When I first joined ALLARM, I was not sure what to expect. Now, having been a Watershed Coordinator for two years, I have been introduced to so many different aspects of the work we do as an organization. A typical day at ALLARM is never uniform, but helping to assist with upkeep of Stream Team has been one of my primary roles. Some ways that I have helped with Stream Team include approving and publishing volunteer data uploaded to the CMC Data Explorer, helping to create bi-weekly e-newsletter content, and participating in events and meetings we hold. Coming up, I will be part of both a monthly training (where we teach volunteers to use the monitoring equipment) and data interpretation meeting (to help volunteers find stories in the data they collect) so I will soon be helping to prepare for those.
Another one of my focuses at ALLARM has been helping to create informative publications and resource guides. Some of my projects have been my Stream of Consciousness newsletter article highlighting the work Stream Team has done throughout its five years, blog posts highlighting events I have attended (which you can read by scrolling back on this blog!), and a fact sheet on the Chesapeake Bay Goals and their relevance to our volunteers. Most recently, I am creating a video to help volunteers navigate a part of the EPA’s website called ECHO, or Enforcement and Compliance History Online, that allows you to look at pollution sources and aggregate water quality trends in the nation. ECHO has been such an interesting tool to explore, and I was excited to take on the task of highlighting all the aspects of the resource that pertain to monitors. So much of it can be utilized to help volunteers go a step beyond ALLARM and Stream Team procedure in examining existing public water quality data.
Outside of Stream Team work and research, my day-to-day also includes field work (which we are all encouraged to get involved in regardless of program area) and facilitating staff meetings. I have been involved with Tier 2 Benthic monitoring, our baseline water quality monitoring of the LeTort (which happens monthly), and soon hopefully restoration monitoring. Leading and preparing for staff meetings has also been a welcome addition to my workload as it has allowed me to strengthen and feel more confident in my communication skills. The opportunities I continue to have in this position always vary but have enabled me to grow so much and as I come to an end with my time at ALLARM, I am excited to take on as much as I can.
