Missed the Hangout/call on Sunday?

No one joined the hangout on Sunday, so I hung up just after 8:15pm.  Then I got a message from Lea, and we jumped on a voice call in which I began to wonder if the permanent link I sent at 7:50pm didn't work correctly.  Unfortunately I didn't send the link to myself!

So if you tried, I'm sorry!  Please call me this week if you have something to talk/ask about but can't join on Monday at 7pm (invitation will go out at 6:50pm).

Jim

Latex spill in the Upper Potomac (North Branch)

From WHAG in Hagerstown, MD:

Updated 09/25 2015 11:18PM

Incident happened at Verso paper mill on Wednesday

ALLEGANY COUNTY, Md.

The Maryland Department of the Environment is investigating after a paper mill in Allegany County had a chemical spill of nearly 10,000 gallons of latex.



And some of that material filtered its way into the North Branch of the Potomac River.
The incident occurred at the Verso paper mill in Luke, over a period of four hours on Wednesday. It has many residents concerned for wildlife, and the safety of drinking water.

“The question you have to ask is are the treatment systems that are in place going to be able to handle this kind of pollution, this chemical pollution,” said Brent Walls of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. He saw what he called a “green, milky, whitish kind of color” in the river on Friday near the Allegany County Fairgrounds.

“That’s the big worry – what’s going to happen there.”

The city of Cumberland, which is near the spill site, is fortunate to draw drinking water from

Sunday and Monday Hangouts

I will send an invitation to all of the email addresses you've provided at 7:50pm (Sundays) or 6:50pm (Mondays).  We'll use the 10 minutes leading up to the official start time to address any connection problems that arise.

1. Google hangout:

        Look for an email invitation or on G+ ten minutes before the call.
        (a Google+ account is necessary for participating by video - add me to your profile!)

or

2. Voice (including Voice over IP) conference call by Uber:

        Call-in Number: (585) 632-6253 • PIN: 22875         (unlimited participants)

Selected Watersheds

Here is the list of watershed systems studied by your colleagues.

Links to blogs or wikis appear on the menu to the right.

Alicia - Sabine River (Lousiana-Texas)
Brian - Appomattox River (Matoaca, VA)
Briana - Richardson Lane / Upper Sandy Creek (Keeling, VA)
Carl - Ganges River (India)
Carlye - Passage Creek (Elizabeth Furnace, VA)
Courtni - Lower James (Hampton Roads, VA)
Eric - Rock Creek (Washington, D.C.)
Jake - Ganges Delta (Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin, India)
Julia - Everglades (South Florida)
Lauren - Beaver River (Rogers, Arkansas)
Lea - Raquette Lake (New York)
Lily - Blackwater Creek (Lynchburg, VA)
Lindsay - Spout Run (Millwood, VA)
Paige - Armour Creek (Charleston, WV)
Zach - Schuylkill / Delaware Rivers (Pennsylvania - New Jersey)

Watershed Land Use Characteristics and Impacts

Here are a few slides describing land use and impacts on a watershed.

Sunday Hangout - 8:00pm

I will send an invitation to all of the email addresses you've provided at 7:50pm (Sundays) or 6:50pm (Mondays).  We'll use the 10 minutes leading up to the official start time to address any connection problems that arise.

1. Google hangout:

        Look for an email invitation or on G+ ten minutes before the call.
        (a Google+ account is necessary for participating by video - add me to your profile!)

or

2. Voice (including Voice over IP) conference call by Uber:

        Call-in Number: (585) 632-6253 • PIN: 22875         (unlimited participants)

An unscheduled visit to Blandy Experimental Farm

I saw the sign along US 50 and was traveling alone, so I pulled into the Blandy Experimental Farm / State Arboretum for my first visit.  

I think this building is called, "The Quarters"

When I didn't find Lindsay I decided to explore the loop tour. 

This is the supersize model of what I'd like to have at the Wood House Research Farm.  I found a brochure for the loop tour at the Community Garden.  Apparently I drove past the Ginkgo Grove.   

American Chestnut grove with deer protection

How to Publish an Embedded Slideshow on Your Blog

Video Tutorial

Many of you have worked through publishing slides without support, with my phone support, or settled for something less desirable.  This video shows you a simple strategy for presenting your slides within your blog.

Click on the lower right corner to see this video in full screen.

Mapping / Delineating a Watershed

This is a fundamental approach to mapping or delineating a watershed and providing a roungh calculation of the area of the watershed.  Click the lower right corner of the video to view in full screen.

Presenting Your Watershed Organization

Now that most of you have identified a watershed group to explore, you're now developing your presentations this week.   There is a template on the TOOLS menu of my blog for a simple Google Slides presentation.  But you can use PowerPoint, iMovie, any screen capture tool (including a recorded Hangout), or one of several dozen Digital Storytelling Tools (see below).

The best way to share a presentation is publish your presentation to your blog (and then send me the URL for the blog post (on Canvas or by email).  

     HELPFUL LINKS

If you use Google Slides, or import your PowerPoint slides into a Google Slides presentation, you can keep it as a living document that can be updated or changed (even by others if you give them the rights).

Digital Storytelling Tools from evscicats.com 

Animoto– Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account for use in the classroom. Its powerful features can be used to create stunning presentations incorporating images, video clips, music and text.

Capzles– Create rich, multimedia experiences with videos, photos, music, blogs and documents.

Creaza Cartoonist– Cartoonist is an online tool to create cartoons or personal digital stories, consisting of professional backgrounds, characters, props, images and text.

Digital Films– Unleash your creativity and make your digital film for free! Choose a background scene, characters, animated actions, dialog, introduction, and ending credits. Put your name as the producer and email the movie to

Sunday AND Monday hangouts

I'm going to start hosting hangouts on Sunday also.  The Sunday hangout will also be later.  Maybe that will also be easier for those of you with young kids.

I will send an invitation to all of the email addresses you've provided at 7:50pm (Sundays) or 6:50pm (Mondays).  We'll use the 10 minutes leading up to the official start time to address any problems that arise.

1. Google hangout:

        Look for an email invitation or on G+ ten minutes before the call.
        (a Google+ account is necessary for participating by video - add me to your profile!)

or

2. Voice (including Voice over IP) conference call by Uber:

        Call-in Number: (585) 632-6253 • PIN: 22875

         (unlimited participants)

I also provide the call-in number so you can participate by phone rather than video if you choose.   This may be necessary if more than 10 people participate and you are among the last to join. 

While these Hangouts will always be OPTIONAL, please know that I will happily reiterate anything discussed in a Hangout with any student, any time during the week that we can schedule.  

A first Hangout is challenging for most people, so we'll be flexible and accommodating to all that are trying something new.  If you're not successful I'll work with you 1:1.

Another catalog for field work

Gempler's prices are just as high as Forestry Suppliers and Ben Meadows, but they also have a great catalog from which you can learn a lot about available tools and methods.



Here is the request form for a hard copy of the catalog:
http://www.gemplers.com/contact.aspx?catalog-request

The online catalogs are available at http://www.gemplers.com/iCatalog

In all such catalogs, there is an implicit and sometimes explicit effort to identify commercial grade or education-suitable products.

FEMA Flood Mapping

FEMA Flood Mapping services not only affect insurance but many practical considerations of the utilization or development of flood plains and the often very deep, desirable soils found there.

Read about FEMA flood mapping services at
      http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/6029


Access a map directly using a zip code or lat/long at
      https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search?AddressQuery=

Blue Ford Fishermen's Access on the South Branch of the Potomac

Enjoy your Holiday Weekend

borrowed from http://flickrhivemind.net 

Please enjoy your weekend with your friends or families.  Of course, a great way to do that would be to hike along a nearby watershed, but I won't even prescribe that much.

I won't host a formal Hangout on Sunday or Monday evening this weekend, but I will happily be available to help you with troubleshooting your projects or decision-making.

If you are working over the weekend, be sure to use the resources in the Canvas Assignment List descriptions for useful information and links, also accessible here on our VT-Watersheds course blog. 

Beach Conditions and Monitoring

from VWMC earlier this afternoon:

As you make your Labor Day plans, check out these websites and become educated on beach monitoring and enjoying the beach safely.  Also, please help spread the word about these sources of information by forwarding this announcement to your colleagues and friends. 

1.) Virginia Department of Health (VDH): Beach Monitoring Program -- Bacteria levels in beach water are monitored at 46 public beaches in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean during the swimming season (May-September). Water samples are collected weekly by Local Health Departments and analyzed by local laboratories for enterococci bacteria. If bacteria levels exceed Virginia's Water Quality Standard of 104 colony forming units (cfu)/100 mL of water, a swimming advisory is issued.

An online map of current beach monitoring results and advisories is available at www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/BeachMonitoring/beachadvisories/. Follow VDH’s Beach Monitoring Program on Twitter (@VDHBeach) to receive weekly results and swimming advisories: https://twitter.com/VDHBeach.

The VDH website -- http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/BeachMonitoring/ -- contains:

-- Current Swimming Advisories and Monitored Beaches Map (uses Google Maps)

-- Beach Monitoring Data (by year)

-- Frequently Asked Questions: VDH-Issued Swimming Advisories

-- 2014 Report of Microbial Source Tracking

-- Local Beaches Information

-- Brochure: Safely Enjoy Virginia’s Natural Waters (Como Disfrutar de las Aguas Naturales de Virginia Sin Peligros)

-- Local Health Department Contacts for Beach Monitoring

And more.

++++++++++++++

2.) EPA Websites

• “Beaches” -- http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/beaches/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created webpages that can help you plan a trip to the beach, learn about beaches and the
  
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Water in the 2015 Virginia General Assembly

from the VA Water Central News Group:

Inventory of Water-related Legislation

by araflo

The Virginia Water Resources Research Center annually compiles an inventory of water-related legislation in the Virginia General Assembly.   We update the inventory during the session, then publish a final version after the end of the regular session and reconvened “veto” session.  The final inventory for 2015 is now available at http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/virginia-water-legislation/.  At that page you can also find inventories from previous General Assembly sessions (back to 1998), information on how to follow legislation and how to contact your local General Assembly members, and links to other natural-resource legislation-tracking services.

For a list of some 2015 Virginia General Assembly measures that were reported in news media, please see the Water Central News Grouper post, Water in the 2015 Virginia General Assembly – Compilation of News Articles on Bills Related to Water Resources.