Clean Water Advocates Program

Applications Are Now OPEN for Wild Virginia’s 2026 Clean Water Advocates Program!

Clean Water Advocates is a FREE online education course that equips and empowers individuals, communities, and organizations to protect Virginia’s water quality. Wild Virginia trains individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and locations across the Commonwealth. 

Advocates graduate with fundamental knowledge of federal and state water protection laws, regulatory processes, and basic advocacy skills that they use to influence environmental decisions and outcomes. 

Wild Virginia continually works to advance a diverse, equitable, and inclusive education program that welcomes all individuals. We embed environmental justice into the program through its curriculum, guest speakers, recruitment practices, and post-training opportunities and community partnerships. 

Through Wild Virginia’s Clean Water Advocates program, communities, and organizations can build critical advocacy skills, including:

• Understanding water-related environmental issues 
• Reviewing regulatory and technical documents
• Writing and submitting public comments
• Writing letters to the editor
• Communicating with local representatives and public officials
• Tracking public notices of agency action
• Tracking legislation and regulations
• Participating in public hearings and citizen board meetings

Why Become a Clean Water Advocate?

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that members of the public not only know their rights but also how to hold the government accountable for its actions. Clean Water Advocates makes generally accessible the complex legal and technical frameworks that undergird government decisions about the environment. Moreover, Clean Water Advocates helps the public understand how to participate in and influence these decisions in order to protect water resources for the benefit of all.

Apply Today!

Applications are due Monday, June 29, 2026 by 11:59pm.

We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply!

Want to Learn More? Attend the Application Info Session!

Wild Virginia will hold an online application information session for Clean Water Advocates applicants on Tuesday June 16 at 6pm. We will share about the program, discuss the application process, and answer questions you might have. Register HERE to attend.

For questions about the program or the application process, please contact advocates@wildvirginia.org.

Meet the 2025 Class: