AWWareness

By Sergio RuizCórdova

Many of you, AWWareness readers, may know that I am a runner. I never had good coordination for team sports, so I started running at a young age and it has been part of me for most of my life. To my relatives and friends, running is a part of my identity, and in Auburn for more than two decades I have been a member of our local running group AORTA. Regularly, the AORTA webmaster posts maps with different distance routes for our systematic Saturday run, and we take turns placing drinks at designated water stops along the route. In addition, the website posts results of races, articles and videos about running.

If you have ever wondered how the physical and mental skills built by running support environmental monitoring, read on!

Continue reading “Running and Water Monitoring”

By: Amy Zvonar

Dedicated AWW volunteer monitors help protect the quality of Alabama’s waterbodies through regular monitoring and reporting. AWW’s monthly Volunteer Highlight Blog spotlights the efforts of these incredible volunteers.  AWW is grateful for the opportunity to get to know our volunteers better, and we hope you are as inspired by their stories as we are!

This month, we’re catching up with Joe and Marci Logan who monitor at Murphy Lake and with Lakewatch Lake Martin. Certified in bacteriological and water chemistry monitoring since 2021, Joe and Marci are helping educate their community about the importance of protecting recreational waters. Joe is also the Lake Manager at Murphy Lake and on the board at Lakewatch Lake Martin! Read on to learn more about Joe and Marci!

Read on to learn more about Joe and Marci and discover how they used their data to make impactful changes in their community!

Continue reading “Volunteer Highlight: Joe and Marci Logan”

By: Amy Zvonar

Make a New Year’s resolution to submit data every month of 2026.

As we enter the new year, the AWW staff is hard at work planning our 2026 Annual Meeting. This year, we are especially looking forward to recognizing all of the volunteers who accomplished the 12/12 Challenge in 2025.

Read on to learn more about this new recognition and what you can do to earn it as an AWW volunteer monitor in 2026!

Continue reading “Get Ready: 2026 kicks-off a new AWW 12/12 Challenge!”

By Sydney Zinner

Watershed stewardship is not all in the “big” wins and success stories. Stewardship can be practiced daily through appreciation and the simple act of noticing and sharing what is around you. 

Celebrating Water is an effort to encourage us to share the wonders that water brings to us through photos, poems, art, writing, or however you like to share the waters you cherish. If you have a Celebrating Water moment to share, email us at awwprog@auburn.edu!

Enjoy this story about Town Creek at High Falls Park in Grove Oak, AL!

Continue reading “Celebrating Town Creek at High Falls Park”

By Sydney Zinner

2025 was another busy year for AWW Staff, Volunteer Trainers, and Monitors! We appreciate the time and effort our Volunteer Trainers, Monitors, workshop participants, and program partners dedicated to making this another successful year of monitoring trainings and professional development opportunities.

Take a look at the brief recap below, and be on the lookout for more details in our 2025 AWW Annual Reporting coming in February 2026!

Continue reading “2025 Workshop Recap”

By: Amy Zvonar

BraveHeart Center for Place and Purpose (BCPP) and Alabama Water Watch (AWW) journeyed to nearby Kreher Preserve and Nature Center (KPNC) on a warm, fall day in November to practice the art of nature journaling.  Read on to discover how we used the journaling prompts “I notice”, “I wonder”, “It reminds me of”, to engage with the natural world!

Continue reading “Nature Journaling with BraveHeart Center for Place and Purpose”

By: Amy Zvonar

Alabama Cooperative Extension Agents make a splash with 4-H AWW training!

Making a Splash: Water Education Made Easy with 4-H Alabama Water Watch is an initiative to engage extension agents across the state in teaching AWW’s water resources programming. 14 extension agents (and a classroom teacher!) took advantage of this new workshop and discovered how easy and valuable it is to incorporate water lessons into their outreach efforts.  

Continue reading “Recap: 4-H AWW Professional Development Workshop”

In 2025, Alabama Water Watch Staff continued the webinar series, Understanding and Advancing Your Monitoring Data for Bacteriological and Water Chemistry Monitoring.

Continue reading “RECAP: Understanding & Advancing Your Monitoring Data Webinar Series”

Alabama Water Watch is seeking nominations from program participants and partners to recognize outstanding volunteers.

Nominations will be open through March 6th. Winners will be notified on March 31st and will be presented with their award at the 2026 AWW Annual Meeting in Opelika, AL on Saturday, June 06.

Continue reading “2026 Volunteer Awards: Call for Nominations”

Watershed stewardship is not all in the “big” wins and success stories. Stewardship can be practiced daily through appreciation and the simple act of noticing and sharing what is around you. 

Celebrating Water is an effort to encourage us to share the wonders that water brings to us through photos, poems, art, writing, or however you like to share the waters you cherish. If you have a Celebrating Water moment to share, email us at awwprog@auburn.edu!

Enjoy this story about Cedar Creek in Butler County, Alabama!

Continue reading “Celebrating Cedar Creek”