On Tuesday November 14th, I had the opportunity to attend my first virtual data upload workshop alongside Isabel Ruff (Volunteer Monitoring Specialist) and Prerana Patil ’24. The goal of the workshop was to guide volunteers through the process of uploading their monthly baseline water quality…
At 6:30 am on Saturday, November 4th, ten student watershed coordinators and two full-time staff piled into a van to head to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum in Shepherdstown, WV. The Chesapeake Watershed Forum is an annual watershed-wide event where restoration and protection practitioners gather…
Every month, ALLARM's Stream Team volunteers collect baseline water quality data, and upload data into the Chesapeake Data Explorer where the log of data is kept. These data, while available at all times and a very helpful resource, downloads as a massive excel sheet which…
This past Wednesday, October 11th 2023, was national Coming Out Day, a celebration to support all those in the LGBTQ+ community who “come out of the closet.” Dickinson has celebrated this holiday for many years with Out on Britton, a gathering of Dickinson’s clubs and…
On September 29th and October 2nd, ALLARM had the pleasure of visiting Professor Rebecca Connor’s first year seminar, "From Kyoto to Paris to Carlisle: Human Impact on Global and Local Environments." ALLARM was asked to lead the students through an experience that would give a…
On Tuesday September 26th, I joined Isabel Ruff (Volunteer Monitoring Specialist) and Amelia Harper ‘25 to assist with the Lycoming Stream Team QC and pick-up meeting. Amelia first gathered equipment that volunteers would need along with extra refill kit materials including nitrate-nitrogen tablets and equipment…
On Saturday September 2nd, ALLARMies new and old traveled to Stuart Park on the Yellow Breaches creek for ALLARM orientation. Each year, ALLARM hosts orientation at the start of the academic year in order to give Watershed Coordinators the opportunity to bond as a team,…
On Thursday July 20th, I had the pleasure of joining my fellow ALLARM members, Lindsay VanFossen (Water Quality Technician), Phoebe Galione (Outreach Manager), and Whimsy Mark-Ockerbloom '24 on a three-hour road trip to Westmoreland County for the Stream Team's one-year monitoring check-in. The purpose of…
On Wednesday, July 19th, ALLARM met with Stream Team volunteers from Conewango, New York for a training workshop over Zoom. The ALLARM team was made up of Julie Vastine (Director), Lindsay VanFossen (Water Quality Technician), Isabel Ruff (Volunteer Monitoring Specialist), and watershed coordinators Whimsy Mark-Ockerbloom…
This year, ALLARM hosted the Mid-Atlantic Volunteer Monitoring Conference from the 29th to the 30th of June. The sessions and events included, featured volunteers, career scientists, and organizations from the Mid-Atlantic region, all with unique experiences and perspectives to share. ALLARM's full time staff and…
