AWWareness

by: eric reutebuch

Several years ago, Trina Ludvik was among the charter class of environmental educators who were certified in the Exploring Alabama’s Living Streams (EALS) curriculum. The curriculum was developed by Alabama Water Watch (AWW) and the AU Department of Curriculum and Teaching, and adapted from AWW’s Stream Biomonitoring manual and protocols (click here for information on EALS).

Students apply a rain event to their watersheds
Click here for more pictures

Due to the classes she was teaching at the time at Bessemer Academy (in Bessemer AL), she was unable to implement the curriculum as a stand-alone unit as it is intended to be taught.  The best she could do was to work in a little stream macroinvertebrate sampling for Earth Day, a few group activities from the Project Wet, and a little watershed education here and there.  This school year she was assigned to teach the high school’s environmental science class. Finally, to her delight, she had the opportunity to teach the EALS curriculum in full!

Several of the EALS hands-on activities brought the information to life for her students, and one in particular – building watershed models. She provided the ingredients for the salt dough, and the students got to work.  Through trial and error, they discovered the best way to angle the dough to create their headwater streams that fed into their lower reach streams. Creativity began to ‘flow’ as some asked to embellish their landscapes with rocks and sticks.  As soon as they got permission, several students ran outside to find their landscape materials.

The models took longer to dry than anticipated which tested the students’ patience.  Every day the students came into class, asking if today was the day that they could test their models.  After making sure they were hard and the paint was dry, the watershed models were taken outside to expose them to precipitation (a watering can!).  Most funneled the water perfectly, but even the few that didn’t provided Ms Ludvik with a way to explain the topography of wetlands.

She is working on having her students certified as AWW water monitors, or junior water watchers, a new program that AWW is considering.  There is a stream that runs through the school’s campus, so it’s the perfect scenario for EALS and Water Watching!

by: eric reutebuch

Alabama Water Watch and the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) teamed up with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for the Alabama’s Living Streams module of the new Alabama Master Naturalist (AMN) Program. Doyle Keasal, Alabama Master Naturalist Program Coordinator, organized the event.

The Alabama Master Naturalist Program has been developed to promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Alabama’s natural world among its citizens and visitors. The Program will strive to educate participants about our State’s natural resources while also helping to develop a statewide corps of well-informed volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities (taken from the AMN brochure, available at www.aces.edu/forestry/amn ).

Bill Deutsch discusses citizen role in watershed stewardship
Click here for more pictures

Presentations were given on the AU campus in the morning, followed by a field trip to Saugahatchee Creek in the afternoon. During the morning session, Doug Darr, ADCNR Aquatic Education Coordinator, gave an overview of the diversity of aquatic systems throughout Alabama, which contains the greatest diversity of aquatic creatures (fish, snails, mollusks) in the United States. Eric Reutebuch, AWW staffer, followed with a discussion on management of aquatic systems, and overview of threats to Alabama’s waters. Bill Deutsch, AWW Program Director concluded the morning with a discussion on understanding the role of citizens in watershed stewardship of Alabama’s streams, rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

The group traveled out to Saugahatchee Creek in the afternoon to get hands-on experience in sampling aquatic critters. Sergio Ruiz-Cordova gave a streamside overview of stream biomonitoring. He discussed how to sample the macroinvertebrate community (aquatic insects, snails, clams, crayfish), and then how to calculate an assessment of stream health from the sample. Participants proceeded to collect critters with nets and seines. A total of 15 different aquatic species from all three of the AWW groups were collected (Group 1 are sensitive to pollution, Group 3 are pollution-tolerant, and Group 2 are in between). This diverse community yielded an assessment rating of EXCELLENT for the Saugahatchee!

Doug completed the afternoon with a fish-seining exercise. With a couple of sweeps of the seine, the group was able to capture several fish species, including various stream shiners, sunfishes, and a catfish. Doug emphasized that collection of fish, crayfish, mussels and aquatic snails may require permits from the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.

Twenty-two individuals from all over the state participated. Several expressed interest in getting involved in watershed stewardship and Alabama Water Watch.

Bluegrass music and grassroots support were combined to raise $825.00 for Alabama Water Watch at an Auburn, AL restaurant recently. 
AWW monitors Liz Brennan, Brian Simpson and Donnie Addison, members of the “High Strung Dew Sippers”, along with fellow band members, Ross Wall, Lindsey Lester and  Sidney Simmons, put together an evening of fine music to benefit Alabama Water Watch.  The Big Blue Bagel was the scene and $3 was the cover charge to hear music performed by The ‘Dew Sippers’ and the lead-off group, “Band of Mothers”.  The place was packed, and strumming of banjo, mandolin, guitar, base, fiddle and washboard filled the air.  Many customers chose to donate above the cover charge for the cause.

When these young, talented Alabamians heard that AWW was facing serious funding cuts that will seriously impact AWW’s statewide citizen water monitoring program, they decided to act. Brennan said, “The High Strung Dew Sippers realize that what AWW does is of great importance to Alabama, and is in jeopardy. Since their funding was cut, one way to help save AWW is to get the word out, and encourage people to get involved by donating time and money for this cause. The benefit concert was a fun way to spread the word and raise some money.”

AWW would like to express sincere gratitude to the Dew Sippers, the Band of Mothers and the Big Blue Bagel for their support.  The Dew Sippers set up the venue, arranged the details and publicized the event.  Their initiative shows that great things can be accomplished, and encourages all of us to think of creative ways to keep AWW alive.

Along with raising money, the event also raised a sense of hope and faith in the goodness of our fellow woman and man. Thank you, Dew Sippers for your most generous gift of your time and talent in support of AWW!

Alabama Water Watch representatives traveled to Dadeville to talk about AWW, what it is, what it does, and what becoming a part of AWW means for the health of Lake Martin and its watershed.

Group effort: Mona Scruggs Dominguez from AWW
explains community involvement in water
monitoring
to the Dadeville Kiwanis Club.

Click here for the article in the Dadeville Record

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Deutsch! He was selected as the Water Conservationist of the Year by the Board of Directors of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.  He was recognized at the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards ceremony on August 5th in Prattville.

Click here for the Awards Program

 

Click here for AWF anouncement

Alabama Water Watch held its 18th Annual Meeting and Picnic at Comer Hall on the Auburn University campus in June. The event was a success by several measures. More than 80 people from all over the state attended. Nearly all of the state’s river basins were represented. Attendees included AWW volunteer monitors and representatives from elementary/secondary education, higher education, state government nongovernmental organizations and business.

 The meeting began with a pre-meeting computer-lab workshop on AWW web basics and advanced website tools. Participants learned how to access the more than 65, 000 online AWW water quality data records, how to graph water chemistry and bacteria (E. coli) data, and how to evaluate long-term data trends to see if their water quality is getting better or getting worse.

 After the workshop, the meeting officially began. Bill Deutsch, the AWW Program Director, welcomed everyone to a day of looking back and celebrating 19 years of accomplishments, and looking forward to a revitalized and growing Program. He introduced the first speaker, Mike Kensler, President of the Alabama Water Watch Association and Director of the AU Office of Sustainability.

 
Bill Deutsch, AWW Director, welcomes all to the meeting
(click Here for more pictures)

Role of AWWA in AWW’s Data-to-Action Plan

Mike spoke about the role of the Association, the nonprofit arm of AWW, in sustaining and revitalizing AWW. He emphasized that the success of AWW lay in the strength of its three parts: the AU-based AWW Program, all of the AWW groups and monitors throughout the state, and the nonprofit AWW Association. The Association provides support to the statewide AWW Program in the form of financial support, leadership development, monitor group development communications and outreach. He said that people who become members of the Alabama Water Watch Association can provide support to the AWW Program in several different ways, including financial donations, informal advertising and getting the word out about what AWW is and does, and doing presentations to various organizations and groups on AWW’s behalf.

Mike continued by saying that the AWW Story is one of significant accomplishments, and that the stats (number of sites monitored, number of water quality data records, number of trained and certified monitors) is only part of that story. He emphasized that the AWW Program is aspirational – looking toward a brighter future, and grounded on place-based citizen engagement. AWW empowers and facilitates citizens in taking care of the places that they know and love. He contended that this is a powerful idea, and that many people around the state are not clear on what AWW is and does.

Mike said that AWW has followed a well-documented pattern of organizational growth, characterized by sharp upward growth in its early years, then reaching a plateau. This plateau is usually followed by a slow downward trend if the organization is content in maintaining the status quo. Conversely, if the organization re-connects with its core mission and values, it can stimulate a second growth spurt. To this end, the Association developed a Strategic Plan, with the following five goals:

1. Increase public awareness and appreciation of Alabama Water Watch
2. Increase local AWW group effectiveness and impacts
3. Secure stronger, more stable support for AWW from Auburn University
4. Increase fund raising
5. Strengthen the AWW Association via strengthening membership and developing a stronger, more committed AWW Association Board of Directors.

Mike stated that water data is the backbone of everything that AWW does – it provides a scientific basis and rigor to citizen activism, which is a powerful force for conservation and positive change. But, he added, data are just numbers unless the numbers are properly interpreted to yield information, understanding and knowledge. Through the sharing and application of new knowledge comes positive action. It is this ‘Data-to-Action’ strategy that is key to a sustainable future for AWW.

Mike emphasized that people can participate and support AWW in several different ways, and water monitoring is just one of them. Other valuable and essential contributions can be made through public outreach and civic engagement. At a recent AWW Trainer-Refresher Workshop, Mike posed the following five thought-provoking questions:

1. Why do we monitor water?
2. What do we hope to achieve through our water monitoring?
3. What does AWW train monitors to do?
4. What should ‘perfectly-trained’ monitors learn to do?
5. What additional training would be helpful to move from Water Data to Action?

Here are the responses:

1. We monitor:

• Because we care
• To determine the status and trends in water quality of a waterbody
• To verify if water quality is adequate to support aquatic life
• To protect and preserve waterbodies for the next generation
• To address a local environmental impact
• To support enforcement of environmental regulations
• For peace of mind.

2. We hope to achieve:

• Understanding of current water quality conditions
• Protection and improvement in water quality
• Improvements in environmental regulations and water management policies
• Development of a sense of environmental stewardship that fosters positive changes in human behavior
• Clear demonstration that AWW is a valid and cost-effective means to achieve watershed stewardship.

3. AWW trains monitors to:

• Accurately test and record water data
• Be eyes and ears in the field
• Understand how the state actually works, and how it should ideally work to protect water quality
• Appreciate their watershed and how it influences their local water quality

‘4. Perfectly-trained’ monitors should learn to:

• Communicate effectively what AWW and the AWW Association are all about, and why they matter
• Recruit others to get involved in AWW
• Interpret their water data
• Get others to respect and follow AWW monitoring protocols so that the citizen volunteer monitor data maintain their credibility
• Put AWW water data to use to generate positive action.

5. Training in the following areas would be helpful; to move from Water Data to Action:

• Watershed management principals
• How changes in land use affect water quality/quantity
• How to effectively communicate
• How monitor groups can effectively connect with their mission, goals and values
• How to leverage AWW water data
• How to gain access to other groups and audiences
• How to spot erosion and sediment control violations
• Environmental ethics training
• How to network and build networks
• How to organize a stream/lake cleanup
• How to do a press release

Mike said that the Association has developed a ‘Road Show’ presentation to convey why the condition of Alabama’s waters matters, what AWW is doing to protect and preserve them, and what YOU can do to help. He said that the Association would be happy to give this presentation to any group that is interested in learning more about AWW and the Association, and that there are plans to develop a ‘Speakers Bureau’ to give the presentation all over the state.

Mike closed by stating that AWW has been serving the public’s interest throughout the state for the past 19 years – its been about empowering people and their communities to create a more sustainable future. And the challenge for all of us is to ensure that AWW continues to grow and thrive by increasing appreciation and awareness of what AWW is and what it does, and by building a strong, diverse financial base to support AWW now and in the future.

Data to Action – a new AWW Workshop

Eric Reutebuch, longtime AWW staffer, continued on the Data-to-Action theme with a presentation on the development of a brand new AWW workshop devoted to assisting AWW individual monitors and groups in getting positive action out of their water data. This would not only generate positive change for local waterbodies, but be very motivational to AWW monitors to see that their data is valuable.

Eric said that AWW focuses a lot of effort on training and certifying citizen monitors to collect science-based, credible water data. He stated that there are currently over 65,000 data records from all over Alabama that volunteer monitors have inputted to the AWW online database. As a precursor to positive action, he said that citizen monitors need to be knowledgeable about water quality standards to gauge their water data and evaluate if their local water is polluted (oftentimes it is not obvious). He reminded the audience that a great source of info on state water quality standards is their trusty AWW Water Chemistry and Bacteriological Monitoring manuals.

Eric elaborated that a decade of traveling around the state conducting AWW Data Interpretation presentations, coupled with dozens of volunteer monitor success stories (available digitally at www.alabamawaterwatch.org ) forms a solid foundation for developing a new ‘Data-to-Action’ workshop. He added that AWW monitor success stories in environmental education, restoration and protection, and positively impacting local, state and interstate water policy are highlighted on the brand new AWW brochure and poster, available online or from the AWW Office upon request.

He then got into the nuts-and-bolts of how to get action out of YOUR water data, asking what you would do if you saw a fish kill, or an oil slick on the water, or smelled sewage in your creek. A good start is outlined in the new AWW Water Chemistry Monitoring manual. Page 23 of the new manual, titled Recommendations for Reporting Problems, outlines local and state offices and authorities to contact in the event of a problem. It also suggests procedures that a certified water monitor should do in the event of a water pollution problem (collect a water sample, collect and freeze dead fish, monitor the impacted water with your test kit).

In summary, content for the new workshop include:

•  Looking at trends in your water data
•  Relating them to water quality standards
•  Identifying water quality problems
•  Relating water quality problems to watershed land use
•  Sourcing the problem – may require more sites and additional sampling
•  Working toward a solution (start locally)

New Partnerships – Georgia Adopt-A-Stream

Two speakers from Georgia Adopt-A-Stream (AAS), Tara Muenz and Allison Hughes, spoke of evolving new collaboration between their program and AWW. This collaboration was recently formalized through an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between GA AAS and AWW, stating that each would accept the others training, certification and citizen water data. This is especially important and relevant in several of the river basins that are shared between the two states – specifically the Coosa, the Tallapoosa, and the Chattahoochee. Tara and Allison went on to describe both certified training (water chemistry, bacteriological and bioassessment) and non-certified training programs conducted by GA AAS (for more information, go to www.georgiaadoptastream.org). They expressed interest in strengthening the blossoming partnership with AWW through future creative and fun activities that cross state boundaries.

What’s New with AWW – Check out our new Website!

Jayme Oates, AWW Association executive director, gave an intro to the brand new AWW website, and some of its many features. Though the address is the same, www.alabamawaterwatch.org, the new site features a fresh new look, the new AWW logo, and many new features. New and enhanced features include:

• Contacts for AWW staff, AWW Association board members and AWW Trainers throughout Alabama
• A new ‘Team Room’ where AWW Trainers can access training resources
• An enhanced ‘Get Involved’ menu that describes the many different ways that citizens can get involved in watershed stewardship and help support Alabama Water Watch
• An enhanced ‘Event Calendar’ where you can get details on water monitor training workshops and water-related special events
• The newly-published AWW brochure and poster (available in digital form under the ‘Resources’ menu)
• A new Frequently Asked Questions feature (under the ‘Resources’ menu)
• A new online store where you can order AWW water monitoring supplies, the MacroMania bioassessment game and AWW T-shirts.
• A new AWW Facebook page (click the Facebook icon at the bottom of the AWW homepage).

Jayme encouraged everyone to go to the new AWW webpage and check it out!

20/20 Vision and Closing Remarks

Bill wrapped up the meeting by announcing that next year AWW will celebrate its 20th Anniversary by looking back at 20 years of Program growth and achievement and looking forward to the next 20 years of innovation in AWW Data-to-Action. He enumerated two focus areas in this 20/20 Vision:

1. Celebration of AWW’s 20 years of achievement in statewide water monitoring and watershed stewardship, highlighted with a:

• New logo
• New website
• New brochure
• New monitoring manual

1. Challenges in:

• Keeping the pipeline full by recruiting new water monitors as veteran monitors retire
• Making your monitoring relevant through embracing a Data-to-Action mentality
• Sustaining the AWW Program through strengthening its funding.

Bill shared that he’d recently received a letter with some unexpected news. In it, ADEM stated their inability to fund the AWW Program if proposed cuts in funding from EPA materialized. ADEM was appealing to EPA to reconsider the cuts, stating that AWW water data is vital in enabling ADEM to focus its water quality monitoring efforts. Bill said that many believe that the AWW Program is fully funded by Auburn University, which is NOT true. He clarified that AWW has received its base grant through ADEM’s 319 Program to the tune of $120,000-190,000 per year, and the current level is about $160,000 for the statewide AWW water monitoring program.

In the face of this news, Bill emphasized AWW’s response:

1. Developing a stronger nonprofit Association and strengthened ties among the Association, the AWW Program and AWW monitoring groups throughout the state
2. A more focused Data-to-Action approach in Restoration/Protection, Environmental Education, and Advocacy/Policy
3. Fostering the formation of new AWW groups through more active and creative recruitment of new monitors and watershed stewards
4. Developing and employing new tools and technologies to aid groups in Data-to-Action strategies.

Bill continued saying that AWW will be pursuing funding in new and creative ways in the near-future. He then asked Mike Mullen to come forward to make an announcement. Mike is a founding member of the AWW Association, one of the first AWW citizen trainers and the River Keeper for the Choctawhatchee River. Mike started by emphasizing that AWW data is important. In a recent effort working with ADEM, almost all of the Choctawhatchee River was upgraded to Swimming classification, and through the use of AWW water data (Mike’s data) the extent of the reclassification was expanded. He said that AWW was too good of a program to let die, and to that end, he and his wife Alice were donating $10, 000 to the AWW Association in the form of a challenge – challenging the Association to raise funding to match this amount to help in establishing stable, long-term support for Alabama Water Watch. He added that all AWW Association Board members had pledged at the $250/year level to AWW during the previous evening’s board meeting (at the Dragonfly Sponsorship level – for information on the various levels of sponsorship click the ‘Get Involved’ menu on the website). 

Bill closed by thanking Mike and Alice for their generous support of AWW and with advice from Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward: a Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life – Be a hero! He added ‘true heroism serves the common good, and is concerned about the next generation, not just oneself’ – words for all of us to aspire to!

 

by: eric reutebuch

Conference Theme: Citizen engagement and collaboration with agencies and organizations over the past several years have brought about positive changes and accomplishments in the Tallapoosa River Basin.  There remains a great need to maintain, protect, and improve the water quality of the watershed.  This conference will provide information and a forum for discussions regarding the implications of the recent “Outstanding Alabama Water” (OAW) classification for a portion of the Tallapoosa River and the designation of Lake Martin as the first “Treasured Alabama Lake” (TAL).  In addition, citizens who have been leaders in water quality protection and improvement throughout the Tallapoosa River Basin will share how they are addressing current and future challenges from diverse perspectives.

AGENDA

Conference pictures

PRESENTATIONS

8:30 – 9:00 am Conference Registration and Packet Pick-Up for Pre Registered Attendees 

 9:00 – 9:10 am  Welcome: Mayor Barbara Young, Mayor of Alexander City, and Dr. Steve Franks, President of Central Alabama Community College

 9:10 – 9:20 am  Conference Overview: Dr. Bill Deutsch, Director of Alabama Water Watch, Auburn University; presentation 

 9:20 – 9:40 am  Martin Dam Relicensing Update: Jim Crew, Manager of Alabama Power Company Hydro Services Group

Morning Session (9:40 – 1:30):
Outstanding Alabama Water Classification (OAW) and
Treasured Alabama Lake Designation (TAL)

9:40 – 9:50 am  Introduction and Moderator:  Mike Kensler, Director of the Auburn University Office of Sustainability 

9:50 – 10:10 am     The Nuts and Bolts of TAL and OAW in the Tallapoosa Basin: Lynn Sisk, Chief of the Water Quality Branch of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management; presentation

10:10 – 10:30 am  TAL/OAW and Economic Development:  Don McClellan, Executive Director of the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance; presentation

10:30 – 11:00 am    Break and Poster Session

11:00 – 11:20 am    TAL/OAW and Effects on Lake Front Development: Hagan Wagoner, President of ProgreCiv Group, Inc.; presentation

11:20 – 11:40 am    TAL/OAW and Real Estate: John Coley, Owner of Lake Martin Voice Realty

11:40 -12:00 noon            TAL/OAW and Tourism: Kenneth Boone, Chairman of Tallapoosa Publishers

12:00 – 12:30 pm    Panel Discussion

12:30 – 1:30 pm     Lunch

1:00 – 1:30 pm       Lunch Speaker: Jim Felder, Executive Director of the Alabama Scenic River Trail; presentation

Afternoon Session (1:30 – 4:30) pm:
Individuals Making a Difference in the Tallapoosa River Basin 

1:30 – 1:40 pm  Introduction and Moderator: Terry Martin, President of the Tallapoosa County Farmers Federation

1:40 – 2:00 pm   Upper Tallapoosa Watershed: Every One Makes a Difference:  Missy Middlebrooks, Senior Environmental Scientist of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management; presentation

2:00 – 2:20 pm  Preparing the Next Generation through Environmental Education: Laurie Barrett, Teacher for the Gifted Program at Radney School, and students; presentation

2:20 – 2:40 pm  Roadside Dumping and Litter Control in the Tallapoosa Basin: John Thompson, Vice President of the Lake Martin Resource Association; presentation

2:40 – 3:10 pm  Break and Poster Session

3:10 – 3:30 pm   Implementing the Saugahatchee Watershed Management Plan:  Eric Reutebuch, SWaMP Project Coordinator Alabama Water Watch, Auburn University; presentation

3:30 – 3:50 pm   Low Impact Development in the Tallapoosa Basin: Charlene LeBleu, Associate Professor of the Landscape Architecture Program at Auburn University; presentation

3:50 – 4:20 pm  Panel Discussion

4:20 – 4:40 pm   Closing Remarks: Buddy Morgan, General Manager of the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board

4:40 pm  Final Door Prize Drawings

5:00 pm  Adjourn

Click here to read Alex City Outlook article

by: eric reutebuch

Congratulations to Debbie Brooks and Cary Woods Elementary School in Auburn, the 2011 Best Environmental Education Program (BEEP) award winner! This prestigious award is given by the Environmental Education Association of Alabama each year to an outstanding program in Alabama that demonstrates excellence in environmental education.

Read about the award in the Opelika-Auburn News

Ms. Brooks, Principal of Cary Woods, worked closely with her faculty and students, the surrounding community, Alabama Water Watch (AWW), the City of Auburn, and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System to enhance her students’ learning experiences. She submitted a grant application titled ‘Respect, Replace and Restore- the 3 R’s of Cary Woods Elementary Outdoor Environment Project’ to the Saugahatchee Watershed Management Plan (SWaMP), an ADEM/EPA-funded project directed by AWW that promotes environmental efforts to reduce nonpoint source pollution of surface waters. Efforts included the installation of on-the-ground projects and enhancement of environmental education.

AWW and City of Auburn staff show students different methods for monitoring streams

With the grant, Cary Woods School implemented several environmental projects, including:

• installation of a rain garden to intercept polluted stormwater runoff from surrounding lawns and parking lots,
• installation of a rainwater harvest system from the school’s roof for use in watering of the lawns, shrubs and school garden plots,
• renovation of the school’s nature trail, which leads down to a local stream behind the school, where the students conduct water quality and stream bioassessment exercises (with the aid of AWW personnel and a local citizen volunteer monitoring group, Save Our Saugahatchee),
• training Cary Woods teachers in the Exploring Alabama’s Living Streams curriculum for use in their science classrooms, and
• conducting a community fair to showcase the school’s efforts and educate the neighborhood on resource conservation and environmental stewardship.

Student poster  on rainwater harvest at school’s Community Fair

See the SWaMP blog for more information on the ‘3 R’s of Cary Woods Elementary’

The BEEP award will be presented to the Cary Woods Elementary School at the Environmental Education Association of Alabama’s Annual Conference at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Andalusia.

What began as a one-time environmental program for a local school has blossomed into a multi-year project. In early 2010, Laurie Barrett, who teaches gifted 5th & 6th grade students at Radney School in Alexander City, asked Dick and Mary Ann Bronson if volunteers from Lake Watch of Lake Martin could visit her classroom and provide a program about water quality.  During the initial visit, it was quickly determined that there was ample opportunity for an expanded environmental education program, and the wheels began turning.

To start with, Lake Watch wanted to focus on water quality and future issues facing Lake Martin. But they also wanted to broaden the program’s scope to “The World Around Us” by using a variety of presentations by folks from Auburn University, particularly Alabama Water Watch.

The project began September 2010 and will continue through May 2011.  Lake Watch volunteers, and now staff members from Alabama Water Watch (AWW), visit the school two days every month.  Thursdays are for morning and afternoon groups of 5th-graders, and Fridays are for two similar 6th-grade groups.  The high point of each session is a hike along a stream behind the school that goes to the Alexander City SportPlex and ultimately flows into Lake Martin.  The students named the stream “Barrett Creek” after their teacher.

The first program began with a general discussion of watersheds and the three AWW water testing procedures,  Water Chemistry (LaMotte test kit), Bacteriological Monitoring (Coliscan Easygel method), and Stream Biomonitoring (or Living Streams; go to www.alabamawaterwatch for more information on test procedures and training opportunities). 

Students collected water samples from Barrett Creek for chemical and bacterial testing.  They obtained a water sample upstream where debris was frequently found and downstream near the waterwheel at the Alexander City Sportplex They also searched for macroinvertebrates and, based on their findings, determined that the stream is impaired. Upstream high levels of manganese were found (from tests done at the Auburn University Soils Lab) but downstream the levels were in the normal range.  Students learned that nature can take care of itself by naturally filtering the water and assimilating pollutants. 

During the fall season the students expanded their knowledge of AWW techniques.  They learned about bacteria by testing water samples taken from school commodes and restroom surfaces.  A homemade incubator was placed in the classroom for their use.  Students placed water drawn from a dropper into a special Petri dish.  Twenty four hours later, they could see a series of blue dots (colonies) indicating the presence of bacteria.  Red dots indicated that E. coli were present.  And needless to say, they found E. coli bacteria…especially from commodes that had not been properly flushed.  Students also learned how to calculate the number of bacteria colonies that were present in the water samples. 

They learned about pH and other chemical parameters from Lake Watch board member Tom Lynch, a retired chemist who used spiked water samples to enhance the learning process.  .  Students were given color-coded charts going from pH equal to zero (battery acid, represented as red) to pH equal to14 (lye, represented as blue).   Students discovered that bleach, ammonia, and lemon juice had been added to water based on results of their pH tests of various spiked samples. 

The January 2011 session had Sergio Ruiz and Mona Scruggs teaching more about watersheds using the EnviroScape terrain model and colored water samples to show how erosion and polluted stormwater runoff affect waterbodies.  Students learned that our Tallapoosa Watershed begins in Georgia and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  They also learned that watersheds come in lots of different sizes by comparing them to a series of different mixing bowls inside one another.  This was a great visual that helped students understand how one watershed drains into a larger one, as streams and rivers make their way to the sea. 

Click here for more pictures of the Enviroscape program

In February Bill Deutsch and Sergio took the students on a trip around the world using hats they had collected during their travels for Global Water Watch.  Student “models” wore selected hats while others tried to guess which countries were represented.  Students were able to see first-hand how people deal with water issues.  In areas of extreme drought, villagers harvest the water from their roofs into tanks safely, as long as they keep their roofs clean. 

Click here for more pictures of the ‘World Hats’ program

Students then made a direct connection to the pond built this year at the school as a water harvesting system that is fed from a 300-gallon-tank rooftop catchment system.  They could understand, on a small scale, what it is like to not have enough water from the tank to fully maintain their pond during drought conditions.  They found it hard to believe that some people’s livelihoods depended on how much water they can collect.  Then a discussion took place about water quality and quantity problems in each of these countries.  The kids not only got a valuable perspective on water around the world but a wonderful geography lesson as well.

March will bring refresher sessions by Lake Watch volunteers on the three AWW testing protocols, to be followed in April by AWW Lab Chief Wendy Seesock talking about algae using a projection microscope. The program will culminate in May when the students get the full Living Streams experience at Elkahatchee Creek, a stream known for high water quality.  Students will discover what types of macroinvertebrates are found in a stream with high water quality, compared to Barrett Creek, where virtually none were found.

So what began as a modest class request has turned into a full-blown environmental education project that couples a local AWW group and Auburn University staffers with a local school.  It is estimated that by the May program, Lake Watch volunteers and AWW staff will have provided about 140 contact hours to the Radney School project.  Fifty gifted students’ lives have been changed forever because of their dedication and generosity. 

Which invites the question – how does one gauge the impact of such a program on young minds? Let’s ask the kids for their thoughts on the program thus far:

Program #1: Sergio the Fantastic and Mona the Magnificent

Water Watch has taught us a lot of things like water all over the world and watersheds in Alabama.  Mr. Sergio and Ms. Mona came and told us about the 11 main watersheds in Alabama. They also brought an Enviroscape and talked about direct and indirect pollution from buildings, cars, tractors and houses.  When it rains, it carries all of the pollution into the lakes.  The AWW team has taught everyone here a lot about the water and how we can take care of it.  We love for them to come and I can’t wait until the next time they come!

Michael McGill, 6th grade student

Program #2: Learning About the World with Hats

Our time with the AWW has been great!  My favorite time was when Mr. Sergio & Dr. Deutsch came and presented a power point about where they had gone and done water testing.  Some of the places were:  the Philippines, Peru, Brazil and Alabama.  Dr. Deutsch and Mr. Sergio brought hats from around the world.  I got to wear a hat from Ecuador.  You can always remember Ecuador is by the equator because they sound alike.  It was very fun! 

Savannah Bush, 6th grade student

 

This anecdote may also help provide an answer. One of the students, a girl in 5th grade, had an exciting announcement for Mary Ann. She said that she hoped to get a LaMotte water test kit for Christmas!

As for the future, Lake Watch has committed to another school year of environmental education for the Radney 5th & 6th grade gifted students for 2011-12.  A modest grant will again be provided by Lake Watch to cover travel expenses for AWW staff members. And who knows where this might go – possible creation of a new AWW endeavor such as ‘Junior Water Watchers’?  Stay tuned.

The City of Ozark and the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Clean Water Partnership joined forces in supporting the Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper. Inc. in bacteriological sampling efforts in the Hurricane Creek Watershed. The creek runs from Ozark, Alabama to its mouth at John Hutto Park in Newton, Alabama.

 

Bacteriological sampling was conducted in September 2010 at 9 sites in the watershed according to the Alabama Water Watch (AWW) bacteriological monitoring protocol. AWW trained and certified volunteer monitors, Lee Bradburn and Amanda Saad, assisted Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper. Inc. in the sampling effort. Lisa Harris, the CPYRCWP facilitator also assisted with the sampling.

 

Sampling results indicated that the main source of fecal bacteria contamination was somewhere upstream of Harry Walker Road and downstream of sampling points further upstream. Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, ADEM and the City of Ozark will continue to work to attempt to identify the source or sources of contamination.