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 our first Celebrating Water feature by AWW Staffer Amy Zvonar.
Voice of the Rivers
By Amy Zvonar
On a recent quest for poems about rivers, I came across The Dart by Alice Oswald. Oswald interviewed people who lived and worked along the River Dart in England to write the poem. I have only been able to read excerpts, but the brief reflections shared by the interviewees give the river a voice. Reading The Dart turned my mind to the many rivers and waterways coursing through Alabama and the abundance of life they support. Oswald’s poem is compelling because of the variety of people who give their voice to the river as it flows from source to sea.
Alabama Water Watch similarly thrives because we have volunteers and supporters all over the state who care for and build relationships to our waterways. This month, I want to share a story of a local creek in Lee County I am getting to know.
In the coming months we want to invite you to share your story and pictures of a local waterway. Help us celebrate the abundance of water that makes Alabama “America’s Amazon.”
Getting acquainted with Pepperell Branch creek
It can be easy to ignore water as we drive past it, over it, or around it during our daily lives. This was my experience on a road I have traveled regularly, until very recently, when a new trail sign drew my attention. My spouse and I decided on a spontaneous pit stop to walk a portion of the newly constructed Creekline trail system in Opelika, AL.
Although the portion of the Pepperell Branch-Waverly Trail we walked was less than a mile, it took us nearly an hour to complete because of the many engaging moments we experienced!
Each bend of the creek brought us something new to see, hear, or smell. Our entire walk was full of the sounds of birds like Summer Tanagers and American Goldfinches, and I was ebullient when I heard a bird singing that I could not recognize. Clearly, I still need to practice my birding by ear, which means I will just need to take another trip back to the creek!
There are also benches situated at accessible points along bends in the creek. The benches felt like an invitation to stay and have an immersive experience in nature, delivered by the people who care about this portion of the creek.
Pausing to look around at a bench helped me notice some familiar wildlife as well! I found many of my favorite flowers and it was my spouse’s first opportunity to observe a pair of two-lined walking sticks!
Purple passionflower grows along the Creekline trail. This is a host plant for gulf fritillary butterflies. As a child, I saw my first butterfly chrysalis on one of these plants!
Reflecting on my walk, I realize that the continuous, meandering flow of the creek in the background made my experience possible. The wildlife I reveled in seeing and the trail I enjoyed walking along exist because of the creek’s presence. This was just the beginning of my exploration of Pepperrell Branch, and there are many, many more stories that could give a voice to the creek.
Already I am on AWW’s Water Data page checking out an active site near the creek and wondering about the stories the data will reveal. I hope you will share a short story about a waterway near you, so we can all get to know and hear the voices of the water and build our capacity to protect Alabama’s waterways!