Background and Environmental Issues:

The Eastern Coal Regional Roundtable is a regional watershed support organization and registered 501c3.  The region encompasses the seven states of the Eastern Coalfields: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee.  The organization was established as one of 13 roundtables formed under President Clinton’s Clean Water Action Plan in 2000.  ECRR addresses a wide range of water quality issues including acid mind drainage, waste water contamination, sedimentation and flooding.  The OSM/VISTA acts as the Outreach Coordinator.  The VISTA’s responsibilities include maintaining the organization’s network of community watershed groups, creating and dispersing an online newsletter, updating the website and the organization’s software, assist in the planning and promotion of training events, and expanding the ECRR name to interested parties across the region.

 

Goals and Accomplishments:

• Project Development and Implementation
  • Begin promotion campaign for upcoming training event
  • Planning for training event at Concord University
• Community Outreach and Education
  • Creating Creek Clips and maintaining the network of watershed organizations it reaches
  • Updating outreach materials such as ECRR’s brochures, website, and blog
  • Surveying watershed organizations concerning what they would like to see in future trainings
  • In-Kind Sponsoring of Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Louisville, KY
• Capacity Building/Grant Writing
  • Applying for a Foundation grant to include Environmental Justice as a topic for which ECRR can train watersheds
• Community Revitalization
  • Planning a county tree planting event for Spring 2010. 

 

Partners and Contributors:

Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association
Rural Appalachian Improvement League
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Concord University
Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team