The Watersmith Guild

05/14/2026

Tomorrow leads off the First Waves Stewardship Summit presented by the alongside the ! We will be hosting a tree planting, stream cleanup, and film premiere over the course of the weekend! We are deeply grateful for the support of the for these events and to all our incredible partners and sponsors that make them possible for so many youth and communities throughout the region! We will see you all there!

05/13/2026

We’re just a couple days away from the First Waves Johnstown Stewardship Summit—happening alongside the 🌊🌿

Join us starting Friday morning at for a powerful weekend of action and storytelling, including:
🌱 Tree planting
🧹 Stream cleanup
🎬 Project films + presentations

This is what community, conservation, and connection to our waterways is all about.

Check out more details on the Watersmith Guild website and come be part of it.

This project is made possible with support from the and our incredible partners and volunteers!

05/12/2026

Aqua Lab Adventure season is officially ON! We are so excited to be once again partnering with to empower their students through adventure, science, conservation and storytelling! Propel Schools has been with us since the beginning of ALA and are truly leading the way for students as citizen scientists and leaders in their communities. Artwork by

05/05/2026

We are thrilled to share that Watersmith Guild has been awarded a Remake Learning Moonshot Grant to support Aqua Lab Armada, a new initiative focused on building high schoolers’ voice for changemaking in Pittsburgh.

Remake Learning’s bold support has allowed us to imagine a future where young people drive social and environmental justice— and we will bring this future to fruition through Aqua Lab Armada.

Read more about this project at www.watersmithguild.org/armada and stay tuned to see the incredible impact that Aqua Lab Armada’s high school ambassadors will have. Photography by Wick Photography with drone by Malhari Media

04/29/2026

The Earth Week Student Summit in partnership with and the Beaver Falls Film Festival was incredible! Here’s some behind the scenes action of a mixture of citizen science initiatives, hands on education and well-being exercises, and spreading the stoke through the power of film and digital media. Huge thanks to .media for the photos and continued documentation of this project. Additional thanks to and for making these events possible!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day everyone!! Contrary to popular belief, the occasionally venturs onto the land for some projects. Here’s a look at our First Waves Beaver cohort working alongside to plant and maintain a beautiful section of the Beaver River! Earth Week continues as we join and the later this week for the Beaver Falls Film Festival! Photos courtesy of of !!

04/20/2026

Happy Earth Week everyone! To kick off the week, here’s a look back at an Apprentice Series video from looking at our first-ever native mussel survey of Allegheny Islands with the ! This was such a memorable adventure and one we continue to this day alongside .pitt and many more! Learn more and consider contributing to the to make more of these experiences available for Pennsylvania youth and the future of conservation!

04/17/2026

Sometimes standup paddle boarding is a stay low endeavor! Here’s some scenes of the Aqua Lab Youth Ambassadors from collecting microplastics last season! Science and conservation doesn’t have to be all hard work right!? If you’ve been on a trip with you will recognize these two stay-lowcations!

04/15/2026

We can't wait!! Earth Week Student Summit and Beaver Falls Film Festival and the Beaver Falls Film Festival are next week!

Hey, Beaver County, here's another film that was created here!

"First Waves Beaver County", a Documentary Directed by Rishi Sethi .media documents the expansion of the The Watersmith Guild groundbreaking youth environmental education program into the Beaver and Ohio River valleys in the aftermath of the ethylene cracker plant's penalties for pollution.

We think you're gonna wanna see it!

Get your tickets!

04/15/2026

We had the pleasure of collaborating with Ph.D candidate, Jjason Aguirre, TheEcologista, at University of Pittsburgh for an exciting video exploration. Jason explains, "Connecting folks to nature in their backyard is incredibly important to me and the future of environmental/aquatic science. In this interview I spoke with Ian Smith, the Executive Director of The Watersmith Guild and owner of SurfSUP Adventures, LLC to learn more about his story and dedication to introducing the world of water to the Pittsburgh community and beyond!"

04/09/2026

Huge props to local endurance paddler and SurfSUP Adventures / The Watersmith Guild ambassador Alex Zowacki on his latest article in TotalSUP!! Check this out to see his amazing adventure he's starting this weekend to paddle from Morgantown to Pittsburgh and then an even wilder endeavor of "The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis." Learn more and follow his journey here! https://www.totalsup.com/news/the-crossing-for-cystic-fibrosis-2026-sup-endurance-challenge-alex-zowacki/

There are SUP stories I come across, often by chance, or through a kind of serendipity, that expand my understanding of the sport I write about. There’s also a distinctive trait in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes: a willingness to go deeper, to become vulnerable and to openly share the moti...