|
|
|
 |
Watch these videos online with Real Player. If you
do not have Real Player, click
here to download it for free.
Additional information on this topic provided below.
|
Western Pa Conservancy Watershed Center
 leaning
up the water in your community is not necessarily as easy as
one might think. Even with all of the momentum and statewide
incentive to get involved — the actual getting involved
part does require that you understand the workings of a watershed
and how to go about restoring the natural balance.
 hankfully
there are many organizations, both governmental and nonprofit,
which are working directly with communities to help them get
started. These organizations provide valuable data and technical
expertise that not only help groups to get started —
but who are there for them for the long haul.
 f
you live in Western Pennsylvania, one such organization is the
Western Pennsylvania Watershed Assistance Center, founded by
the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). The WPC began this
program in January 2001, through Growing Greener grant funds
as well as an anonymous donation. The center is there to help
out, and offers a variety of assistance to groups in western
Pa, such as application for 501c3 status, free technical expertise
in watershed projects by providing scientific, legal, administrative,
and outreach and education experience. Specifically, they provide
the following assistance:
Scientific—
The Assistance Center can provide technical expertise in identifying
all non-point pollution types, including agricultural impacts
and abandoned mine drainage. Help with water quality and riparian
area monitoring, macro-invertebrate sampling, habitat evaluations,
and monitoring assistance is also available.
Legal—
One of the biggest issues faced by groups is organizational
standing. The center can help newly formed groups with the development
of by-laws, articles of incorporation and filing for non-profit
status with the IRS. Other important legal assistance provided
includes land acquisition, easements, and filing for Good Samaritan
protection.
Administration—
Assistance is available for completing the many types of documentation
associated with completing grant-funded projects, such as scope
of work revisions, budgets, status reports and reimbursement
requests.
Outreach—
Assistance can be provided for the development of promotional
materials such as newsletters, pamphlets and even websites.
If a group has a web presence, assistance is available for updating
that site.
Education—
Educational assistance can range from actual in-field training
for a particular project or a formal training program. Training
opportunities include grant administration, promotional material
development and using geographic information systems (GIS).
Project Analysis and Prioritization—
The center can help with prioritizing projects by helping to
determine which are feasible given the current situation and
what environmental benefits would be realized. Assistance with
contracting appropriate agency personal, private consultants
and forming important partnerships for each project is also
available.
Meet the Staff — |
Eli |
Ben |
Mark |
Candy |
The Interns |
The Whole Group |
|
For more information on the center, contact them at: 412-288-2766.
Email the Director, Nick Pinizzotto at npinizzotto@paconserve.org.
Check out their website at: http://www.wpconline.org/watershed/index.htm.
|
|
|
|
