A trip down Rock Creek

Last Saturday (11-14-2009) members of Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy and Alabama Water Watch took a kayak and canoe trip down the upper portions of Rock Creek.

This excursion was part of the Rock Creek Watershed Management Plan project, an effort to raise awareness and provide people with tools for keeping this watershed safe and clean.

In the coming months, the AWW will pursue a good, solid plan for keeping the Rock Creek Watershed safe and sound and it welcomes citizen participation in the project.

The Rock Creek Watershed covers nearly 200-square miles and is a significant source of water for Smith Lake. Keeping this watershed safe and clean goes a long ways towards keeping Smith Lake itself safe and clean.

There were 10 people involved and using kayaks and canoes the participants paddled down about 4 1/4^th miles of the upper Rock Creek. They put in where Winston County Road 39 crosses Blevens Creek, followed the Blevens to where it joined Rock Creek and then down to an abandoned bridge where Winston County Road 66 crossed Rock Creek.

This section of creeks features some rapids but not severe ones, wildlife (participants saw birds and a beaver) and the beauty of nature.

meeting @ 7:00 P.M. November 12th

There will be a meeting in Addison at the new Cullman Electric Bldg on 278 @ 7:00 P.M.on Thursday November 12th. to explain about the 1st small grant acquired to proceed with the watershed study of the Rock Creek Watershed. Dr.William Deutsch, Eric Reutebuch and Mona Scruggs , from Auburn will explain why the Rock Creek watershed is being studied . The Rock Creek Watershed includes Crooked Creek and White Oak Creek as well as Rock Creek.

We had a local clean-up of White Strofoam Friday morning November 6th. The west side of White Oak and about 1/2 way down on the east side is clean. We would like to complete the clean-up of White Oak and Crooked Creek on some warm morning. These were local home owners helping to clean up their own area. We need 3 0r 4 volunteers for the next clean-up.
The "Advocacy" has the boat, equipment and operator. Will you help us keep your backyard on the lake clean? give me a call LaVerne Matheson 256-747-4422 (Winston County only, includes Crooked Creek)

2009 FAWN Program at Houston Recreation Area

The annual FAWN (Forestry Awareness Week Now) programs were held on October 16th and 20th, at Houston Recreation Area in the Bankhead National Forest. This event is sponsored by the Winston County Natural Resources Council, and has been held every year for at least the last 14 years. In fact, this year a teacher told me that she had attended the FAWN program as a sixth grader herself. The first day of FAWN was rained out and had to be rescheduled, but everyone pulled together to make the adjustments necessary to have a successful event. Over 300 sixth graders attended the two days of FAWN. Each FAWN program featured eight learning stations about natural resources in Winston County. New learning stations this year included Boating Safety and Hunter Safety. FAWN would not be possible without all the people that volunteer to be presenters, guides, and facilitators. Here's a link to some photos of the event. Special thanks to Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy Inc. for making possible presentations on Water Quality by Judy Lambert and Mary Ann Crunk, and Boating Safety by Curtiss Cantrell of the U. S. Coast Guard.

October 24th slough clean-up

We had about everything possible to ruin the clean-up,high water in the lake,rain Saturday morning and cold weather that morning. We had dumpsters at Lakeshore Marina and Inn, old yellow creek marina.Duncan Bridge Marina and Jim Kings (boathouse bulder)Alabama power sent us 1,000 bags for the clean-up. Thanks to Bill Boyd,Carl Godsey,Ray Kelly and Jim King for allowing The Advocacy to use their facilities and then to Tarrie Hyche for furnishing all four dumpsters. Please thank these people for their interest in helping you and I clean-up this Beautiful lake.

Advocacy update

We had a board meeting Oct. 6th the following was discussed
1-Hopefully the monies for purchasing and putting signs on all tributaries on Smith Lake in Winston County will be approved soon.
2- We will be particapting in the Fawn program Oct. 15th&16th
3-Mona Scruggs told us that the grant for studing the Rock Creek watershed has been approved. Mona hopes to have a power point watershed program complete before 2010.
4-The 2010 cleanup dates have been approved by Doug Powell Al. renew our rivers program.
5-Discussed slough clean-up on the 24th.
6- discussed burning abandoned platforms laying on shorelines around the lake. John Lebetter will have one of there people go with us, to approve abandoned platforms.
7- water tested looks good.
8- xmas party for the board in December.
Next Board Meeting January 2010

natural resource coucil meeting

September Meeting Minutes
Posted: 18 Sep 2009 01:24 PM PDT
The Winston County Natural Resources Council met on Thursday, September 17, at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs. The following members were present: Allison Cochran (serving as the Chairperson and Secretary), LaVerne Matheson, James Burnett, John Creed, and Jim Hughes.The following topics were discussed:-FAWN program - No changes needed.-FAWN transportation - $1000 to be provided by the County Commission-FAWN walk-thru on Wednesday, Oct 14 @ 9AM-Alabama Natural Resource Council of the Year Award - $1200 to be presented to the WCNRC at the Cullman County Field Day.-Suggestion by members present that Mike collect names of our folks attending the Field Day & call and register for us.-National Public Lands Day - Bankhead - Saturday, Sept 26. Council approved donating $100 for food if it is needed - Wait & see.-October 24 - Winston Co. Smith Lake Advocacy is having a Slough Clean-up. Private boats are needed to clean-up all Winston Co. sloughs. Bags & dumpsters will be at 4 locations TBD.-Alabama Water Watch/AU submitted the 319 planning grant for Rock & Crooked Creeks.-Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy Inc. is installing signs on the lake at each tributary with the trib/creek name on it.Note: Thanks to Allison for chairing this meeting during the officers' absence.

September Meeting Minutes
Posted: 18 Sep 2009 01:24 PM PDT
The Winston County Natural Resources Council met on Thursday, September 17, at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs. The following members were present: Allison Cochran (serving as the Chairperson and Secretary), LaVerne Matheson, James Burnett, John Creed, and Jim Hughes.The following topics were discussed:-FAWN program - No changes needed.-FAWN transportation - $1000 to be provided by the County Commission-FAWN walk-thru on Wednesday, Oct 14 @ 9AM-Alabama Natural Resource Council of the Year Award - $1200 to be presented to the WCNRC at the Cullman County Field Day.-Suggestion by members present that Mike collect names of our folks attending the Field Day & call and register for us.-National Public Lands Day - Bankhead - Saturday, Sept 26. Council approved donating $100 for food if it is needed - Wait & see.-October 24 - Winston Co. Smith Lake Advocacy is having a Slough Clean-up. Private boats are needed to clean-up all Winston Co. sloughs. Bags & dumpsters will be at 4 locations TBD.-Alabama Water Watch/AU submitted the 319 planning grant for Rock & Crooked Creeks.-Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy Inc. is installing signs on the lake at each tributary with the trib/creek name on it.Note: Thanks to Allison for chairing this meeting during the officers' absence.

water testing class

Training in Arley yields four new trainers for Alabama Water Watch
by Eric Reutebuch, AWW Publications Coordinator

Dr. Bill Deutsch and Sergio Ruiz-Cordova traveled to Arley, Alabama to train a group of Alabama Water Watch-certified volunteer monitors to become AWW trainers Saturday, September 12th. The AWW Training of Trainers Workshop was held at the Meek High School in Arley. The AWW Program has been training citizens throughout the state to test the water quality of their local streams, rivers, lakes, bays and bayous since 1993. Bill quickly realized that the exponential growth in volunteer monitors could not be sustained with just a couple of AWW trainers, and developed the Training of Trainer Workshop in 1995. Currently, the AWW Program has about 40 trainers statewide, and AWW-certified volunteer trainers conducted about 2/3rds of trainings within the past year. Since 1993, over 5,000 Alabamian have been certified as AWW water monitors.

The ranks of AWW trainers gained four new recruits at the Arley training, and two veteran trainers went through the Trainer Refresher Workshop. The workshop participants came from the Black Warrior, Coosa and Tennessee River basins, and represented five AWW monitor groups (listed below). New trainees included:

9 John Kulbitkas representing Smith Lake Civic Association

9 Larry Barkey representing Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy, Inc.

9 James Mason representing Huntsville Senior Environment Corps

9 Loretta Weninegar representing Columbia High School in Huntsville, AL

Trainers that got refreshed included:

9 Ray O'Donnell representing RSVP/Marshall County

9 Isabella Trussell representing Logan Martin Lake Protection Association

Bill opened the workshop with an overview of AWW Program trends. He then reviewed the Executive Summary of the 2008 AWW Annual Report, and lead a discussion "Thinking about AWW in the Big Picture", touching on comparative advantages of AWW monitoring, maintaining quality citizen water data, interpretation of the citizen data, better use of the data, and AWW success stories and local initiatives.

Other topics of discussion included volunteer monitor group dynamics, levels of AWW certification, role of the Alabama Water Watch Association, what is involved in becoming a trainer, planning an AWW workshop, preparing for a workshop, conducting a workshop, and following up after a workshop.

Special thanks to Ms. Susette Rohde, the Meek High School science teacher who assisted with training logistics and provided delicious home-made treats for the participants! To locate an AWW trainer near you and request a training workshop, go to the AWW website at www.alabamawaterwatch.org and click on the Monitor Resources menu, or call the AWW toll-free number at (888) 844-4785. And the next time that you’re out cruising on a beautiful lake, paddling down a picturesque stream, or fishing in a productive bayou, remember to shout out a big “Thank You!” to the selfless volunteer trainers – like John, Larry, James Loretta, Ray and Isabella, and the volunteer monitors who give hundreds of hours of their time to watch over and protect the rich aquatic resources of our State.