RiverTrends Trains 47 New Monitors!

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has produced a hybrid training plan to bring new monitors on board. This is a combination of virtual and in-person training. Since January 2021, we have welcomed 47 new monitors to the RiverTrends program. Monitors completed an online training session, then attended an outdoor session to practice with their monitoring equipment. The online portion lays the groundwork of the program and sets expectations. The outdoor session gives them practical experience. Most recently, we welcomed new monitors from the Middle Peninsula Master Naturalists in eastern Virginia and students from Rappahannock County High School. Students will be assisting the Piedmont Environmental Council in monitoring bacteria on the Rush River in Virginia. RiverTrends has also continued to offer virtual recertification webinars for existing monitors. Forty-five returning monitors have been recertified so far this year.