By Shalen Lowell, WAA Social Media Manager
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained
in water.” –Loren Eisley
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| Photo credit to Shalen Lowell |
Passion, persistence, public engagement and
community: these are some of the crucial takeaways from “The Future of Water in
Southeastern Massachusetts,” an environmental networking conference co-hosted
by the Watershed Action Alliance and Plimoth Plantation. Our mission for the
conference, held April 24th, was to gather concerned citizens, conservation
professionals, legislators, volunteers, and all those committed to preserving
and protecting the waters of Southeastern Massachusetts. Our goal was to network
and further strategize about how best to combat the issues in Southeastern Mass
watersheds, including stormwater and wastewater concerns, dam removal, and
health concerns effecting environmental recreation.
WAA’s conference consisted of seven engaging,
enlightening and thoughtful panels: Fundraising for Nonprofits, Science and
Data Collection, Outreach and Education, Stormwater, Drinking Water in
Southeastern Massachusetts, Wastewater, and Recreational Waters. (For a summary
of the panels, click here.)
Eric Walberg of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences presented as our
guest plenary speaker on water resource preservation and watershed management
in the face of climate change. You can catch Eric’s talk and all of the
sessions on WAA’s Youtube
channel.
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| Gorgeous view from the conference pavilion (Shalen Lowell) |
As social media manager for WAA, I was responsible
for live-tweeting about all of
the panels at our conference. At times such as these, I especially see the real
value in how social media platforms enhance our relationships with member
watershed associations, our Twitter followers and other environmentally
affiliated associations in the region. People unable to attend the conference
were able to follow along with the panels as I tweeted from our account with
our conference hashtag #thefutureofwater. Please check out our Twitter platform
@Watershed_AA to view our tweets
from the day, and don’t forget to follow us, too!
My personal favorite panels were Stormwater and
Fundraising for Nonprofits. Especially with regard to stormwater, my renewed
interest in, and dedication to, the issue goes back to my last year at
Stonehill College, when I was a Teaching Assistant for a Learning Community (LC)
seminar entitled Stonehill’s Water.
That semester, I assisted the LC students in drawing up proposals for
stormwater solutions for the town of Brockton, MA, and I had an active part in
the writing and presentation processes. Some of the solutions with which the
students engaged (many of which were addressed in the stormwater panel below)
included updating to more stable green infrastructure systems and continued
education and outreach.
The stormwater panelists for WAA’s event included
Martin Pillsbury (Environmental Director at the Metropolitan Area Planning
Council), Debbie Cook (Communications Director at the North and South Rivers
Watershed Association), and Newton Tedder (of EPA Region 1), with Ian Cooke, Executive
Director of the Neponset River Watershed Association as moderator. The new EPA
municipal stormwater permit provided inspiration for this panel, requiring a
renewed effort in stormwater management for nonprofits, local agencies, and
municipalities. The new permit will thus hold communities more responsible for
dealing with stormwater issues. The panelists emphasized intra-watershed
coordination and cooperation with regard to combating environmental degradation
and especially stormwater concerns. When asked to identify “sleeper” stormwater
issues, the panelists called attention to the following: effective design of
green infrastructure, land use, and public education and participation. The
takeaway? When it comes to stormwater, we need to take real action now, and to enhance communication and
cooperation between all those players involved in ameliorating the issue.
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| Photo taken during the Recreational Waters panel (Shalen Lowell) |
Another of my favorite panels was Fundraising for
Nonprofits. Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the North and South Rivers
Watershed Association, moderated, and the panelist speakers were the following:
Bill Stanton (former Executive Director of the NSRWA), Sarah Kelley (Senior
Program Officer of the Island Foundation), and Bethany Kendall (President and
CEO of the Executive Service Corps New England). One of the most important notes
I took away from this panel was also one which I had not before considered: one
of the keys to funding an effective nonprofit is widening one’s scope. Several
of the panelists advised looking outside local areas and tying in a nonprofit’s
specific focus to other regions and wider national issues, in order to network with
other organizations engaged in these issues and perhaps receive additional funding.
Emphasis was also placed on donor relations (you can never thank them enough!).
Most important of all, however, is personal networking. I have experienced this
often enough in my personal interaction with WAA’s member watershed associations,
and with the inspiring individuals in them. All the panels are now available on
WAA’s YouTube
channel.
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| Photo credit to Shalen Lowell |
I was excited to make contact with those
individuals I know from our member watershed associations but had not seen in
quite a while! It was great to chat again in person with these hard-working and
inspiring individuals that I met way back in my WAA intern days. It’s important
to maintain these personal connections. On a similar note, one of the many
successful outcomes to the conference was networking: networking between
individuals of all different backgrounds and occupations in the region uniting
with one focus in mind: the future and health of water in Southeastern
Massachusetts.
To read more about this conference, the people and
organizations involved, and more, please check out this article
by Frank Mand of the Old Colony Memorial,
another of the conference’s enigmatic attendants!
