Tag: fish-water; water resources; natural resources

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Caddisflies and EPT Friends

Those of you familiar with the Alabama Water Watch program may not be surprised that the first article of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series features the critter on our logo: the caddisfly!

Caddisflies are a large group of insects with an aquatic larval stage. There are around 1,500 species of caddisfly in North America alone and over 14,000 species worldwide. Caddisflies are an important food source for many freshwater fish. In fact, both larval and adult caddisflies are often imitated as lures in fly fishing. Caddisflies can be found in a variety of colors including gray, brown, purplish brown, yellowish tan, and green. These critters have a low tolerance for water pollution and are typically found in higher quality sites with medium to fast-moving water.

A caddisfly in its protective case constructed with small pieces of plant material. Photo: Adobe Stock
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AWW Training Recaps: February in Auburn & Camp McDowell in March 

Newly certified Water Chemistry Monitors pose after their Field Day in Town Creek Park, Auburn, Alabama.
Photo Credit: Sydney Zinner

After two years of not being able to easily and safely train new monitors, AWW has been off to the races in 2022!  AWW staff recently led two hybrid AWW monitoring trainings that included self-paced, online courses and finished with an in-person field day. We have been very pleased with the new format. What began as a response to the pandemic is turning out to be a great fit for the program. We hope COVID is on its way out, but the new training model won’t go away.

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All About the Yellow, Blackwater, & Choctawhatchee Rivers

There are eight Coastal Plain rivers in Alabama (draining 25% of the state) that are not part of the Mobile Basin. Three of those eight rivers are the Blackwater, Choctawhatchee, and Yellow Rivers.  

The Blackwater River is 58 miles long and originates in Baldwin County near Loxley, AL and discharges into the Perdido River near Lilian, AL.  Only 9 miles of the river are within Alabama.

The Choctawhatchee River is 141 miles long and begins as two separate forks (East Fork and West Fork) near Clayton, AL. The two forks join near Ozark, AL in Dale County to form the Choctawhatchee River which then flows southeast for 48 miles to Geneva, AL before crossing the state line into Florida, ultimately emptying into the Choctawhatchee Bay. 

The Yellow River is 114 miles long and originates in southern Crenshaw County. The river flows south through Coffee and Covington Counties before exiting Alabama near Florala to join the Blackwater River and eventually reaches Blackwater Bay near Pensacola, FL. 

Map Credit: Sydney Zinner
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All About The Tombigbee Basin

The Tombigbee begins in Mississippi, crosses the Alabama state line at Aliceville Lake, joins the Black Warrior River at Demopolis, and eventually joins the Alabama River to form the Mobile River. The Tombigbee flows throughout 15 counties in Mississippi and 15 counties in Alabama, with slightly more than 50% of the river in Alabama.

The main stem of the Tombigbee River is approximately 200 miles long.

Tombigbee Watershed (yellow shading) with the Alabama portion of the river and its tributaries (in blue). Map Credit: Sydney Zinner
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4-H’ers at Hamilton High School Continue to Watch Our Waters

Sergio and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon of November 4th with a group of enthusiastic and fun high school students from the Hamilton High School Environmental Club. The Club, led by Kacy Cobb who is a science teacher at the school, has incorporated 4-H AWW monitoring into their club programs for around five years now.  

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4-H Alabama Water Watch Educator and Student Recognized by Alabama Wildlife Foundation

Zoe Nye, former 4-H AL Water Watcher, and Jill Wachs, 4-H Regional Extension Agent for Barbour County pose for a quick photo after receiving prestigious awards from the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

AWW would like to extend our congratulations to Jill Wachs and Zoe Nye for being recognized during the recent Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Achievement Awards.  

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