The Official Blog of Alabama Water Watch
AWW Staffer Sydney Zinner was joined by AWWesome Volunteer Trainers Hana Berres, Anne Krichten and new Trainer Intern Dr. Cindy Tant at the Birmingham Zoo for a series of Water Chemistry, Bacteriological, and Stream Biomonitoring Trainings.
Since 2019, AWW has been working with the US Forest Service to build a network of citizen scientists to collect valuable water quality data from waterbodies in Alabama’s National Forests (NFALs). To date, volunteer monitors assisting with the project have submitted over 600 water data records from NFALs. You can learn more from the project’s StoryMap.
We are looking for our next cohort of volunteers who can continue the mission of this project and help expand it to new NFAL’s!
Continue reading “Monitor Water Quality on Alabama’s National Forests this Spring!”WE ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING APPLICATIONS FOR THE AWW TIGER GIVING PROJECT MINI-GRANT PROGRAM!!
2024 Application: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_daIXmygs0Vctd4O
If you are a certified AWW monitor and need some help to get started monitoring at an orphaned site or a new site, in the form of a water chemistry test kit, water chemistry reagents to refill an existing kit, or bacteria supplies, this mini-grant program is for you!
Please note: Funding is limited and demands are high for monitoring supplies among our volunteers. Please, only request materials if you are serious about your plans to monitor.
Continue reading “AWW Tiger Giving Project, Protect Alabama Waterways, Mini-grant Program”
By: Jera Dills
AWW Staffers Mona, Sergio, Sydney, and Jera kicked the new year off strong by completing the first training session of 2024 in early February! We were very excited to have a diverse gathering of Extension and 4-H Agents, college professors and students from Huntingdon College, Faulkner University, and Auburn University at Montgomery, members of the newly formed Friends of the Alabama River, Lake Jordan HOBOs, and many others who cohesively shared a goal to protect Alabama’s waterways through routine monitoring.
Jera started with Alabama Water Watch and the AU Water Resources Center in February 2024 and will help with marketing and communications, event organizing, volunteer coordination, data processing, and more! She is a fantastic addition to AWW and the WRC as she is very enthusiastic about her work and brings a positive energy to everything she does!
We’d like to officially welcome Jera to the team and want you all to get to know her a little better through the Q&A below.
Alabama Water Watch, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, is excited to announce the next round of the water quality monitoring project in the National Forests in Alabama!
Continue reading “National Forest Water Monitoring Trainings”For the first time, Alabama Water Watch is seeking nominations from program participants and partners to recognize outstanding volunteers.
Nominations will be open through March 5th. Winners will be notified at the end of March and will be presented with their award at the 2024 AWW Annual Meeting in Auburn, AL on Saturday, June 8.
Continue reading “2024 AWW Volunteer Awards: Call For Nominations”
Attention 4-12 grade teachers throughout the state (in ALL COUNTIES!) who would like an opportunity to engage your students with citizen science and watershed stewardship! 4-H Alabama Water Watch is happy to announce the continuation and expansion of the Exploring Pathogen Pollution in Our Waters Project, which is supported by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bays and Watershed Education Training (BWET) Program.
Teachers can apply for a limited number of spots to participate in the required Professional Development Training that will prepare them to conduct bacteriological monitoring and other project activities with their students during the 2024-2025 school year. Review the description below of the Professional Development Training and how teachers implement the project with their students to decide if this project is a good fit for your classroom.
October’s 12 Months of Alabama Aquatic Critters will focus on one of the smaller species found in the State’s waters…aquatic snails!
Freshwater snails are the “janitors” of the water, grazing on algae and dead plant matter from underwater substrate. Snails have an important role in the food chain, providing meals for crayfish, turtles, fish, and waterfowl.
Dr. Paul Johnson with the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center noted that Alabama is home to approximately 210 freshwater snail species. With such a diversity of species, we are only able to highlight a few, but you can view a more comprehensive list on the Outdoor Alabama website by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Water Center Staff Carolina Ruiz, Jessie Curl, and Sydney Zinner demonstrated watersheds and water pollution with the Enviroscape Model for the BraveHeart Center for Place and Purpose (BCPP), also known as BraveHearts. BraveHearts is a collaborative community program within the AU Social Work Program.
