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Keystone Watershed Monitoring Network
The mission of the Keystone Watershed Monitoring Network is to promote volunteer monitoring in order to protect and improve the quality of Pennsylvania's waters.
The Keystone Watershed Monitoring Network, coordinated by POWR, is a statewide association of citizen monitors, agencies and organizations established to promote volunteer monitoring to improve the health of Pennsylvania's watersheds. The Network began as the Volunteer Environmental Monitoring Panel in 1998, headed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This panel conducted meetings over the next two years, as well as the First Statewide Summit of Citizen Volunteer Water Monitors. During the Summit, monitors voiced the need for a statewide network of service providers that would help them start and improve their monitoring programs.
Participants stated that the Network should fulfill several needs:
- Promote communication and information exchange among volunteer groups
- Serve as a data a resources clearinghouse
- Allow local groups to speak with a larger voice
- Have a website dedicated to networking
- Adopt a handbook of standardized methods
- Organize data by watersheds
- A paid staff to coordinate Network efforts
In July 2000, following the Summit, the Volunteer Environmental Monitoring Panel developed into the Keystone Watershed Monitoring Network Steering Committee, and set forth to build a Network of providers that would meet the needs of these volunteer monitors.
The monitors expressed the need for the Network to have a paid staff dedicated to accomplishing these tasks. In November of 2000, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) secured funding from the DEP to function as coordinators of the Network. Thus, POWR was added to the Steering Committee and began a plan to implement these requests.
Once the Steering Committee was formed, they began the process of further building the Network. The entire Network became comprised of non-profit organizations, county, state and federal agencies, and watershed volunteers. The next mission was to set forth goals and objectives for the Network. One of the main goals was to facilitate communication and support to volunteer watershed monitor groups. Other goals included establishing and coordinating training protocols and materials, identifying solutions for addressing current and future needs of volunteer watershed monitors, and advancing the recognition and credibility of volunteer watershed monitors.
To best implement these objectives on a state-wide scale, a structure was agreed upon that would divide the state into eleven regions, with volunteer regional delegates to act as a liaison between the region and Steering Committee. These regions were chosen based on watershed boundaries instead of county boundaries (see map below).
The next step was to set out a list of activities that Network would engage in to fulfill the requests of the volunteer monitors. Some of these activities included:
- Identifying additional watershed and monitoring groups
- Organizing regional meetings
- Perform on-going Needs Assessments
- Increase the profile of volunteer monitors and try to get their data used on the local, state and federal levels
- Promote Study Design
- Develop a database of monitoring groups and resources
- Develop a database linking volunteer data
- Publish a quarterly Newsletter entitled Monitoring Matters
In February of 2001, the Second Statewide Summit for Volunteer Watershed Monitors was held, and again, volunteer needs were assessed and incorporated into the objectives of the Network. Throughout May and June 2001, seven regional meetings were held across the State, with an emphasis on service providers and volunteers. Also at these regional meetings, a delegate was named for each region that would link that region to the Steering Committee. These regional delegates are useful in communicating with watershed groups in all corners of the State.
As of the end of 2004, the Steering Committee have held several more meetings to discuss furthering servicing of volunteers in PA. POWR was also successful at securing funding to begin the development of a data system to house volunteer monitoring data. POWR has hired GeoDecisions to create the system that will allow monitors to view data, both volunteer- and agency-collected, from watersheds across the State. Development of this data system is expected to be completed by Fall of 2005, with a final version to be released soon thereafter. This data system is going to be invaluable to watershed groups, as it will give them one central location to not only store their data, but analyze it also with simple graphical, statistical and mapping capabilities. Look for updates on the development of the system under the "Data system" link of the KWMN page. The other activities and objective are on-going projects of the Network, and we look forward to feedback from volunteers on what other services the Network can provide to improve monitoring programs across the State.
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