A Conversation with my Past Self

If I had the opportunity to go back in time to chat with myself during my first ALLARM orientation, I’m sure that I would have lots of advice. I remember being so worried about not having the required skill set for the position, as I…

Experiencing a New Macro Method!

On March 29th, we, Amaya and Amelia, participated in our first macro collection as a part of the CMC benthic macroinvertebrate collection protocol. This field experience was one of many taking place in waterways within the Chesapeake Bay to collect samples in areas with little…

Community Engagement at Dickinson College’s First Sustainability Expo

On Friday, March 31, 2023, Dickinson College and the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) held its first Sustainability Expo. The Sustainability Expo gathered various groups from campus and the Carlisle community to come together with the goal of engaging community members in sustainability. By tabling…

A Visit to the Appalachian Audubon Society

On Thursday, October 20th, Phoebe Galione (Outreach Manager) and I traveled to Camp Hill, PA, where we spoke to the Appalachian Audubon Society. We gave a presentation ranging from ‘what is c-science?’, to water quality influencers, and gave a glimpse into ALLARM’s volunteer monitoring program,…

Collaborative Presentation at the Chesapeake Watershed Forum!

With the announcement of this year’s Chesapeake Watershed Forum theme, “Nature in Your Neighborhood: Connecting Communities to the Outdoors,” the CMC team was excited to propose a session that would highlight the benefits of community based aquatic assessments. Water quality monitoring is a great way…

Our First Workshop Experience – Macroinvertebrates!

On Saturday October 22nd, the ALLARM Team traveled up to Luzerne county to meet up with Stream Team volunteers from surrounding counties for the second of this fall’s macroinvertebrate workshops. Having driven up on Friday, ALLARM used the day before the workshop to scout out…

Virtual Training and Refresher with Stream Team

On Thursday, October 27th, ALLARM reunited virtually with Stream Team volunteers for a group training and equipment refresher. We had volunteers join us from York County, Columbia County, Westmoreland County, and Lackawanna County for this 2.5-hour training. The workshop was led by Community Science Specialist…

My First Stream Team Experience: QC and new parameters!

On Wednesday, September 15, I traveled with Stephanie Letourneau (Community Science Specialist) to Scranton, PA (Lackawanna County) to meet with Stream Team volunteers. The goal of the meeting was to collect the volunteers’ QC samples and to teach them about stage and water clarity, two…

Macroinvertebrate Workshop at the Yellow Breeches

After a period of virtual-only macroinvertebrate identification support, ALLARMies and volunteers were finally reunited for the first in-person macroinvertebrate workshop since before the pandemic! On September 10, 2022, Director Julie Vastine, Community Science Specialist Stephanie Letourneau, and Watershed Coordinators – Grace Messimer ‘23, Michelle Cao…

A Day in the Field: Testing a New Protocol at Stuart Park!

On Thursday, June 30th, the entire ALLARM summer team, including full-time staff members Julie Vastine (Director), Stephanie Letourneau (Community Science Specialist), and Phoebe Galione (Outreach Manager), as well as watershed coordinators Grace Messimer (’23), Michelle Hom (’24), Michelle Cao (’25), Charlotte Kratovil-Lavelle (’24), and myself,…

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