AWW Success Stories
Several volunteer monitor groups have employed AWW’s Exploring Alabama’s Living Streams (EALS) curriculum, AWW monitoring techniques and AWW water data from waterbodies throughout the state for environmental education in schools, and to positively impact community attitudes, water quality and water policy. Here are some examples.
Environmental Education Success Stories
Dozens of teachers have taken the EALS workshop or collaborated with AWW on various outreach events and projects to bring science and biology to life inside and beyond the classroom. One study showed that Alabama students who were taught with the EALS curriculum, along with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service program Classroom in the Forest, over a four year period increased their Stanford Achievement Test scores (SAT 9 and SAT 10) from 50% to 70% (click here for the story, see pages 18-19).
Restoration and Protection Success Stories
Monitor groups have put their water data to work by identifying pollution problems, working in collaboration with local and state authorities to track and resolve the problems and restore water quality in streams, rivers and coastal waters. Groups have focused on the protection of threatened aquatic life, others on public health, and still others on aesthetics of the aquatic environment.
Advocacy and Water Policy Success Stories
Some monitor groups have put their water data to work to upgrade their waterbody to a higher classification or designation, which provides greater protection to water quality. Groups in the Wolf Bay Watershed, the Magnolia River Watershed and the Choctawhatchee River Watershed used their water data in successful campaigns for classification upgrades. The group monitoring in the Lake Martin Watershed was instrumental in the development of a brand new protective designation for Alabama lakes, Treasured Alabama Lake, in collaboration with ADEM and former Governor Bob Riley. According to the President of Lake Watch of Lake Martin, “Alabama Water Watch provided the training, backstopping and science-based credibility that enabled our group to pursue and achieve upgrading and protecting the lake for generations to come.”
For more information, read the following stories:
Environmental Education Success Stories
• Radney Elementary wins BEEP statewide environmental ed award
• Cary Woods School wins statewide environmental education award
• Isabella Water Watchers head to state fair
• Best School Project - Huntsville School win statewide BEEP Award
• Lake Watch of Lake Martin teams up with AWW to enhance student learning
• Cullman County Water Watcher excites students about local waters
• Winston County Water Watchers promote stream, lake and river protection
Restoration and Protection Success Stories
• Five years of bacteria ‘blitzing’ makes Auburn-area a cleaner place to live
• Smith Lake residents embrace watershed management
• Ozark-area water watchers partner to track watershed bacteria contamination
• Watercress Darter habitat monitoring - citizen water monitors keep a vigilant watch over their endangered darters
• AWW featured in National Journal - Validity and applications of citizen volunteer water-quality data: a case from Alabama
• Can volunteer water monitors make a difference, a case from Lake Wedowee
Advocacy and Water Policy Success Stories
• Lake Watch of Lake Martin impacts statewide water policy
• Volunteer monitors and Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, Inc. spearhead upgrade to the Choctawhatchee River
• Volunteer monitor success story: Magnolia Springs
• Outstanding Alabama Water – Wolf Bay
• AWW featured in National Journal - Validity and applications of citizen volunteer water-quality data: a case from Alabama
