Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

2014 Volunteer Water Monitoring Conference

River & Stream Monitoring ~ From Getting Started to Growing with Intention

The 2014 Volunteer Water Monitoring Conference was held on July 25, 2014 at Goodwin College in East Hartford, CT.  The conference was the first such conference to be organized by the CT DEEP to celebrate volunteer water monitoring in Connecticut.  More than 100 individuals attended representing individual volunteers (citizen scientists), watershed group leaders, municipal commissioners, college and university professors, state and federal scientists, students, and representatives from the environmental consulting industry.  In total more than 40 volunteer monitoring groups were represented at the conference!

Conference Agenda

Conference Publicity

IAN August 28, 2014 Blog Post

Testing the Waters: Citizens, scientists, volunteers gather to talk clean water
   

Oral Presentations and Workshops

Presentations are listed in alphabetical order by presentation title.  Please email the Volunteer Water Monitoring Program Coordinator to request a copy of a presentation listed below.

Suggested Citation Format: [Last Name and Initials of First Name]. (2014, July). [Presentation title]. Presented at the CT Volunteer Water Monitoring Conference, Hartford, CT.

Conference Presentation Abstracts

A Regional Data/Modeling System for Identifying Climate Change Resilient Streams - Ben Letcher, USGS Silvio O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center

Bacteria Monitoring: From Poop to Nuts - Jane Brawerman, CT River Coastal Conservation District, Alisa Phillips-Griggs, Farmington River Watershed Assoc., & Judy Rondeau, Eastern CT Conservation District

Beyond the Basics - Group Discussion: Creatively Engaging Volunteers & Using Data - Jacqueline Talbot, CT River Watershed Council & Carol Haskins, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition

Calculating Water Quality Indicator Scores for Ecosystem Health Report Cards - Alexandra S. Fries, UMD CES Integration and Application Network

Case Study: New Haven Harbor Water Quality Monitoring Program - Hollie J. Brandstatter, Southern Connecticut State University

Connecticut DEEP's Water Quality Monitoring & Assessment Program - Chris Bellucci, CT DEEP Monitoring & Assessment Program Supervisor

DEEP's Three Tiered Approach: Supporting Volunteer Monitoring of Wadeable Streams & Rivers - Meghan Ruta (Lally), CT DEEP Monitoring & Assessment Program

Integrating Freshwater Mussel Reporting Into Your Water Quality Monitoring Program - Laura Saucier, CT DEEP Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area

Interim Report on the Latimer Brook Watershed: Nitrate Concentrations and Stream Mixing - Dr. John P. Jasper, Niantic River Watershed Committee

Mapping Sediment Trace Metal Contamination with Trinity Undergraduates in the Park River Watershed (Greater Hartford, CT) - Jonathan Gourley Ph.D., Trinity College Environmental Science Program

Monitoring the Health of the Shepaug River (Washington/Roxbury, CT) - Gary L. Steinman, Roxbury Conservation Commission/Shepaug River Association

Need Help Getting Your Program Off the Ground? Ask the Seasoned Samplers! - Open discussion opportunity with members of the Conference Coordinating Committee

Observing Dragonfly Emergence as an Indicator of Streambank Alteration - Kirsten Martin, Ph.D., University of Saint Joseph Biology Department

Stream Habitat Continuity Evaluation: Culvert Assessments - Scott Jackson, UMass Amherst

Water Quality Monitoring in the Latimer Brook Watershed: What You Can Do With Your Data - Donald Danila, Niantic River Watershed Committee

Watershed Data Management - Joseph C. Hovious, Pootatuck Watershed Association  & Timothy N. Wasielewski, Advanced Environmental Interface
   

Conference Planning Committee Members

The following individuals dedicated their time, energy and expertise to insure the 2014 Volunteer Water Monitoring Conference was a success:

  • Meghan Ruta (Lally), CT DEEP Water Monitoring Group (Co-Chair)
  • Jacqueline Talbot, CT River Watershed Council (Co-Chair)
  • Jane Brawerman, CT River Coastal Conservation District
  • Carol Haskins, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition
  • Mike Jastremski, Housatonic Valley Association
  • Alisa Phillips-Griggs, Farmington River Watershed Association
  • Jean Pillo, Eastern CT Conservation District/The Last Green Valley
  • Judy Rondeau, Eastern CT Conservation District/Niantic River Watershed Committee

Additional planning support was provided by Rivers Alliance of Connecticut.  Conference space and support was generously donated by Goodwin College.  Special thanks to Bruce Morton, Environmental Studies Program Director, and the students of the Goodwin College Environmental Science Club for their assistance.  Refreshments were donated by Frito Lay and steering committee partners.
   

For More Information Contact:

Meghan Lally
Volunteer Water Monitoring Program Coordinator
CT DEEP Water Monitoring Program
79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106
(860) 424-3061
DEEP.VolunteerWaterMonitoring@ct.gov
  
  

Content last updated March 17, 2020.