EPA-funded Bay Area community science trash-monitoring project gets extension; high-school students to present findings

Julian (Sacramento State) updated the group on an EPA Region 9'funded participatory science and community-based monitoring project in the Bay Area that is entering its second water year. He said the project received a no-cost extension with Region 9 that will extend sampling into June so the project can collect a full water-year of data. "We did get a no cost extension with Eric Kalenski's help at region 9 to con to extend the project into, into June, so we'll get a full water years worth of data," Julian said.

Julian said high-school students involved in the project will design and present posters at the October SF Estuary Conference and that the data produced has helped several Bay Area permittees that failed to meet a June trash-discharge deadline to continue documenting their compliance efforts. He described the extension as important for producing a complete seasonal dataset and said the team is planning presentations and discussing business-model options to sustain community science beyond grants.

The group encouraged Julian to share results and to consider models (fee-for-service, foundations) to maintain community-science efforts as grant funding tightens. Erica (U.S. EPA) confirmed some EPA-funded projects continue but that staffing and funding at EPA's Trash Free Waters office have decreased after staff retirements.

Next steps: Julian will present at the SF Estuary Conference and the team will continue to seek sustainable funding models to maintain community participation beyond the grant term.