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CEMP Partnership

Since 1997 the CEMP Partnership has coordinated citizen-based water quality monitoring around Southcentral Alaska.

Beginning in 1997, organizations throughout Cook Inlet and Southcentral Alaska forged a partnership to train citizens in rigorous and effective data collection methods that help ensure resource protection.  This partnership is known as the Citizens’ Environmental Monitoring Program Partnership, or CEMP Partnership, which currently consists of nine organizations.  As of 2011, four of these organizations (Inletkeeper, Anchorage Waterways Council, the Mat.Su Borough Lake Monitoring Program, and Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance) have active citizen-based monitoring programs.  Please contact them for more information on how to get involved in your area!

CEMP Partnership Objectives

While each organization has a unique program, the CEMP Partnership has several priority objectives that all partners strive for, including:

  • Inventory baseline water quality data in the waterways of Southcentral Alaska;
  • Detect and report significant changes and track water quality trends; and,
  • Raise public awareness of the importance of water quality through hands-on involvement.

 

Since 1996, over 700 citizens have been trained through partner organizations in the CEMP Partnership. These citizens have collected almost 6,000 observations at 250 stream, wetland, lake, and estuarine sites in Southcentral Alaska. Including both time and equipment donations, volunteers have contributed well over $550,000 of in-kind donations towards the organization programs within the CEMP Partnership.

Memorandum of Agreement

The CEMP Partnership operates under a Memorandum of Agreement.  This MOA is updated and signed every 5 years by the Partners.  Find our current MOA here. [LINK TO MOA DOCUMENT - NEW]

Partnership Data Quality Objectives

All CEMP Partners follow the same Quality Assurance and Quality Control procedures.  CEMP Partnership Data Quality Objectives can be found here.  [LINK TO DQO TABLE DOCUMENT - NEW]  New CEMP Coordinators are trained by the University of Alaska Anchorage staff at the Environment and Natural Resource Institute during the February Partnership meeting.

Partnership Reports

Reports from the CEMP Partnership can be found here.

CEMP Partnership Contacts

Anchorage Waterways Council
Cherie Northon
Executive Director
907.272.7335
www.anchoragecreeks.org

Cook Inletkeeper
Rachel Lord
Outreach & Monitoring Coordinator
907.235.4068 x29
www.inletkeeper.org

Homer Soil and Water Conservation District
Tara Schmidt
907.235.8177 x106
www.homerswcd.org

Kenai Watershed Forum
Jim Czarnezki
Water Quality Coordinator
907.260.5449
www.kenaiwatershed.org

Matanuska.Susitna Borough
Melanie Trost
Watershed Coordinator
907.745.9608
www.matsugov.us

Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance
Ami Wright
Stream Monitoring Coordinator
907.224.4621
www.rbca.alaska.org

UAA Environment and Natural Resources Institute
Dan Bogan
Aquatic Ecologist
907.786.4964
www.uaa.alaska.edu/enri

Upper Susitna Soil and Water Conservation District
Chris Love
District Manager
907.733.2174

Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation District
Becky McNeil
Field Project Coordinator
907.357.4563
www.wasillaswcd.org