AWW @ Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Team Meeting

As many of our volunteers know, AWW is part of the Auburn University Water Resources Center (AUWRC), which receives support from the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES). What folks may not know is that AWW and WRC Staff are part of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources (AFNR) team within Extension, which includes professionals from Aquatic Resources, Horticulture, Home Grounds, Gardens, and Home Pests, Poultry, Food Safety, and more.

Beautiful morning view from the Lodge on Lake Guntersville. Photo credit: Bree Minton

The AFNR Team meets annually to discuss program goals and foster community amongst team members. This year, the meeting was held at the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge, with a field trip to Graham Farms, about an hour north of Guntersville.  

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Sea Turtles

Alabama is home to five of the six marine turtles documented in continental U.S. waters. There are seven global species of sea turtles, but the ones that we have here include and of seven total global species, including Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Flatback.

The five sea turtles that can be found on the Alabama coast are Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, and Hawksbill. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), all sea turtles found in the U.S. are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Green Sea Turtle basking on the beach. Photo credit: Alan Cressler, Flickr
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AWW Tables at the Auburn University Sustainability Picnic 

The AU Office of Sustainability’s annual Sustainability Picnic celebrates the community’s actions towards sustainable living while calling attention to the work that still needs to be done towards goals for Nature, Economy, Society, and Wellbeing.

Sustainable Irrigation Expansion Project Coordinator Adam Newby represents the WRC. Photo credit: Sydney Zinner
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Alabama Rivers Educator Workshop in Prattville

Group photo after educators learned about how rivers formed through Towel Tectonics. Photo credit: Sydney Zinner

Thanks to our friends and workshop sponsors at Legacy, Partners in Environmental Education, AWW’s Mona and Sydney along with Dr. Bill Deutsch got to travel down to Prattville in late June for an Alabama Rivers Educator Workshop. Alabama Rivers Educator Workshops focus on curriculum based on the book, Alabama Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge by Dr. Deutsch.

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Exploring Pathogen Pollution in Our Waters Educator Professional Development Training 

On June 6-7, 2023, a new cohort of educators gathered at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana to complete their certification as 4-H Alabama Water Watch (AWW) Educators who will conduct bacteriological monitoring with their students in the coming school year. This is the second cohort of educators to be part of this NOAA BWET-funded project, which started with the first cohort in 2021. 

Educators wrap up bacteria monitoring on Lay Lake and pose by the Alabama 4-H Center sign. Photo Credit: Mona Dominguez
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AWW @ EEAA 2023

AWW Program Staffers Mona and Sydney, along with former AWW Director Dr. Bill Deutsch, had a great few days learning and exploring at the 2023 Environmental Education Association of Alabama Conference at Lake Point State Park in Eufaula, AL in early February.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. Photo credit: Sydney Zinner

The EEAA Conference was a great opportunity to meet and network with amazing environmental educators across Alabama, and to learn new and exciting ways to teach kids (and adults!) about environmental stewardship. Take a look at a few of the conference highlights below.

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