On Friday, June 23, 2023, AWW Staff trained a new group of water chemistry and bacteriological monitors on the shores of beautiful Lake Guntersville. We also had the pleasure of recertifying several of our long time volunteer monitors.
The training was hosted by Marshall County RSVP, which recently relocated to a new, beautiful building. RSVP staff and volunteers served as the perfect hosts for this event. Besides being very welcoming, RSVP is well-versed in all things AWW as they have been active with the program since 1999! Since that time, RSVP AWW volunteer monitors have submitted more than 12,000 water data records, which is more than any other group. You could say that around 10% of all AWW data records are Marshall County RSVP records. Incredible!
Through this training, a total of 24 water chemistry and 28 bacteriological monitors received their first certifications. Before attending the field day, they completed required online coursework that provided them with a solid background on topics related to water monitoring.
An additional 10 volunteers completed their required recertification for water chemistry monitoring. Many participants were local to Guntersville, but others traveled from as far away as Huntsville, Florence, Cullman, and Hamilton to participate. There were several teachers in the group, a few college students, and at least one father-daughter pair.
Sergio had fun while overseeing the recertification session. Photo Credit: Mona Dominguez
Other special workshop guests included the pair of bald eagles that chose to hang out just across the lake from us while we conducted field work. There was an eagle’s nest nearby, making this is a go-to site for eagle sightings.
Thanks to all of our workshop participants and to Marshall County RSVP for helping us to make this great day happen. We can’t wait to return!
