It's always encouraging for educational conference organizers when engaged participants are still hungry for
more information, even after a 90-minute session or workshop. And that's exactly what transpired during the
Mid-Atlantic Region Volunteer Monitoring Conference earlier this month at the National Conservation Training
Center. Session leaders routinely were approached following presentations and asked additional questions by
attendees eager for more knowledge. “The sessions were an hour and a half in length and most of the time
people wanted them to be longer,” said DEP's Tim Craddock.
Craddock, from the DWWMs Nonpoint Source Program, helped organized the conference with help from regional
representatives from the volunteer monitoring community. The conference was funded by a grant from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was the first time West Virginia had hosted the event since 2005.
In addition to West Virginia, participants came from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. More
than 80 people from watershed groups, government agencies, education and other organizations attended the
conference. “It's targeted toward anyone involved in volunteer monitoring,” Craddock said. “It's an
opportunity to network and familiarize groups with what is going on regionally. It's a way for us to touch
base and learn from each other.”