then run stormwater models to predict runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration and water quality outcomes related to land use changes and implementation of best management practices for improving water quality and quantity in their watershed. MMW lets you: (1) visualize and analyze diverse geographic data layers of value in stormwater and water quality modeling; (2) define an area of interest for modeling and analysis by interactive drawing, selection within given dataset polygons, online watershed delineation, or uploading a file; (3) select a model to estimate storm runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, and nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment concentrations/loadings; and (4) modify features within your area of Interest by changing land use or implementing best management practices to run models and compare-contrast various modeled scenarios. A new feature within MMW, Monitor My Watershed®, allows users to search their area of interest for surface and ground water quality data archived with three data repositories (CINERGI, HydroShare, and CUAHSI Water Data Center).
Monitor My Watershed was purposefully built to support the www.EnviroDIY.org program that is focused on enhancing knowledge and use of lower-cost and open source electronics for building and deploying remote environmental monitoring stations. We will introduce attendees to the EnviroDIY community (https://www.envirodiy.org/) and open-source hardware and software systems for building lower cost environmental monitoring systems. The EnviroDIY community is a group of do-it-yourself enthusiasts that are interested in environmental science and monitoring.
WikiWatershed tools are coupled to HydroShare (www.hydroshare.org), a web based hydrologic information system operated by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) that is available for use as a service to the hydrology community. HydroShare includes a repository for users to share and publish data and models in a variety of formats, and to make this information available in a citable, shareable, and discoverable manner. Results from MMW analyses may be directly exported to HydroShare for sharing with others.
WikiWatershed is an initiative of Stroud Water Research Center and is made possible through partnerships and contributions from individuals, organizations, and companies throughout the U.S., including: LimnoTech, Azavea, Penn State University, Utah State University, University of Washington, and Drexel University. Development of WikiWatershed has been funded by the William Penn Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Stroud Water Research Center.
6. Quality Assurance Project Plans