Congratulations to our 2024-2025 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 – John Witt
The Monitor of the Year Award bears the name Mullen and Debes in honor of three of our all-time most active volunteer monitors, Mike and Alice Mullen and Janne Debes.
As a relatively new monitor, John is setting his own astonishing pace. In 2024 he submitted an impressive 139 monitoring records, including 67 water chemistry and 72 bacteriological samples. Additionally, he has submitted more than 500 data records since earning his AWW certification in 2023!
John monitors 12 sites across 7 waterbodies in the Tennessee River Valley, including Antioch Lake, Big Creek, Davis Branch, Elk River, Mill Creek, Sulphur Creek, and Williams Spring Branch. His commitment and consistency in such a short time have been truly inspiring.
We appreciate John’s time and dedication to monitoring Alabama’s waters!
Trainer of the Year – Angie Eckman
The Trainer of the Year Award recognizes Volunteer Trainers who have shown outstanding dedication to AWW and have conducted the most workshops each year.
In 2024, Angie conducted 19 training sessions, and since going through her initial Training of Trainers Workshop in 2022, she has conducted over 50 training sessions!
In addition to her monitoring and training efforts, Angie has played a key role in recruiting and mentoring new AWW Volunteer Trainers, ensuring the sustainability and reach of the AWW program in coastal Alabama.
We appreciate Angie’s time, hard work, and commitment to community science and public education!
Group of the Year – Dog River Clearwater Revival
The Group of the Year Award honors the volunteer monitoring group that submitted the most water quality data records in the past calendar year — a recognition of both dedication and impact in protecting Alabama waterways.
DRCR has been monitoring with AWW for more than 25 years! Their activity has exploded during the last decade putting it consistently at the top for the most active groups. This robust volunteer monitoring network is currently overseeing monthly sampling of around 30 sites throughout the Dog River watershed.
In 2024, DRCR submitted 635 water chemistry and bacteriological data records, the highest number of data records for any group. Since they began their involvement with water monitoring, they have submitted nearly 5,500 data records! DRCR is a model group that not only actively recruits and trains new volunteers and provides them with the monitoring materials they need, but also ensures that their data is making a difference in the watershed.
DRCR monitors are a diverse group of citizen scientists of all ages and experience. DRCR is dedicated to clean water and getting folks out to enjoy all the beauty and fun Dog River has to offer, and it shows!
We appreciate members of Dog River Clearwater Revival for their exceptional service and leadership.
4-H AWW Educators of the Year Award – Pamela Baker & Krista Flemming
Pamela Baker
The 4-H AWW Educator of the Year Award recognizes 4-H AWW Educators who have demonstrated outstanding dedication and accomplishment to the 4-H AWW Program by engaging youth in water education and monitoring.
This year we are excited to recognize two amazing 4-H AWW Educators of the year: Pamela Baker at Alma Bryant High School and 4-H AWW Gulf Shores High School educator Krista Fleming at Gulf Shores High School.
Both Pam and Krista participated with our first cohort of educators for the NOAA Bays and Watershed Education Training funded project, Exploring Pathogen Pollution in Our Waters.
Pamela Baker
Pamela leads the Coastal Environmental Science Signature Academy at Alma Bryant High School in Irvington, Alabama, which is near Bayou La Batre. She utilizes hands-on, real-world instruction to connect her students to their coastal environment. She is known for her ability to create immersive, inquiry-based experiences for her students, many of whom come from low-income, rural backgrounds.
Over the past four school years, she has introduced nearly 400 students from her Honors Marine Science, Environmental Management, Aquaculture, and Honors Biology courses to concepts related to water monitoring, stewardship, and how to identify and solve water quality problems.
She and her students have submitted 50 bacteriological water data records and nearly 100 water chemistry data records from six different sites in the Bayou La Batre watershed. Through this process, experiential learning connected to water quality has become a meaningful part of her students’ education. Furthermore, 4-H AWW Alma Bryant High School is the only group currently collecting data for AWW in this important part of our state. Besides the monitoring they conduct with AWW, they are also participating in habitat restoration efforts for Lightning Point in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
She and her students have submitted 50 bacteriological water data records and nearly 100 water chemistry data records from six different sites in the Bayou La Batre watershed… Experiential learning connected to water quality has become a meaningful part of her students’ education. Furthermore, 4-H AWW Alma Bryant High School is the only group currently collecting data for AWW in this important part of our state. Besides the monitoring they conduct with AWW, they are also participating in habitat restoration efforts for Lightning Point in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Krista Flemming
Over the past four school years, Krista has involved over 150 students with AWW. Her 4-H AWW Gulf Shores High School group has submitted 27 water data records from their site on Little Lagoon to help assess the safety of local waters for recreational use. These real-world, hands-on experiences have become a meaningful part of her students’ education and environmental awareness.
Krista brings more than 20 years of experience as an educator, currently teaching Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science, and Marine Science at Gulf Shores High School. She is the Chair of the Science by the Shore Committee for Gulf Shores City Schools. In this role, she collaborates with K–12 teachers to develop engaging, standards-aligned science lessons that connect students with their unique coastal environment.
Krista’s students don’t just learn science—they experience it. Through partnerships with local organizations like the Little Lagoon Preservation Society and Gulf State Park, her students grow oysters for reef restoration, participate in living shoreline projects, restore coastal sand dunes to reduce flooding risks, and of monitor water quality to understand public health and environmental issues
We appreciate the impact Krista and Pam have had not only on their students, but their peers. Our state is certainly better because of amazing teachers like them!
Lifetime Achievement Award – Linda Ruethemann
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual or group within the volunteer water quality monitoring community. This award is reserved for those who have demonstrated exceptional service, unwavering commitment, and remarkable accomplishments over an extended period in the pursuit of safeguarding and rehabilitating watersheds through the practice of water monitoring.
Linda has exemplified these values for more than two decades. She was first certified as an AWW Volunteer Monitor in July 2004 by Bill Deutsch, and she has monitored regularly at the same site on Logan Martin Lake ever since. Her dedication to stewardship is evidenced by her submission of over 170 water chemistry records – a testament to her consistency and care for her watershed.
In 2014, Linda expanded her impact by becoming a Volunteer Trainer, and since then, she has conducted 24 water quality monitoring training sessions alongside fellow Volunteer Trainer (and nominator), Isabella Trussell. Isabella notes, “Linda never fails to give a thorough and well-organized training – not only about AWW and [water quality] monitoring, but also about… Logan Martin Lake Protection Association and its programs.”
Linda’s leadership within LMLPA is extensive. She has served in multiple officer roles, including President, Secretary, and currently as Treasurer, where she manages the annual budget and ensures that funding supports essential programs such as water monitoring, Swim Guide participation, and the Annual Monitors Lunch. In fact, Linda initiated the Annual Lunch, providing a valued opportunity for LMLPA monitors to gather, connect, and share experiences.
Behind the scenes, Linda manages LMLPA’s chemical inventory with such attention to detail – recording lot numbers, expiration dates, and packaging supplies – that her system has inspired how AWW Staff manage materials.
Her nominator, Isabella, shared, “I’ve known Linda since my own training. Her passion for protecting the lake, supporting volunteers, and improving our community is unmatched. She’s been such an integral part of LMLPA… that I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of her achievements!”
We appreciate Linda for her years of tireless service which have inspired countless others to join the cause of protecting Alabama’s waters!
Thank you to all of our 2025 Award Winners and congratulations on your hard work!