Save Our Saugahatchee water monitors got some great news at their last group meeting in mid-October – funding from local government to support their ongoing water monitoring activities in the Saugahatchee Watershed! This was extremely welcome and important news on several fronts:
SOS has very limited financial resources,
given the ongoing rapid development, the Saugahatchee Watershed needs TLC now more than ever, and
support by local governmental entities equates to them ‘buying-in’ to Alabama Water Watch’s Community-based Watershed Stewardship model – a big boost for SOS monitoring and watershed stewardship efforts!
Cliff Webber and Eric Reutebuch (on left, SOS board member and president) ceremonially receive support for annual water monitoring supplies from Joey Hundley, Dan Ballard and Scott Parker (center and to the right, representing Lee County, City of Auburn and City of Opelika).
The AWW family mourns the loss of Bill Peters, AWW monitor, citizen trainer, mentor and friend. Bill completed his earthly work on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014. In addition to his work with AWW and the Living River Center on the Cahaba River, Bill also encouraged young people to get involved with their local water resources. In this blog article from 2012, Water Watching Inspires a Sumter Eagle to Soar, we read how Bill inspired his niece to begin water monitoring on the Tombigbee River – which led to a study project and prizes in local, district and state level science fairs. We plan to publish an article soon about Bill’s work with Katie Morris, a high school student in Montevallo who recently achieved the Gold Award in Scouting. Our sincere condolences go out to Bill’s wife, Flo, and their children, Donna and Mike. We will miss you, Bill!
2013 Restoration and Protection Award Winners: Bill Peters and Gene Grimes (the Living River Center), pictured above Gene Grimes, Bill Peters (center), Bill Deutsch.
The name of the game in these days of tight-and-diminishing budgets is collaboration and partnerships. AWW recently learned of a major statewide effort to recover and restore imperiled threatened and endangered aquatic species in streams throughout Alabama. The recently-formed Alabama Rivers and Streams Network (ARSN) is a coalition of several groups and dedicated individuals who are pooling resources and efforts to protect our rich aquatic biodiversity, which in many areas is suffering, see www.alh2o.org.
Sarah Juliana Dominguez finally arrived after taking the ‘scenic route’ in the delivery room (according to an exhausted but ecstatic Mommy Mona – Daddy Ariel looks pretty whooped too)!
Check out this informative and insightful article, Origin of the Alabama Water Resources Paradigm: How Did We Get Here?, in the latest issue of The WAVE (Summer 2014), the official publication of the Alabama Water Environment Association (AWEA). The article, written by, Bennett L. Bearden, J.D., LL.M., J.S.D., Special Counsel on Water Law and Policy, Alabama Water Agencies Working Group (AWAWG), chronicles the evolution of the current water policy paradigm in Alabama at the advent of the Governor’s release of the AWAWG report on April 17.
Check out this article featured in the latest issue of Alabama’s Treasured Forests, co-authored by By David Dyson, USDA Forest Service; Tara Muenz, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream; and Eric Reutebuch, Alabama Water Watch:
The AU Water Resources Center and AWW in partnership with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the AU College of Agriculture recently held the 2014 Tallapoosa Basin Conference (TBC). The TBC was initiated back in 2005 as part of a large, multi-disciplinary research and outreach effort funded by the USDA-CSREES known as the Tallapoosa Watershed Project. A variety of grants, funds and partners were involved in the conference through the years.
Sam Fowler, Director of the AU Water Resources Center, welcomes the 100+ attendees to the Tallapoosa Basin Conference.
Cliff Webber, long-time Save Our Saugahatchee water monitor, board member and former President was honored recently by receiving the 2013 W. Kelly Mosley Award: ww.aces.edu/natural-resources/mosley
Cliff Webber (left) is presented with the 2013 W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Award by John Jensen (center) and Eric Reutebuch (right) last December.
Read about the revived water quality monitoring efforts of a dedicated troop of citizen volunteer monitors empowered by AWW to monitor the waters of Alabama’s Treasured Lake, led by Lake Watch Technical Coordinator and AWW-certified trainer, Ann Campbell.
Ann and Matt Campbell hosting an AWW Bacteriological Monitoring Workshop at their home on Lake Martin (Matt demonstrates how NOT to transfer the media into a petri dish 🙂
Those of you who are familiar with the Alabama Water Watch (AWW) Program probably know that we went through a rough patch the past few years (as did many other volunteer-based organizations, NGOs, as well as state and federal agencies). Funding from grants has been much more limited and the competition for fewer grant dollars has greatly increased. Thanks to support from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, and integration into the AU Water Resources Center, AWW’s future is a bright one! The move to AWW’s new home and merger with the AU Water Resources Center in the new Hubbard CASIC Building at 559 Devall Drive at Auburn University was completed in September of 2013.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the AWW staff, our dedicated volunteer trainers, and dozens of veteran monitors and newly-certified monitors, 2013 was a very productive year. Accomplishments included:
