Lindsey Waugaman
Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator
Mountain Watershed Association
Melcroft,
Roles at NAAEE
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Mountain Watershed Association began its life around a kitchen table. The organization was founded in 1994 to oppose an underground coal mine proposal in the Indian Creek Watershed in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. MWA’s input and organized opposition resulted in the denial of the permit. MWA’s board of directors and dedicated community members realized that to restore the watershed to a viable community, they would have to address the legacy of more than 150 years of extraction and disinvestment in our rural Appalachian region. Since then, MWA has restored more than 70 percent of the Indian Creek Watershed and prevented countless sources of additional pollution in the broader Youghiogheny River Watershed. The organization has expanded to eleven full-time employees, a 17-person volunteer Board of Directors, and more than 2500 members and supporters.
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Mountain Watershed Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to protect, preserve and restore the Youghiogheny River watershed and its broader communities through conservation, recreation, education, and advocacy. Our organization is unique in that we pursue on-the-ground restoration of past environmental damages while we advocate to protect the watershed from new sources of pollution, primarily caused by fossil fuel development. We achieve our mission through a variety of initiatives including abandoned mine drainage remediation, water quality monitoring, trail development, educational programming, grassroots organizing, and legal advocacy.
MWA aims to empower communities both locally and downstream to transition towards sustainable, resilient, equitable economies and healthy environments where all beings mutually support each other. We work towards a world where we all act as if what affects one of us affects all of us, because that’s how watersheds work.
We Value:
Grassroots Empowerment: We believe we must collaborate with and uplift our diverse communities through grassroots engagement and education.
Environmental Justice: We believe that every member of our community deserves equitable environmental protections and access to clean water.
Interdependence: We believe that, just like watersheds, what affects one of us affects all of us, so our local actions can have global impact.
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