Congratulations to our 2022-2023 AWWard Winners! Thank you all for your dedication, enthusiasm, and incredible contributions to the AWW Program. You are an integral part of our team!
Mullen & Debes Award for Monitor of the Year – Nicholas Williams
The Mullen & Debes Award for Monitor of the Year is presented to the volunteer monitor who sent the most water data records in the past year. This is the first year that the award bears the name Mullen and Debes that honor three of our all-time most active volunteer monitors, Mike and Alice Mullen and Janne Debes. These volunteers top the list year after year.
Nick started sampling with AWW in 2018 on the Magnolia and Bon Secour Rivers. This past year, he submitted 69 chemistry records and 31 bacteria records for a combined 100 data records for 2022, and adding to his all-time 273 water data records! This is an impressive accomplishment since going through his initial certifications.
We greatly appreciate the effort that Nicholas has made to conduct all that monitoring and encouraging others to do the same.
Trainer of the Year – Mimi Fearn
The Trainer of the Year Award is intended for Volunteer Trainers who have shown outstanding dedication to AWW and have conducted the most workshops each year. It may be no surprise that this year’s Trainer of the Year is Mimi Fearn – her fourth year in a row receiving the award!
In 2022 alone, Mimi conducted 18 workshops! Since going through her initial Training of Trainers Workshop in 2001, Mimi has conducted a total of 150 workshops, an amazing accomplishment! Mimi has been an active part of AWW and her local group the Dog River Clearwater Revival, based in Mobile, for more than 25 years. Upon her retirement as a geography professor at the University of South Alabama, she became even more active with AWW and has played a major role in the revival and creation of multiple coastal AWW groups.
We greatly appreciate her involvement with AWW and her effort to train others as community scientists!
Emerging Trainer of the Year – Anne Krichten
The Emerging Trainer Award recognizes a new Volunteer Trainer who has shown outstanding leadership and dedication to AWW. We are excited to recognize Anne Krichten as the second recipient of this award!
Since her initial Training of Trainers workshop in 2022, Anne has been enthusiastically involved in 5 trainings and has helped AWW facilitate successful trainings at the Birmingham Zoo, where she is the Manager of Learning, for dozens of folks, including Zoo staff!
In her capacity at the Birmingham Zoo, she has been monitoring the health of a Cahaba tributary for two years while helping Birmingham Zoo staff, citizen science interns, and local educators learn the ropes for successful watershed monitoring in Jefferson County and beyond. Anne and is excited to offer more support to teachers and enthusiasts throughout the state as an AWW Trainer located in Birmingham and through her new citizen science outreach programs for schools.
4-H AWW Group of the Year – Dora High School Water Watch
The 4-H AWW Group of the Year Award is intended to recognize a 4-H AWW group who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and accomplishment to the 4-H AWW Program through monitoring. This year’s award was given to Dora High School 4-H AWW led by their teacher, Martha Salomaa, and supported by Walker County 4-H Agent, Rebecca Persons.
Martha knew the Dora High School students shared her concerns about our rivers, and in February 2020, she and her students became certified in both chemistry and bacteriological monitoring. They currently monitors two sites on the Mulberry Fork. Martha says her students feel empowered to collect and use data to make positive impacts in their community because of their experience with AWW. We love that!
We are excited to have them as part of AWW and congrats on being our 4-H AWW Group of the Year.
Confluence Award – USFS & Wild Alabama
The AWW Confluence Award recognizes exemplary partnerships that significantly contribute to the AWW mission and goals. We are happy to present the award to the US Forest Service National Forests in Alabama and Wild Alabama!
The successful partnership forged between the USFS National Forests in Alabama, AWW, and Wild Alabama has been integral to the success of the USFS funded project: Developing a Citizen Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program in Alabama’s National Forests, which you heard about earlier in our Program. Because of the great teamwork between our organizations, citizens have gained knowledge and skills related to water monitoring, and have acquired a new perspective on our National Forests. Many were introduced to the beauty of National Forests in Alabama for the first time!
Estella Smith is the Forest Soil Scientist for the National Forests in Alabama and has been our USFS Partner throughout. She has not only helped to lead the project hear in Alabama, but has also shared our successes with others throughout USFS. Estella represents others with the USFS, especially District Ranger Offices, that have been integral to the project as well.
Maggie Johnston is the Director of Wild Alabama. She and other staff including Jonathan, Lindsay, Kim, and Janice, have helped to recruit volunteer monitors and have done a considerable amount of monitoring themselves. In the next phase of our project, Wild Alabama will have its own AWW Trainer on staff, which is very exciting!
Our organizations have the shared goal of protecting and improving Alabama’s environment, which cannot be achieved without the kind of teamwork we feel is exhibited by this partnership. We look forward to continued partnership.
Water Spirit Award – Hana Berres
The Eric Reutebuch Water Spirit Award is inspired and named after Eric Reutebuch, AWW’s former Director, whose work at AWW has left a legacy. Eric was, and continues to be, an integral part of the AWW Program.
The Water Spirit Award recognizes and honors someone who, like Eric, exemplifies a spirit of involvement, enthusiasm, and concern for water resources in Alabama and beyond. This individual takes the definition of “water spirit” to another level by truly loving all things related to water, instilling love and respect for water in others, and dedicating their life’s work to protecting and restoring water quality. If you know Hana Berres, you can attest to the fact that she is deeply deserving of this special honor!
Hana has spent the last 25 years educating community members about polluted stormwater runoff and how they can be better stewards of water resources. She is a talented environmental educator and expert outreach coordinator. AWW has been lucky to have her fulfil many roles including Trainer, AWW Association Board Member, project partner, and one of AWW’s biggest advocates.
Hana’s dedication to AWW has greatly contributed to its success at educating and training citizens. Her enthusiasm and joyful attitude are contagious. She truly embodies the “Water Spirit” that we hope other AWW volunteers, staff, and supporters will emulate.
We appreciate Hana so much and are thankful to call her a friend!
Thank you to all of our 2023 Award Winners and congratulations on your hard work!