Downstream: Great Falls

from Redbull.com 3days ago

By Kitt Doucette

Rafa Ortiz and friends find world-class Class V whitewater a stone’s throw from our nation’s capital.

“Being on the river and running waterfalls has a lot to do with embracing the present moment,” said Mexican kayaker Rafa Ortiz, known for his steely nerves and incredible skills paddling the gnarliest whitewater on the planet. “As soon as I’m in my kayak and the water hits my face, everything else just washes away.”

Rafa puts himself between a rock and a hard place

© Greg Mionske

Growing up in Mexico City and learning how to kayak in Veracruz, escaping the city to find that feeling of freedom on the river meant a minimum of a four-hour drive. So when Ortiz met Tom McEwan in Veracruz and learned about Great Falls on the Potomac River, he couldn’t wait to come check it out.

(Lots of photos follow.)

Underwater Video - Lot's of New Options

We're keeping an eye on these options.  Click to see the video clip.  Share your feedback.

We're in between three possibilities

from ssstormchasers.org

Hurricane Irma Strengthens Warnings Likely Later Today Leeward Islands. Trend Westward Continues 

Sep. 4th, 2017

Hurricane Watch continues for the Leeward Islands and warnings will like be required later today. Watches and Warnings are likely to be extended westward to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as well. Hurricane Irma is a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. The motion to the west southwest continues this morning and as the hurricane loses latitude it increases the risk to the entire Greater Antilles chain. The outflow of the hurricane is improving as the overall presentation. Irma seems to be growing in size as well.

...NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT FINDS IRMA A LITTLE STRONGER...

Invasive Hops Along the Potomac?

This is new to us near Green Spring near https://goo.gl/maps/y4yqVgHkyTw . My first guess was Japanese hops (Humulus japonícus) by the 3-lobed leaf, distinct from Common hops; but I may be in the wrong family altogether.  Might it be common hops?

Fall Foliage Monitoring

Visit  smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/ to get the current prediction.

Tire collection - Pendelton Co.

WVDEP’s REAP Collecting Tires In July

Residents Urged To Bring Up To Ten Tires

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) is holding tire collections across the state in July.

The events are:

Boone County: Saturday, July 15, from 8 to 4, Boone County Courthouse;

Ritchie County: Saturday, July 15, from 8 to 2, DOH Garage in Ellenboro;

Pendleton County: Saturday, July 22, from 8 to 3,Franklin Oil on Rt. 220 in Franklin;

Monongalia County: Saturday, July 22, 8 to 2, Wal-Mart off I-68 Exit 1.

Residents may dispose of up to 10 tires per person with a valid West Virginia ID for the county in which the tire collection event is being held. The tires must be off the rims. Only car and light truck tires, 16-inches or less, will be accepted. Haulers and businesses are not allowed to participate.

This tire collection is made possible, in part, through REAP, which brings together all of the state’s cleanup programs to maximize West Virginia’s cleanup efforts.

For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.

Red-Winged Blackbirds

On Virginia Water Radio for 4-17-17: Red-winged Blackbirds by araflo Virginia Water Radio’s latest episode, for the week of April 17, 2017, is “Red-winged Blackbirds.”  The 4 min./03 sec. episode, available online at http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/2017/04/episode-364-4-17-17-red-winged.html, focuses on a bird known for its abundance, the male's bright wing colors, and the distinctive song often heard on a spring or summer trip near water.  The episode includes part of "Red Wing" by the Harrisonburg, Va.-based band The Steel Wheels. A male Red-winged Blackbird in California in 2009, showing the red and yellow wing-bar colors.  Photo by Lee Karney, made available for public use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library, online at https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/natdiglib/id/6889/rec/3. Virginia Water Radio’s is a weekly broadcast/podcast produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center.  The home page is http://www.virginiawaterradio.org.  Have a listen or two!

Eastern Panhandle Watershed Spring Gathering

2017 Eastern Panhandle Watershed Group Gathering 23rd * May * 2017 Blue Ridge Community and Technical College 13650 Apple Harvest Drive Martinsburg, WV 25403 Room 1101 Come network with other watershed professionals and volunteers, find out whats happening in the watersheds of the panhandle, and learn about new resources to improve your work! When 9:00AM- 12:30PM May 23, 2017 Where Blue Ridge Community and Technical College 13650 Apple Harvest Drive Martinsburg, WV 25403 Room 1101    CLICK HERE to RSVP by Tuesday, May 16th.      Morning refreshments will be provided! Lunch is on your own and available at the Bruin Café, located just downstairs from our event! The Eastern Panhandle Conservation District (EPCD) would like to invite the public, particularly those active in watershed groups, or those interested in becoming active in a local watershed group to attend this Watershed Group Gathering. EPCD strives to continually provide new information and resources to their partners at every gathering. This meeting is intended to offer resources to watershed groups and to be an information exchange between participating government agencies, local watershed groups and other environmental non-profits. It is an opportunity for agency and watershed representatives to give updates on projects, activities, and programs that are available. This is a great opportunity to network and learn more about local watershed activities! The agenda for the day will include:   - Watershed Highlights (updates from watershed groups and partners) - Watershed Speed Networking - A panel on Source Water Protection Planning - Follow The Money- Where our Funding Comes From   For more information, please contact Suzy Campbell, WVCA Conservation Specialist, at (304) 539-2682 or scampbell@wvca.us Sponsored By: Eastern Panhandle Conservation District

Water Jobs - March 2017

Current Openings:

Stream Restoration Specialist, VA Department of Environmental Quality (#P4464) – Job Closing Date: March 31, 2017 – Richmond, VA --https://jobs.agencies.virginia.gov/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=1167146

Stormwater Training Specialist, VA Department of Environmental Quality (#P0462) – Job Closing Date: March 31, 2017 – Richmond, VA --https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/69472

Environmental Engineer Senior, Virginia Department of Health (04555) – Closing Date: March 31, 2017 – Abingdon, VA -- https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=&query_v0_posted_at_date=&628%5B%5D=129&693%5B%5D=55&627=&696=&commit=Search

Environmental Protection Specialist, DC Department of Energy and Environment (JO-1703-8181) -- Job Closing Date: April 5, 2017 --http://careers.dc.gov/ts2__JobDetails?jobId=a0K1600000kAh8DEAS&tSource=

Water Withdrawal Permit Writer, VA Department of Environmental Quality (P4333 & P4492) – Closing Date:  April 7, 2017 – Richmond, VA --http://www.deq.virginia.gov/AboutUs/Employment/DEQJobs.aspx

Program Manager I: Partnership Development, Montgomery County [MD] Government, Dept. of Environmental Protection (#IRC24654) – Job Closing Date: April 13, 2017 – Rockville, MD -- https://ex12.montgomerycountymd.gov/ojn1/ijn1/OA_HTML/OA.jsp?page=/oracle/apps/irc/candidateSelfService/webui/VisVacDispPG&OAHP=IRC_EXT_SITE_VISITOR_APPL&OASF=IRC_VIS_VAC_DISPLAY&akRegionApplicationId=821&transactionid=1970914421&retainAM=N&addBreadCrumb=RP&p_svid=24654&p_spid=1079489&oapc=6&oas=2qOdriSxy58EjC6CxlN3hw..

Chesapeake Conservation Corps Member – Applications due: April 14, 2017 (5pm) – Multiple Host Sites Throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed --https://cbtrust.org/prospective/

Communications Intern, The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay – Applications Due: April 14, 2017 – Annapolis, MD -- http://www.chesapeakebay.net/jobs

Environmental Health Director - Office of Drinking Water, Virginia Department of Health (03976) -- Open Until Filled -- Richmond, VA --https://virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com/postings/70705

Communications & Outreach Associate, Potomac Riverkeeper Network – Washington, DC -- http://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/careers/

From the Fast Company Blog

Replacing Farms With Fish Farms: The Odd Solution To Both Hunger And Climate Change

Imagine a world where polluting, resource-intensive cow, pig, and chicken farms are replaced with giant tanks of fast-growing salmon. It might be a strange view of agriculture, but a potential huge shift in how we feed the planet.

By Ben Paynter03.13.17 | 6:00 am

It may be the dead of winter, and the nation’s capital city may not be coastal, but this month marks the start of a distinct version of salmon season in and around Washington, D.C. Restaurants ranging from the iconic Chart House in Alexandria and Annapolis to all seven of critically acclaimed Top Chef contestant Bryan Voltaggio’s eateries will be offering preparations of a different kind of locally sourced fish on their menus.

It has the potential to dramatically change the world map of seafood.

Meanwhile, the grocery store Wegmans plans to roll out large ice tables adorned with signage that plays up the nearby heritage. “We’ll make them kind of an event,” says company seafood manager Steve Philips. “They almost always sell out.”

The catch: All of these fish will be coming from 70 miles inland of the capital, from a company called Spring Hill. The fish will be harvested from a land-based “recirculating aquaculture system,” the industry term for a gigantic eco-friendly, land-based fish tank located at the Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

The Fish Farm Of The Future

The Institute is housed in a large warehouse surrounded by fields and pastures along an otherwise rural road. It holds a 40,000-gallon circular fish tank that resembles a large above-ground swimming pool with portholes. Beside it are several large water filtering towers, which are designed to strip out residual waste like leftover food and fish poop to be treated and broken down into nitrogen and phosphorous-rich fertilizer that settles in compost bins outside the building. Ninety-nine percent of