Congratulations to our 2021-2022 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 Award for Monitor of the Year
The Mullen Award for Monitor of the Year is presented to the volunteer monitor who sent the most water data records in the past year. The award is in honor of Mike and Alice Mullen, who throughout the years have sent over 8,065+ records and continue to top the list every year.
This past year, Janne Debes submitted 223 chemistry records and 129 bacteria records adding to her all-time 1,250+ water data records, landing her the Mullen Award for the 5th year in a row! This is an impressive accomplishment since going through her initial certifications in December 2016 and February 2017.
We greatly appreciate the effort that Janne has made to conduct all that monitoring and encouraging others to do the same.
Trainers of the Year
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. This year, we are excited to present this award to two very deserving Volunteer Trainers, Mimi Fearn and Madison Blanchard.
In 2021-2022 alone, Mimi and Madison EACH conducted 15 workshops! Each workshop takes a considerable amount of planning, preparation, and energy. We greatly appreciate the effort that they have made to train others as citizen scientists.
Since going through her initial Training of Trainers Workshop in 2001, Mimi has conducted a total of 134 workshops. Madison hit the ground running after her initial Training of Trainers Workshop in 2020, as she has conducted a total of 26 workshops. Amazing accomplishments!
As we discuss in our Training of Trainers Workshop, AWW Trainers are the “face of AWW” for many volunteers and Madison and Mimi represent AWW so well in their workshops and beyond.
4-H AWW Educators of the Year
The 4-H AWW Educator of the Year Award is intended to recognize a 4-H AWW educator who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and accomplishment to the 4-H AWW Program by engaging youth in water education and monitoring.
Since getting involved with 4-H AWW in 2014, Michael has involved hundreds of students with 4-H AWW in Etowah County and has promoted 4-H AWW to your colleagues in Alabama 4-H; helping to grow the program. Michael have left a legacy in Etowah County, and now in Madison County he is continuing the 4-H AWW Program.
Jennifer is the 4-H Regional Extension Agent for Cleburne County and has been involved with the 4-H AWW Program since 2017. She has reached hundreds of students with 4-H AWW in Calhoun County. Jennifer has left a legacy in Calhoun County, and now in Cleburne County where she is establishing a brand-new 4-H AWW Program!
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated outstanding service and accomplishment related to the protection and restoration of watersheds through water monitoring. We all agree that Friends of the Locust Fork River (FLFR) is deeply deserving of this honor!
Since the first FLFR group workshop conducted in 1993, the group has submitted nearly 1,200 total records… but FLFR is so much more than the data collected, as monitors’ passion for watershed stewardship and education is evident in everything they do!
We are so grateful that FLFR continues to be such a strong part of AWW and for their leadership in the communities surrounding the Locust Fork River. Keep up the great work!