Pennsylvania Sea Grant

10/14/2026

Delaware County residents - interested in helping your local streams? Join other volunteers & collect water samples for Stroud's Fall 2026 Salt Snapshot activities - Thursday thru Sunday (15th-18th).

Stroud Water Research Center

10/13/2026

We're again participating in Stroud's Fall Salt-Pollution Stream Snapshot - working with volunteers in Delaware and Erie Counties to collect samples. Check out Stroud's website to learn more about the effort and ways to participate.

Delaware County Office of Sustainability Penn State Extension NWPA Master Watershed Stewards

🧂 Road salt pollution doesn't end when winter does.

Salt used on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots can linger in our waterways year-round. But how much is in your local stream? You can find out!

Join Stroud Water Research Center and our community partners for the Fall Salt-Pollution Stream Snapshot, October 15–18.

Collect a water sample from a local stream and bring it to a participating drop-off location, where our partners will test it for salt pollution. Your sample will help build a clearer picture of water quality across our region.

📍Check out the map and our event page linked below to find participating locations near you!

Learn how to collect a sample, find drop-off dates and times, and get involved: stroudcenter.org/event/fall-salt-pollution-stream-snapshot

You can also drop off a sample and join the Stroud Center and our friends at Chesapeake Bay Foundation for our road salt pollution-awareness event at the PA State Capitol on the 19th: stroudcenter.org/event/salt-pollution-water-testing-event-in-harrisburg

Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
Master Watershed Stewards of Bucks County
Foodshed Alliance
Penn State Master Watershed Stewards of Montgomery County
Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, Chester & Delaware Counties
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
Penn State Extension



📸 PA State Capitol: Warren LeMay CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Flickr
📸 Volunteer collecting water sample: TTF Watershed CC BY-NC-SA , via Flickr

09/30/2026

What happens when over 100 people volunteer a few hours of their time? They make a huge difference - collecting 777 pounds of trash! As part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup events happening world-wide in September, Keep Erie County Beautiful, Erie Insurance, Northwest PA Master Watershed Stewards, and PA Sea Grant partnered to collect trash along the Lake Erie Bayfront in downtown Erie, PA.

Our thanks to all of the volunteers for keeping trash out of everyone's Lake Erie!

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),NOAA Marine Debris, Penn State, Penn State Behrend, National Sea Grant College Program, Erie Insurance, Penn State Extension NWPA Master Watershed Stewards, Ocean Conservancy

09/28/2026

Catch PA Sea grant’s very own Zach Nemec, Coastal Outreach Specialist, presenting “From Recruitment to Action: Trained Volunteer Corps that Expand Stewardship and Capacity” at this year’s Delaware River Watershed Forum with Penn State Extension and Friends of Wissahickon!

⏰ Last chance for early bird pricing! Early bird registration for the 14th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum ends this Sunday, August 23rd. Register now to save and secure your spot at this year’s Forum! https://cvent.me/0rKOxz

09/26/2026

National Public Lands Day is a day of service to celebrate and support our public lands—national parks, forests, monuments, wildlife refuges, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and state, county, and city parks.

We thought we’d share a few ways that we help support the well-being of public lands in Pennsylvania.

Together with many partners, we survey, manage, and prevent invasive plant species, like Japanese Stiltgrass and Japanese Knotweed (pictured above) from taking over ecologically rich habitats in the Erie region. In 2025, partners and PA Sea Grant staff removed invasive plants from 199 acres.These efforts began in 2012 - and since then - partners have managed invasive plant species across 2,435 acres!

We also work with partners to conserve public spaces while increasing access for passive recreation, like walking, birding or fishing. Working alongside McKean Township and the Lake Erie Region Conservancy, we’ve conserved ecologically sensitive lands and supported open space efforts at the McKean Conservation Area. In 2016, the partners completed a Master Plan for the area, and in 2022 started construction of a parking, a pavilion, and a trail system - all ADA compliant - to ensure the public can access and enjoy the conserved property! We’re working with partners to secure funding for additional features like a rain garden and ADA accessible fishing platform - to be constructed by 2028.

We're always working on community-building efforts like these—follow us to stay updated, and learn more about our public lands projects on our website:
🔗 https://seagrant.psu.edu/outreach/topics-projects/ -conservation

Want to get involved in service efforts for your local public lands?
🔗 https://www.neefusa.org/what-we-do/conservation/national-public-lands-day

Penn State Penn State Behrend National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

09/24/2026

It’s National Estuaries week!

Estuaries are unique places where freshwater from rivers meet and mix with saltwater from the sea, creating a dynamic, nutrient-rich environment that supports fisheries, wildlife, and people.

Both the Delaware Estuary and the Chesapeake Bay are vital estuary ecosystems for Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Working with many partners, our efforts support estuaries through scientific research, habitat restoration projects, marine debris cleanups, and education programs that connect communities in the southeastern and southcentral regions of the state with their local watersheds.

From studying water quality to training the next generation of coastal stewards, our work helps ensure these ecosystems continue to thrive for people and wildlife alike. We work in the Delaware Estuary training volunteers to track and remove marine debris using NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project - a standardized collection method, resources, and publicly available data, that helps scientists and volunteers detect similarities and changes – which can help inform public education, outreach, and prevention efforts.

We also work with many partners throughout the state, offering professional development workshops for educators. The Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) focuses on investigations into local environmental issues – leading to informed decisions and actions that contribute to stronger and more sustainable communities. This work happens in both the Delaware Estuary and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Learn more about some of our related programs online at https://seagrant.psu.edu/outreach/marine-debris/;

https://seagrant.psu.edu/education/meaningful-watershed-education-experiences/

NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research NOAA B-WET National Sea Grant College Program Spearhead Project Earth Partnership for the Delaware Estuary New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Maryland Sea Grant

09/24/2026

We're excited to again be participating in this annual event for the whole family - we hope to see you - stop by our table to learn about local water quality and aquatic invasive species - this Saturday!

09/18/2026

International Coastal Cleanup Day is tomorrow - Sept 19th! It's the perfect reminder that "coastal" doesn't just mean oceans. Here in Pennsylvania, everything from our streams and rivers to Lake Erie eventually connects to a much bigger body of water, which means the trash we leave behind doesn't just stay put. It travels.

The good news is you don't need to live near the ocean to make a difference! Whether you're picking up litter along Presque Isle, a local creek, or your neighborhood park, every piece you collect is one less piece heading downstream.

The Erie County Planning & Community Development Department is hosting clean up activities tomorrow from 9:00 AM - noon. You can sign up to volunteer online https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/planning-and-community-development/programs/international-coastal-cleanup/

Grab some gloves, bring a friend, and let's keep Pennsylvania's waterways and Lake Erie healthy from source to sea!

Check out our marine debris page to connect with us on this topic!
https://seagrant.psu.edu/outreach/marine-debris/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program Erie County, Pennsylvania Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development NOAA Marine Debris Erie Icc Penn State Extension NWPA Master Watershed Stewards Erie Insurance

09/03/2026

Educators – are you looking for ways to include Great Lakes literacy & aquatic invasive species (AIS) into your classroom or educational setting?

Join us! October 1, 2026, at 4:30 PM Eastern for “A Deeper Dive into the Great Lakes Topic: Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS)” - a 90-minute professional development program for formal and non-formal educators of learners in grades 4-12.

What’s included?
• An overview of AIS in the Great Lakes
• Guest lecturer and PA Sea Grant-funded researcher,
Dr. Casey Bradshaw-Wilson
• Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEEs) intro
• Tips for incorporating the topics into your educational setting
• Time for discussion and resource sharing

Details are available online at https://seagrant.psu.edu/events/aisdeeperdive

Penn State Behrend Penn State Allegheny College PAEE - Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators Pennsylvania Department of Education National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program