Posts by popemaster
Paddle the Middle Yough and Join the Picnic: Two CRWA Events in July
The Casselman River Watershed Association (CRWA) has two July events lined up, and they make a nice pair: a beginner-friendly float down one of the prettiest stretches of the Youghiogheny, and a potluck and annual meeting with the pool open. Here are the details. CRWA’s First Middle Yough Sojourn, July 11 On Saturday, July 11,…
Read MoreSunset Paddles and a Headwaters Party: Two JCWA Events This Summer
Our partners at the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association have two events on the calendar this summer, and both are good excuses to get outside and support clean water in the Laurel Highlands. One is a quiet evening on the water, the other a full-on celebration in a historic barn. Here is what is happening. Sunset…
Read MoreBack by Popular Demand: A Passive Treatment Course for Mine Drainage
September 15-17 Legacy mine drainage is one of the most stubborn water problems across the Upper Ohio River Basin, so a chance to build real expertise in treating it does not come around often. The Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR) is bringing back its NTTP Passive Treatment Course this September, and the…
Read MoreFinal Call: Submit Your Salt Watch Data by July 1
A quick but time-sensitive heads up for anyone who has been monitoring with Salt Watch this year. The deadline to get your data into the 2025-2026 Salt Watch Annual Report is July 1. If you have readings sitting in a notebook or on your phone, now is the time to upload them. It is easy…
Read MoreWatch Your Water: Join Us for Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week, July 26 to August 1
Some water problems announce themselves. Nitrate pollution is not one of them. You cannot see it, smell it, or taste it, but it is one of the most widespread threats to clean water in our region, and it is exactly the kind of problem that gets easier to tackle when more people are paying attention.…
Read MoreCan You Swim in Pittsburgh’s Rivers? A Pitt Researcher Gives the Honest Answer
If you have ever stood at the Point and wondered whether jumping in would be a great idea or a terrible one, you are not alone. That exact question made the rounds this spring when a newly drafted Steeler asked, on live television, whether it was safe to swim in Pittsburgh’s rivers or eat the…
Read MoreReading the Water: What Pennsylvania’s 2026 Integrated Report Means for Our Partners
Every two years, Pennsylvania is required to tell the EPA and the public how its waters are doing. That document is the Integrated Report, and the state just finalized its 2026 edition. To help our partners make sense of it, the H2O Water Network sat down with Dustin Shull of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental…
Read MoreWhat a Healthy River Is Worth: The Economic Case for Protecting Our Watersheds
A new EPA fact sheet puts hard numbers on what healthy watersheds are worth, from billions in avoided water treatment costs to flood protection, jobs, and home values. Protecting them is the bargain of the century.
Read MoreFree Trees This Fall: Request Forms Are Open
The tree request form is live, and there is a volunteer guide to go with it. If you have been thinking about getting trees into the ground around your community, this is the place to start. The deadline for fall distributions is July 15. The form stays open after that date, so requests for later…
Read MoreFinding Funding in Tough Times: Takeaways from the Spring Confluence
It was a beautiful day in Beaver Falls to gather for the Spring Confluence, and we owe a big thank you to Geneva College for hosting us. We are always grateful for the folks who make it out, even when we meet in the more remote corners of the region. That is exactly why we…
Read More