About Us
The Watershed Volunteer Program (WVP) is an effort to engage citizens in an array of active management projects to improve watershed conditions. WVP promotes stewardship through learning opportunities, monitoring activities, restoration projects, and community outreach.
Who we are
Established in 2012 with support from Ohio Environmental Education Fund, and currently in partnership with Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, WVP is a Natural Resources volunteer program of the Cleveland Metroparks. As of December 2019, over 2,180 volunteers contributed 19,934 hours and 199 became Certified Watershed Stewards (see below for more on the Watershed Steward Certification). Check out our 2019 Annual Report
here for more stats.
The WVP staff includes Program Coordinator Lisa Meranti with seasonal support and is overseen by Director of Natural Resources Jennifer Grieser.
Contact us at
wvpinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com.
Start the Journey to Watershed Stewardship
What is a Certified Watershed Steward?
Our goal is to engage volunteers in watershed health by offering workshops, trainings, and monitoring/restoration projects throughout Northeast Ohio. To this end, we offer a
Watershed Steward Certification for registered volunteers who participate in a total of 10 hours of primary events, with at least 1 event in each event category - learning, monitoring, and restoration.
Where to Begin
- Come to an event! See a list of events.
- Subscribe to our bi-weekly e-newsletter.
- Apply with Cleveland Metroparks Volunteer Services. Click here for more information. Upon completing the Cleveland Metroparks volunteer process, your participation with WVP will count towards your Watershed Steward Certification and Cleveland Metroparks volunteer milestones. Learn more about the perks of being a registered CM Volunteer here.
The Work that We Do
Learning Opportunities - Workshops and presentations from water resource professionals, researchers, and volunteers
Green Infrastructure Projects - Rain garden installation and maintenance, permeable pavement monitoring
Watershed Restoration – Native seed collection and cleaning workshops, invasive plant removal, streamside and wetland restoration projects
Hydrology Studies - Streambank erosion assessment and cross-section / longitudinal profile monitoring
Stream Quality Monitoring - Macroinvertebrate and water chemistry monitoring
Community Outreach - Day in the Life of Rocky River, World Water Day, community events, etc.
Monday MeetUps - Learn what’s up with our local watershed groups monthly; network with local watershed professionals, and link up to get more involved with different watershed group
Questions? Still not sure where to get started?
Check out more program details here.
Contact us at wvpinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com.