Sample blog post about Energy Education in Virginia

 

Here comes the water!

 

Saturday morning will likely reach the Action Stage. 

Drought throughout the Potomac Watershed

from the ICPRB:

 Regional Drought Watch declaration, algae blooms, putting blue catfish on the menu, and more, in this week’s Potomac News Reservoir – August 1, 2024 >>>

River Report – Drought Watch declared for DC Metro Area

On Monday, the Drought Coordination Committee of the Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) declared a Drought Watch for the DC Metro area which calls for voluntary water conservation measures by the region’s residents and businesses. This is the second level in COG’s four-stage regional drought response plan.

Read ICPRB’s News Release about the Drought Watch >>>

The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map shows almost 90% of the watershed is experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions. The extreme drought conditions are concentrated in the western part of the watershed.

Governor Justice of West Virginia declared a state-wide State of Emergency due to impacts from drought.

At least 92 counties and cities in Virginia are in either Drought Watch or Drought Warning status.

The Maryland Department of the Environment declared a Drought Watch for the western part of the state.

Most smaller jurisdictions across the Potomac watershed are a asking folks to voluntarily minimize their water use to reduce the stress on local streams and groundwater. Some cities are imposing mandatory water restrictions.

A Comprehensive Look at Water Use in the Potomac Basin

When the Potomac Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Plan identified a possible inadequacy in the understanding of water-use on a watershed-wide level, ICPRB staff looked into it. The resulting paper, recently published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, investigated if the full spectrum of water uses is known —  and needed — in order for sustainable management of water resources.

Read the report: Evaluation of reported and unreported water uses in various sectors of the Potomac basin for the year 2017 >>>

Registration Open for the 2024 Potomac Conference

 **Registration is Open**

2024 Potomac River Conference: Reeling in the Challenge of Aquatic Invasive Species. 

8:30 am – 3:30 pm

October 17, 2024

River View at Occoquan in Lorton, VA.

Join the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin for a conference that will expound on the science, policy, and management of invasive fishes and other aquatic species in the Potomac River basin.

Click here for a PDF of the agenda >>>

Click here for more information and registration details >>>

Our relationship with invasive, non-native aquatic species in the Potomac River basin is complicated. Alarms are sounded and eradication efforts mobilized for some species (zebra mussels, blue catfish), while concerns about other non-native species fade as they fill empty ecological niches (Asiatic clams) or become prized fisheries (smallmouth bass). The goal of this effort is to convene a one-day, in-person conference to enhance awareness of the ecological roles that aquatic invasive species have or could assume in the Potomac River basin and the adverse impacts they impart when natural controls are missing.

The day will start out with an invasive species case study of blue catfish and lead into research on other invasive species in the Potomac River.

We have extended the deadline for poster presentations. Please submit an abstract if you are interested in having a poster at the event.

Invasive cattail leaf rockets

 Invasive cattails, especially Narrow-leaved Cattail (Typha angustifolia)

 grow rapidly and crowd other plants species, and also provide poor habitat.  But they can make great leaf rockets.  Click on the image (right) or on this link: 
facebook.com/share/r/iM4tsnTwPHX9h9Ui/ 

to see the simple trick.

Guest Blogger Amelia Keng: How can technology-research reduce droughts in California?

How can technology-research reduce droughts in California?

By: Amelia Keng

Photo Source: World Atlas

For many years, California has not had an abundance of water. Climate change is only making conditions worse for farmers, city dwellers, and nature as they continue to have a lack of water. According to drought.gov, as of 2022, the state of California is experiencing 99.77% of moderate to exceptional drought. This means that around 37,243,577 of Californians are in drought, due to the significant lack of precipitation and groundwater. Although in the past years, California has seen a

Sealed Terrariums

In 1960, David Latimer planted a spiderwort sprout inside of a large glass jar, added a quarter pint of water, and then sealed it shut. He opened the bottle for the first time only 12 years later, in 1972, to add some water and then sealed it for good. 

The self-contained ecosystem flourished for more than 60 years as a perfectly balanced garden and self-sufficient ecosystem. 

The bacteria in the compost ate the dead plants and broke down the oxygen released, turning it into carbon dioxide, essentially forming a microcosm of Earth. 

For teachers:  This is a great project at the end of the year. It doesn't have to be this big, and it can even be a sealed aquarium (terrarium).  Next Fall you can invite your former students to stop in to see it.  To add a little more excitement, many types of insects, spiders, worms, snails and even flies can survive in a closed terrarium. Springtails, earthworms and woodlice are found in most closed terrariums.

April 13 high water exceeds forecast

 For all those times the prediction forecasts seem exaggerated.

Downstream in Arlington - April 25

 Upcoming event from Arlington/Alexandria Cooperative Extension:

Topic: Ticks and Tickborne Illnesses

Time: Apr 25, 2024 11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/89803672672

“Ticks and Tickborne Diseases of importance in Virginia” is presented by Dr. David Gaines, State Public Health Entomologist who will discuss the different tick species, their geographic distribution, and describe the specific tickborne diseases associated with each tick species. He will also cover the topic of the best methods of personal protection from tick bites. This presentation is being offered by the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Epidemiology, Division of Surveillance and Investigation.

This free program is being presented via Zoom and will be recorded and made available in about 2 weeks, but the speaker has requested that as many attend in-person as possible so that he can answer your questions. Pre-registration is not required. For more information contact the Extension Master Gardener Help Desk at 703 228 6414

High water this Wednesday?

 

Upskilling your Green Skills (free programs for Educators)

 For more information, go to www.gto.eco/gup24 

Students Using Wikipedia for Research

 from Edutopia:

Teaching Students How to Use Wikipedia as a Tool for Research

Wikipedia has moved far beyond its initial limitations, and is a helpful—and reputable—source for conducting research.

By Mike Caulfield, Sam Wineburg
January 24, 2024

Your middle school teacher threatened to give you an F if you cited it. A reminder hung menacingly in the computer lab: a thick black line slashing the word in two. Even now, you can find blanket dismissals bellowing from college websites: Wikipedia “isn’t a credible resource because anyone is allowed to be a contributor.”

In its early days, Wikipedia had no shortage of problems. Errors propagated like fruit flies. People used the site to spoof their friends and exact revenge on their enemies. The site’s flaws were legendary, sometimes scandalous. A 2006 article accused John Seigenthaler, an assistant to Robert Kennedy in the 1960s, of having a hand in Kennedy’s assassination. The false charge stayed on the site for 132 days before it was finally removed. But not before

Plant Hardiness Map

 Starting to think about spring planting season? Remember that USDA plant hardiness zones changed last year. The South Branch Valley in Hampshire County is now in Zone 7a, where it was previously in 6b (-5 to 0°F/ -20 to -17°C). The average lowest temperature has changed by 3 to 4 °F, even those places in Hardy County and that stayed in 6a or 6b.

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

(Type in your zip code for detailed results.)