America’s Amazon Poster – 2023 Update

Alabama Water Watch is pleased to announce a 2023 update to the America’s Amazon poster, celebrating Alabama’s unmatched aquatic biodiversity!

The America’s Amazon poster and infographic was originally launched in 2016 from a collaboration between former AWW Program Director, Eric Reutebuch and a friend of AWW, Jennie Powers. Since then, additional aquatic species have been documented in Alabama.

3/3/2023 UPDATE: Printed posters (18″ x 24″) are now available to educators (formal and informal) in Alabama AND the general public. Fill out this form to be put on the waiting list. You will receive a follow-up by email with additional information and payment options. We will process the waiting list weekly with follow-up emails.

Approved educators are eligible for one complimentary poster. All other posters are $15/each. A flat $10 shipping fee will apply to all posters that are mailed up to 3 posters total. Please note these particular donations are not tax-deductible.

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4-H AWW Opportunity for Teachers to Engage Students with Bacteriological Monitoring and Stewardship

Students conduct bacteriological water tests.
Students conduct bacteriological monitoring on the coast. Photo Credit: Krista Marcum

Attention 4-12 grade teachers 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.  4-H AWW piloted the project successfully with Coastal Educators during the 2021-2022 school year. In 2023, educators and students from around the state (and beyond) can participate.

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AWW Staff’s 2023 New Year’s Resolution

As program coordinators, we can easily get wrapped up in numbers, reporting, and data, which are all vital things to the program, but not the focal point. We are starting off 2023 by re-centering our focus on what really matters, our volunteers! After all, Alabama Water Watch is just as much about people as it is about water. There is no AWW without dedicated volunteers who collect credible water data, educate others in their community about water issues, and advocate locally for protection and restoration of waterways .  

Staffer Sergio RuizCórdova instructing Water Chemistry monitoring with Cheaha workshop participants. Photo credit: Sydney Zinner

Each AWW staff member sincerely cares about each of our Volunteer Monitors, Trainers, Board Members, and project and community partners; however, with such a small staff, it can be difficult to reach out to everyone to let them know they are valued and appreciated.

Monitors who were trained by a Volunteer Trainer or are new to the program may not have met any of us yet. We are a small group of dedicated folks who want to make a difference in Alabama, just like our volunteers.  

Staffer Carolina Ruiz teaches Water Chemistry Monitoring methods to ACES Staff. Photo credit: Sydney Zinner

AWW Staff’s New Year’s Resolution is to prioritize connecting with our volunteers and providing new avenues of support. Read on to see what we are doing in 2023.

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America’s Amazon Reading List

The America’s Amazon Poster, originally produced in 2016, has been updated in late 2022 to reflect current aquatic biodiversity in Alabama.

The following is a suggested reading list to learn more about Alabama’s unmatched aquatic biodiversity:

Green Infrastructure Tour of Auburn University

“Green infrastructure is an approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics the natural water cycle. They are effective, economical, and enhance community safety and quality of life. It means planting trees and restoring wetlands, rather than building a costly new water treatment plant.” – American Rivers

Select stops from the June 2022 AU Campus Green Infrastructure Tour. Diagram by Sydney Zinner
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Students Explore Pathogen Pollution in Our Waters and the Beauty of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta

Saraland High School students and teacher, Ms. Maulucci, stop for a photo after their boat tour of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Photo Credit: Carolina Ruiz

On April 26, 2022, students from Saraland High School participated in the 4-H Alabama Water Watch Student Project Forum held at Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort, AL.

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Red Algal Citizen Science – A Search For Alabama’s Unknown Red Algal Biodiversity

Tufts of the freshwater red alga Paralemanea near the Easley Covered Bridge near Oneonta, Alabama. Photo Credit: Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

There is incredible biodiversity in the state of Alabama – including freshwater snails, mussels, fish, and turtles. However, much of our biodiversity remains enigmatic. One group of organisms we lack critical information about are freshwater red macroalgae. Though rarely truly red in color, they provide food and habitat for macroinvertebrates and may serve as indicators of good water quality. However, they are not included in current biodiversity surveys in Alabama. To better understand the ecological role and potential usefulness of these algae as bioindicators, we first need to figure out where to find them.

This is where Alabama Water Watch monitors come in! We are asking for your help in identifying potential freshwater red algal habitat by taking photos of freshwater streams including your monitoring sites. The Krueger-Hadfield Lab will examine the photographs to assess whether they may provide good freshwater red habitat and to determine if they should be included in their surveys. In the future, they plan to provide training and supplies for interested AWW monitors to collect and send algal samples to the Krueger-Hadfield Lab at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

A step-by-step video on how to submit your site photos to the Red Alga Citizen Science from the University of Birmingham’s Krueger-Hadfield Lab. Video Credit: Alabama Water Watch

How to submit your photo:

  1. Take a HORIZONTAL photo of your waterbody (this does not have to be your AWW monitoring site), from the middle of the waterbody of possible, or from the bank
  2. If riffles (areas of fast-moving water over rock or woody debris) are present, include them in your photo
  3. Go to the Red Algal Citizen Science Google Form
  4. Fill out your contact information, upload your photo(s), include GPS coordinates (when possible), add a site description, and submit!

FAQ’s:

Q: Do you have to be an AWW Volunteer Monitor to participate?

A: NO! Anyone can participate!

Q: What if I see something that looks like red algae at the waterbody?

A: Take a photo and submit that in the Red Algal Citizen Science Google Form at the same time as your site photo.

Q: Do I have to return the waterbody to take another photo at a later date? (i.e. next month, next year)

A: No, one photo is enough for now. The Krueger-Hadfield lab will get in touch with you if they are interested in a follow-up photo of your site.

Q: Can I submit a photo of any freshwater stream?

A: Yes! Any flowing freshwater stream will be appropriate for this project.

If you’d like to learn more about freshwater red algae and the Red Algal Citizen Science Project at UAB, view the 3-1-2022 webinar recording, “Red Algal Citizen Science: A Search for Alabama’s Unknown Red Algal Biodiversity“.

April is Citizen Science Month!

Citizen scientists conduct water chemistry tests on an Alabama stream.
Photo Credit: Mona Dominguez

Have you heard people buzzing about citizen science lately? Did you know April is Citizen Science Month?! It seems that over the last few years, this term has been popping up everywhere. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, citizen science is “scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions.” We also refer to this concept as community-science.; however, this is not a new phenomenon.

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