Every so often, ALLARM hosts virtual monitoring workshops where both new and seasoned volunteers from across the state are able to come together and practice monitoring techniques, be refreshed on tips and tricks, and ask any questions they may have. On February 27th, four student watershed coordinators, Marja Barrett (‘26), Emma Spinelli (‘25), David Marsh (‘26), and Prerana Patil (‘24), along with two full time staff, Lindsay VanFossen (Water Quality Technician) and Phoebe Galione (Outreach Manager), arrived at the ALLARM office and logged on to Zoom to kick off the meeting. During the training, we went step by step through ALLARM’s Stream Team monitoring manual, carefully reading through each step and showing off the techniques on camera. Student watershed coordinators and full-time staff switched off roles so everyone got a chance to read and act. By the end of the training, three hours later, we had successfully gone through our monitoring manual. This was a rewarding experience for both staff and volunteers, as we worked together and learned from each other.
Marja: Before this experience, I had never participated in a volunteer training, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. The training was the culmination of weeks of preparation in the ALLARM office: reading through the Stream Team monitoring manual, watching past trainings, creating our own scripts, practicing with each other, and rehearsing on camera. Even with all this practice, I still found myself uneasy as I entered the office on the day of the workshop. In no time, however, we got into a good flow, and all my worries dissipated. Everyone read their scripts with ease and acted out each protocol with clarity. I was assigned reading for temperature and pH and acting for conductivity, all of which went smoothly. We did have a few technical mishaps between equipment and Zoom, but those were easily resolved through thinking on our feet. Throughout the training, it was great to interact directly with volunteers, and hear their advice and training tips. Sometimes, while working long hours in the lab or the office, it can be easy to get frustrated or discouraged when something goes wrong, but when you interact directly with volunteers, you’re connected with what ALLARM is all about. Working with volunteers is inspiring and empowering, and they truly are the backbone of this organization.
Emma: This was the first workshop I took part in, and I had an amazing time getting to go through procedure and techniques as well as engaging with the volunteers that joined us. In my portion of the training, I guided the procedure for testing the nitrate-nitrogen water quality parameter and worked through pH testing on screen. While I was a bit nervous initially, this was a great opportunity to add in the tips that I found helpful and get great feedback from the volunteers that joined us. It stood out to me that we had some highly experienced volunteers join us including a master watershed steward. I found it incredibly encouraging that they would take the time to refresh themselves on the basics to make sure that their efforts were as strong as possible. That supplemented with the incredible energy and work that our staff did to make the training run as smoothly as possible made it a great experience. Overall, the experience made me feel more confident in how far I have come during my first year at ALLARM and excited for more opportunities to come to be hands-on with Stream Team volunteers.
The other ALLARMies who attended the workshop were David and Prerana. It was also David’s first training and he found himself “[…] very impressed by how volunteers found creative solutions to the problems they encountered in the field.” In contrast with the other student watershed coordinators, senior Prerana is a volunteer training veteran: “being a part of the refresher training was such a joy! I always love the opportunity to see volunteer faces and get to interact with them! Another thing that really stuck out to me was how good of a job Marja, Emma and David did. I remember my first set of refresher trainings from sophomore year and how excited/nervous I was. They all took on the training with grace and poise and it makes my heart warm to see ALLARMies grow and thrive in the work environment!”
This refresher training was a wonderful experience in building community in and out of the office, and as always, we are grateful for any opportunity to connect with volunteers. Our work would not be possible without the efforts of the volunteers who attended this training, and everyone like them.
