The Auburn University Water Resources Center is hosting an Extension educational program called Alabama Watershed Stewards which is intended to bring citizens, agencies, and city governments together in learning about water quality issues and identifying opportunities to begin addressing them in their areas. The event will be hosted at The Venue at Coosa Landing, 201 George Wallace Dr. Gadsden, AL 35903. Ultimately the goal is to provide education about watershed health, and to provide a platform for regional parties to meet and discuss opportunities and ideas for projects. People from all backgrounds are welcome.
Participants will learn the basics of watershed health and water quality before learning more about specific projects and opportunities going on regionally and ways that they can work together to make a difference in their community.
The cost is $20, but breakfast snacks and lunch are provided. Each participant will receive a free handbook, and participants are eligible for .65 Continuing Education Units (6.5 hours) if they wish.The ADEM Nonpoint Source Unit funds Alabama Watershed Stewards. This program helps citizens to understand watershed process, how human actions influence water quality, ways to reduce nonpoint source pollution, and ways to get in involved in your community to protect water quality. It covers watershed management planning, stakeholder empowerment, builds networks, and provides resources and knowledge. Workshops like this one benefit communities in many ways.
- Employee and citizen education empower people to connect with their waterways and build a desire to reduce negative impacts through human activities. Pollution reduction on a community scale enhances City MS4 efforts.
- Networking builds relationships and accountability for environmentally conscience individuals to take next steps and actively participate in watershed protection efforts. This assists in Public Education and Outreach.
- Better water quality = more tourism, more business, better economic input, and better quality of life
Original source can be found here.
