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.
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.
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.
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:
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
If riffles (areas of fast-moving water over rock or woody debris) are present, include them in your photo
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.
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.
