{"id":9033,"date":"2022-04-01T20:10:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T20:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/?page_id=9033"},"modified":"2024-09-20T19:55:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:55:53","slug":"alabamawatershedstewards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aaes.auburn.edu\/wrc\/alabamawatershedstewards\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

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ALABAMA WATERSHED STEWARDS<\/h3>\n

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Back to Water Resources Center<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alabama Watershed Stewards (AWS) is a science-based outreach program from the Auburn University Water Resources Center that promotes healthy watersheds, increases understanding of water pollution, and provides the knowledge and tools to approach water as a community asset.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Through various workshops and educational materials, Watershed Stewards offers a platform for local decision makers, organizations, and city officials to come together in imagining the future of their city\u2019s waterways, and to take action to protect and plan for those resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

AWS workshops include 1-day Watershed Stewards workshops, 1-day watershed planning workshops, technology transfer workshops, and hands on projects like rain garden installations. Workshops are open to the public with registration. See below for more details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Activities are led by the\u202f<\/span><\/span>Auburn University Water Resources Center<\/span><\/span><\/a>, (<\/span><\/span>Alabama Cooperative Extension System Water Program<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202fin partnership with\u202f<\/span><\/span>Alabama Water Watch<\/span><\/span><\/a>) <\/span>and<\/span><\/strong> various local partners<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>The program is funded by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency \u2013 Region 4<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alabama Watershed Stewards Rain Garden Maintenance Day.\u00a0<\/i>Photo Credit: Sydney Zinner, AUWRC<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Why <\/span>Watersheds Need Local Leadership<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Alabama deserves cities and towns that are resilient, livable, productive, and sustainable; that begins with clean water<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Alabama’s water resources can be assets to regional and economic development if we plan to protect and preserve them.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Watershed Stewards works to collaboratively improve watershed management skills and provide a platform for community leaders to exchange of problems and solutions through local support networks. We offer both educational outreach and on the ground projects that encourage the adoption of water management strategies that benefit the community, the economy, and the environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A watershed is a naturally defined area of land that determines how precipitation collects and drains water into a common basin (river, lake, or stream). Everyone lives in a watershed and each watershed is different. Pollution, erosion, and other activities that take place on the land can significantly impact water quality and ecological communities within the watershed. Watersheds are natural geographic boundaries in the landscape and can be a helpful and tangible way to frame and address local water quality concerns.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Approaching water quality concerns at a small, local scale can empower people to take action. Making the connection between land use, human activities, and ecological impact on our shared natural resources can be a difficult task due to the complexity of these systems. Watershed planning can give local stakeholders more ownership over appropriate avenues for change by outlining the current state of the watershed, projected concerns, and by prioritizing future activities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By using a watershed approach, the Alabama Watershed Stewards Program encourages citizens to take an active role in addressing local water quality concerns. Communities can use watershed management plans to help prioritize community activities, providing a tangible bite-sized approach to tackling the biggest areas of concern within a watershed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Water quality monitoring is a citizen science method for measuring changes in water quality parameters over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>Photo Credit: Alabama Water Watch<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Alabama Watershed Stewards Trainings<\/i><\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These one-day in person trainings across the state focus on specific watersheds that currently have waterways in need of community care.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll learn: <\/strong>These workshops invite local leaders and members of the water community to share their experiences, identify local challenges and opportunities that can benefit the community, the economy, and the environment. This program offers a platform for local decision makers, organizations, and city officials to come together in imagining the future of their city\u2019s waterways, and to take action to protect and plan for those resources. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll do: <\/strong>Listen to talks from other participants, engage in discussions and small projects. Participants gain practical information about local watersheds groups, partnerships possibilities, and project funding opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Draft agenda:<\/strong><\/p>\n

8:30 Sign in
9:00 Welcome + program introduction (AU Water Resources Team)
9:15 Overview of watershed systems (AU Water Resources Team)
10:10 Understanding the state of your watershed
11:45 Catered Lunch
12:30 Improving\u00a0watersheds – What can we do?
2:30 Community discussion\u00a0
3:00 Upcoming events and closing comments<\/p>\n

How it works<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Alabama Watershed Stewards <\/span>hosts several types of <\/span>trainings<\/span>, each intended to promote healthy watersheds, increase citizen understanding of watershed pollution, and provide people with the tools they need to prevent and resolve local watershed issues. <\/span>Visit the <\/span><\/span>ACES Calendar<\/span><\/span><\/a> and search for \u201cwatershed\u201d to see all upcoming offerings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n