If you are a certified AWW monitor and need some help to get started monitoring at an abandoned or new site, in the form of a water chemistry test kit, water chemistry reagents to refill an existing kit, bacteria supplies, or stream biomonitorign materials this mini-grant program is for you!
Please note:Funding is limited and demands are high for monitoring supplies among our volunteers. Please, only request materials if you are serious about your plans to monitor.
AWW Program Director Mona Dominguez was invited to join a panel on Volunteer Citizen-Science Coordination at the 2025 Invasive Species Ambassador Training hosted by Wild Spotter, a nationwide program mapping invasive species. Read on for a recap of Mona’s experience and more about the Wild Spotter program.
AWW Director, Mona Dominguez had the opportunity to participate in the Bays and Bayous Symposium in Biloxi, MS last November. It was a fabulous conference and provided a variety of presentations by leading scientists, educators, and coastal experts from throughout the Gulf region. She gave an oral presentation, that highlighted the successes and importance of the NOAA B-WET funded project that has provided more than 40 educators with training, curriculum, and materials that they have utilized to engage over 1,500 middle and high school students with meaningful watershed experiences that have helped them to understand, identify, detect, and mitigate pathogen pollution.
Alabama Water Watch is seeking nominations from program participants and partners to recognize outstanding volunteers.
Nominations will be open through March 5th. Winners will be notified at the end of March and will be presented with their award at the 2025 AWW Annual Meeting in Foley, AL on Saturday, June 21.
Vanessa currently serves as the DeKalb County Extension Coordinator, however, she previously held the role of 4-H Youth Development Coordinator in Jackson County. While in Jackson County, Vanessa was actively involved with the 4-H AWW program for three years, where she provided hands-on environmental education in classrooms, organized water monitoring day camps, and led instruction for homeschool groups.
Kacy Cobb is a 9-12th grade teacher at Hamilton High School in Marion County. She has been sharing 4-H AWW with students through the school’s Environmental Club for over a decade.
In 2017, Kacy, along with fellow Hamilton High School Science Teacher Dustin Murray and Rebecca Danley, 4-H Youth Development Coordinator with Marion County were recognized as the 4-H Alabama Water Watch Club of the Year!
Alabama Drought Reach (ADR) is a statewide drought communications and outreach program focused on improving our understanding of how drought impacts Alabama.
ADR Coordinator Brianne Minton with Lee Ellenburg of the State Climate Office. Photo credit: ADR
The Master Environmental Education Program (MEE) is an outreach program of the Baldwin County Extension Office. This group of MEE Educators work as 4-H Resource Volunteers, a 4-H Agent, and a 4-H Agent Assistant in Baldwin County Schools and the Baldwin County Extension Office.
Ashley Campbell, Baldwin County Environmental Manager and Amy Newbold with the EPA Gulf of Mexico Office, proposed an Alabama Water Watch lesson to the MEE facilitators who approved the addition. AWW drafted an interactive and educational lesson to convey the importance of water monitoring and how even students can become citizen scientists. AWW, Campbell, and Newbold trained the first sets of volunteer educators who taught the AWW lesson to students for the first time during the 2018-2019 school year. With help of Extension Staff, including Sarah Butterworth, Baldwin County 4-H Youth Development Coordinator, it has been part of the repertoire ever since.
Sarah Butterworth trains a new group of MEE Volunteers to teach the AWW Lesson. Photo credit: Cathy Banning
The program trains volunteers to teach nine lessons in schools and community groups about some of the area’s most critical environmental issues. Each lesson includes an outline, activity, glossary, background information, and correlations to the Alabama Course of Study for Science.
AWW Staff interviewedCathy Banning, Administrative Associate, with the Baldwin County Office, who provided some information about the program and its impact on the community. Read on for more details!
Fall semester may be starting, but Alabama’s summer heat isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! As Alabamians, we know the summer heat won’t keep us from enjoying a hike, outdoor recreation, or water monitoring!
Working (and playing!) safely in the summer requires preparation, mindfulness, and respect for your limits in the heat. Here are some ways to stay cool, hydrated, and safe during those hot days.
