Dr. Bill Deutsch provided a few other AWW Program Updates, the centerpiece of his talk being his announcement that he is stepping down as Director of the AWW Program after about 22 years. Bill officially retired from Auburn University last June, and received Research Fellow, Emeritus status with AU. He has continued to work part-time and serve as the leader of AWW which has been ever so helpful during this year of greatchanges. Bill will continue to work with AWW and GWW, but felt it was time to pass the baton of Director.
The logical choice of successors was Eric Reutebuch, a long-term member of AWW’s staff and one who understands and believes in the importance of community-based water monitoring.
As Bill put it, “Eric is a detail man and people-person, with vast experience in water science, intimate knowledge of Alabama’s lakes and rivers, and a deep appreciation of what citizen volunteers can do to protect and restore our waterways.”
Eric has an M.S. in Fisheries from Auburn University. He has played many roles for AWW including grant writing, producing publications and articles about AWW groups, their monitoring, and how they are using data to better manage their watersheds. In addition to his work with AWW, Eric worked many years with Dr. David Bayne’s Rivers and Reservoirs Lab at AU. He is very knowledgeable about all things aquatic, has a volunteer spirit and loves the water. When he’s not working at AWW, you are likely to find him volunteering with Save Our Saugahatchee or Lake Watch of Lake Martin to protect water quality, or enjoying a day of fishing and boating. Eric will be a wonderful director for AWW – the Program is lucky to have him as a leader!
As Eric took his position as AWW Director, he reminded us of how far AWW has come in the past few years. Although AWW has gone through significant changes, the Program’s reach is strong and getting stronger thanks to dedicated citizen volunteers and the increased support of Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System.