SUSTAINING THE FLOW

A newsletter for organizational partners of the Alabama Rivers Alliance

Welcome to the January monthly newsletter from Alabama Rivers Alliance to our partner groups and organizations! This newsletter's purpose is to help us all sustain the flow, & keep moving forward together in our respective work in Alabama. Open us up this month to read about upcoming events, training sessions, job postings and more news from folks working to #DefendRivers across the state. 

Click here to update your organization contact info or to sign others up!

 

REGULATORY NEWS & COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Relevant environmental regulatory updates & opportunities to agencies to let them know how their decision can impact your work.

 

EPA ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GRANTS

The US Environmental Projection Agency has opened two Requests for Applications for Environmental Justice (EJ) projects. This is the largest amount of EJ funding ever offered by the EPA and was made possible through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. The first pre-application assistance webinar will be today, 1/24/23 for the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Program (EJCPS) and the second webinar will be on 1/26/23 for the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G). Learn more about the grants & application process.

 

ADEM REQUEST PROPOSALS FOR FY2024 NONPOINT SOURCE PROJECTS

ADEM has opened a competitive process to pass-through funds from its annual appropriation from the EPA under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act for Fiscal Year 2024. Eligible projects should aim to lead to reductions in nonpoint source pollution loads and measurable water quality improvements in nonpoint source pollution impaired waterways in Alabama. See more details about who's eligible here.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN ALABAMA

January 26 - Energy Alabama Auburn/Opelika Meetup

  • Grab a drink after work at Red Clay Brewing with Energy Alabama

January 26 - Resilience to Restoration: Acting on the Climate Crisis in the Gulf South

  • Join the People's Justice Council & Mobile Baykeeper's William Stickland virtually

January 28 - Salamander Festival

  • See some salamanders with the Friends of Shades Creek at Homewood High

February 2 - Talladega College Southern Exposure Screening

  • Watch Southern Exposure films with us & the Talladega College Biology Club!

February 2-4 - Environmental Education Association of Alabama Conference

  • Head to Lake Point State Park for EEAA's 2023 conference "Tales of Natural Wonder"

February 7 - Road to Democracy Town Hall with Alabama Forward

  • Join the first town hall of the series in Huntsville to learn about the Alabama redistricting case

February 11 - College Hills Neighborhood Cleanup

  • Grab some pinchers & spend some time cleaning up College Hills with Black Warrior Riverkeeper!

February 23-24 - Nature-Based Stormwater Solutions Workshop with Alabama Watershed Stewards

  • Learn about nature-based methods with AWS down in Baldwin County

 AROUND THE ARA OFFICE

  • Cindy participated in the steering committee meeting of the Alabama Sustainable Irrigation Expansion project to stay updated on efforts to increase the use of sustainable irrigation in Alabama. For more information on this project, contact Cindy or visit their website.

  • The Comms Team at ARA has been developing messaging for upcoming legislative campaigns while keeping an eye on the continuous shifting of the media landscape. Some may think it to be too difficult to keep track of every single Twitter account in the Alabama area and beyond, but we sure try our best!

  • Jack has been preparing for the legislative session that starts in March by lining up meetings with legislators and working on bills that would help reduce pollution in Alabama's waters and make river recreation safer and healthier.

  • Martha is excited about how Alabama Water Rally is shaping up and looking forward to seeing fellow river advocates from around the state as we gather for this in person annual event! Register Now for Alabama Water Rally March 24-26 Camp Beckwith, Fairhope, AL!

  • Victoria is looking forward to a new year of passing useful information along to all you fine folks in the newsletter! Don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions about items or opportunities included in the newsletter - & submit news anytime!

 

PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACROSS ALABAMA

Amplifying the voices of those working for change in Alabama by celebrating news, wins of all sizes, milestones, AND ways others could use support! Submit your news so we can celebrate you!

  • Join the Alabama Rivers Alliance at Camp Beckwith for Alabama Water Rally 2023, Alabama's annual gathering of clean water advocates! There is an incredible opportunity before us – as River Defenders – as we pass the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Together, we must be ready for the Next Era of Clean Water Protection and capitalize on this moment. Registration is open now - scholarships available, too!
  • The Alabama Rivers & Streams Network, along with the Alabama Mollusk & Crayfish Working Group, held their annual gatherings this month in Clanton. These groups meet annually for agencies, industries, universities, and NGOs to share updates on projects going on throughout the state during the rest of the year. Check out presentations presented to ARSN & AMCWG on their website AND their awesome new video!
  • Energy Alabama is calling all students to join their network of people passionate about clean energy! Students can get involved in clean water action while their still in school with a student membership - apply for free
  • Spring training events are announced for the Alabama Water Stewards! Alabama Watershed Stewards 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. See Spring 2023 events.
  • As a part of their Power on the Line campaign, Alabama Forward will be coming to cities across Alabama on the The Road to Democracy. Join plaintiffs from the Alabama redistricting case Milligan v. Merrill at a series of informative and interactive townhalls. Learn more.
  • Congratulations to Freshwater Land Trust for their milestone of having removed over 20,000 pounds of trash from Alabama's waterways through their Litter Gitter Project! See how this litter stacks up with some comparison graphics on Facebook.
  • Listen to Episode 1 of the Seeking A Green South podcast by Jaxon Tolbert as he is joined by Ankur Shah, environmental educator, geospatial data scientist at Climate Engine, and Director of Operations at Mycelium, to discuss his work and how it has catalyzed local climate action in Alabama, followed by a discussion of how southerners can catalyze local climate action in their own communities. Ankur & Jaxon are both leaders in the Huntsville Environmental Coalition! Congrats on the awesome episode!
  • River Network, one of our national water advocacy partners, has refreshed their strategic plan for the next three years, which was informed by the results of their State of the Network 2022 survey. Learn more & see the results here.

This newsletter is created by a small team with limited resources, please use reply to this email or click below to email Victoria if you want submit newsletter items from your organization! 

 

FUNDING | LEARNING | EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

FUNDING OPPORTUNTIES

  • Huntsville-area organizations are invited to apply for the Employee Peaks Fund from IronMountain Solutions, past grants range from $2-7,500, due 4/28/23.
  • The EPA newly announced $100 million in grants for EJ-related projects available now, learn how to apply by attending an upcoming webinar
  • Do you or one of your volunteers drive a pick-up truck? See if your truck qualifies for the $250 Positive Payload Program from AmericanTrucks!

 

TRAINING & LEARNING

  • EPA Webcast on Green Infrastructure in MS4 Permits, learn how cities are incorporating green plans into their MS4 on 1/25/23
  • River Network's State Revolving Fund Advocacy Toolkit can guide you on how to highlight communities in the SRF process, learn more. Request trainings, too!
  • Check out the Global River Runner by Sam Learner to see creeks in your backyard and to follow a water droplet to the Gulf.
  • Birmingham area students can apply for an $8,000 scholarship from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, deadline is 2/14/23

EMPLOYMENT & INTERNSHIPS

RESOURCE SHARING OFFER:

  • Coosa Riverkeeper (& ARA) have 8+ ethernet-enabled office phones available to any organization that could benefit from them. Please respond to this email if you are interested!

Alabama Rivers Alliance
2014 6th Avenue North, Suite 200 | Birmingham, Alabama 35203
205.322.6395 | info@alabamarivers.org

Follow Us

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

Unsubscribe or Manage Your Preferences