By: Eric Reutebuch
You may recall our previous AWWareness blog article, AWWsome Infographic! . We were thrilled to receive an all-time record number of responses to the post, requesting use of the beautiful infographic that Miss Jennie Powers created as an AU class project. Folks from all over the state asked if they could use the new infographic in their education and outreach efforts. Our answer – DEFINITELY, PLEASE DO! Jennie, in all of her kindness, gifted her work to AWW, and would be thrilled if you/your group/your school/your agency would utilize her work to increase awareness of our bountiful aquatic biodiversity here in Alabama.
We also received numerous excellent comments/edits/suggestions from many keen-eyed and highly knowledgeable individuals. In fact, the infographic initiated a greatly-needed exchange among state agency folks, university folks and others about the estimates of our aquatic resources here in Alabama. We here at AWW have been using the ‘greater than 77,000 miles of streams and rivers in AL’ since we printed our first brochures and manuals back in the early 1990s. As a result of the infographic and ensuing communications, the good folks at the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) conducted an updated GIS analysis of Alabama streams using much-improved digital stream data (USGS NHD*, which was not available in the early 1990s and contains much more detail than the previously-used 1:100,000 scale data). The number came out to be a whopping 132,419 miles of streams and rivers – now that is truly AWWsome! Thus, Alabama is a very, very rich state relative to water resources!
Not only that, but the state’s aquatic biological richness estimates have been updated too. The good folks at GSA recently conducted a freshwater fish species inventory for the state, and bumped the previous count of 325 up to 332 (not counting the ~ 15 introduced, nonnative freshwater fish species in AL), and we’re STILL No. 1 in the U.S.!
I cannot absolutely guarantee that the values presented here will not be tweaked further, but after vetting the infographic with biological experts at the GSA (Ecosystems Investigations Program), Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center and the AU Department of Biological Sciences, we think we’ve got the most up-to-date information currently available. So, after numerous edits/updates/additions, here is the new, improved AWWsome Infographic 2.0; we hope that it proves valuable in increasing awareness of our aquatic treasures:
Large format pdf (28″x51″) : America’s Amazon – LF
Medium format pdf (14″x25.5″): America’s Amazon – MF
Small format pdf (11″x17″): America’s Amazon – SF
Poster frame format** pdf (22″x34″): America’s Amazon – PFF
*For more information, go to the USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) Best Resolution for Alabama by googling ‘best resolution data for alabama’.
This is a very well done and informative info graphic. I would love to share it on social media!
Here’s what others had to say about the Infographic 2.0:
Looks great! I would love to have a larger copy of this for my 4-H programming; Simon Carbone.
Excellent resource! Would you like for us to mention this in our next newsletter?; Mark Berte, Executive Director Alabama Coastal Foundation.
We love it. We’ve used it in several presentations including an AWAWG meeting. I’ll be using it at the national River Rally this weekend. Mitch Reid, ARA.
I just sent it to our printer to have some copies made for our classroom. Thanks much! Tina Miller-Way, Chair, Discovery Hall Programs for Education and Outreach, Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
We have been using everywhere we can and it’s in our slide show for the Alabama part! Cindy Lowry, Executive Director, Alabama Rivers Alliance.
Fabulous! This would be a great resource for our environmental education programs, like Creek Kids at Tannehill.
Would it be possible to get an enlarged print? Kasie McKee, AL DCNR.
It would be wonderful if we could get a poster or a larger print, We would like to put it in the DeSoto State Park Nature Center. Brittney Hughes, Desoto State Park.
Great! It gave me a deep sense of pride to know how blessed we are in Alabama, as far as our diversity! It breaks my heart to see how little respect people have for the earth, land, water and wildlife. This is a great teaching tool and I would like to add this to my treasure box to share every opportunity that I can. I also am very interested in being a Water Watch monitor, especially the stream ecology monitoring. Thanks for all your organization and dedicated volunteers have done, are doing and will be doing to save and secure our state and it’s wonderful biodiversity! God bless America! Beverly Cole.
Fantastic! I would love to use this in my class! Amy Grilliot, Professor, Troy University.
Very nice graphic! Would love a higher resolution version if available to use at the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Thanks! John Friel, Director, Alabama Museum of Natural History.
This is a great infographic! The Geological Survey of Alabama would be thrilled if you would allow us to use this infographic on the Alabama H20 (SHU) website, if that is OK. http://www.alh20.org/ Great work!! Anne Wynn, Geological Survey of Alabama.
We would love to have Jennie’s permission to use this graphic in some of our teaching. We agree that every child in Alabama needs to know how special Alabama is. Tina Miller-Way, Chair, Discovery Hall Programs for Education and Outreach, Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Thanks so much. Dr. Borom will be thrilled. Kathy Hicks, Event Coordinator, Five Rivers – Alabama’s Delta Resource Center