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. Over the last ten years, more than 2,200 volunteers contributed 25,000+ hours and 260 became Certified Watershed Stewards (see below for more on the Watershed Stewardship Certification) Check out our current 2022 highlights
here.
The WVP staff includes Program Coordinator Taelor Benoit with seasonal support and is overseen by Stream Restoration Ecologist Elizabeth Hiser.
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 Stewardship 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 Stewardship 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 inspection, installation and maintenance, permeable pavement monitoring, green roof inspection and maintenance
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 groups
Questions? Still not sure where to get started?
Check out more program details here.
Contact us at wvpinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com.