About Schuylkill Water Stewards
The French, Hay, and Pickering Creeks of northern Chester County and Berks County are vital tributaries to the Schuylkill River. Now, you can join the effort to keep them beautiful as a Schuylkill Water Steward volunteer!
As a Schuylkill Water Steward volunteer, you will participate in fun and engaging training sessions through which you will learn about the science of healthy watersheds, threats to our local streams, water sampling techniques, and more.
Following your training, you’ll get to work monitoring and protecting area streams, by:
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Monitoring water quality,
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Keeping an eye on stormwater,
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Assessing streamside habitats,
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Observing and recording aquatic wildlife,
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Planting and managing streamside buffers.
Plus, you'll play a vital role in a multi-state, science-based effort to protect and the restore the Delaware River Watershed, of which the Schuylkill Watershed is a part.
Training
The Schuylkill Water Stewards volunteer training features topics that are interesting and relevant to stream monitoring and protection. Experts provide training through presentations and hands-on field practice. Training sessions are generally scheduled on five Saturdays, lasting 4 hours each, Topics include:
- Introduction to Watershed Science;
- Avian Indicators of Healthy Streams;
- Legacy Sediments and Erosion;
- Stormwater Impacts and Observations;
- Macroinvertebrates and other Aquatic Critters;
- Habitat Assessments and Sampling
- Volunteer Final Checkout and Service.
To apply for the program, please fill out the application or send us an email, and we'll be in touch with next steps.
Trainings are held in various locations throughout the French Creek watershed.
Program Fee
All applicants accepted into the program will be asked to pay a fee to help cover the cost of course materials.
Standard fee - $100
Member of sponsoring organization - $75
Educator - $50
Master Watershed Steward - $50
Student - $25
A limited number of scholarships are available. Pease contact us for more more information.