York County, PA Stream Team Virtual Training Was A Success

Adapting to COVID circumstances is providing opportunities for ALLARM to test and refine our remote training approaches. On November 9th, with Penn State York Master Watershed Stewards and the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, ALLARM trained 11 new Stream Team volunteers to conduct monthly stream assessments. Drawing from lessons we learned during previous virtual training, we identified one key ingredient that created a successful virtual event: a hybrid training experience. We had an in-person equipment distribution, in which teams picked up their equipment in staggered time frames. While remaining socially distant and wearing proper personal protective equipment, ALLARM staff were able to walk volunteers through their equipment and methods manuals. This included the use and troubleshooting of conductivity meters. As a result of these in-person introductions, we could see the level of comfort these volunteers felt with the equipment during the virtual workshop. This hybrid training approach proved to be successful for ALLARM and will repeat in the future. We want to say a warm welcome to our third York County Stream Team cohort!

After the in-person equipment hand off, volunteers were trained over video.