Black Warrior Riverkeeper celebrated its Fifth Anniversary on September 25, 2006. Birmingham's David Whiteside founded the non-profit organization in 2001. Whiteside wrote the Waterkeeper Alliance proposal to start Black Warrior Riverkeeper while staying in New York with Waterkeeper Alliance’s President, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (his godfather), and sometimes with comedian/actor Robert Klein. Kennedy and Klein remain major supporters of Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
Whiteside was finishing the Black Warrior proposal when terrorists attacked our great nation on September 11, 2001. Understandably, many charitable donations after 9/11 went to large organizations involved in disaster relief. This trend siphoned donations away from more localized grassroots charities. It is a milestone for any non-profit to make it through the first five years, let alone flourish in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
There was is a tremendous need for Black Warrior Riverkeeper. The Black Warrior is the largest river system entirely contained within Alabama, “the River State.” The river and its tributaries are a vital source of drinking water for Alabamians. Many people in Alabama fish and recreate on the Black Warrior River and its tributaries, and they deserve to have clean water for these uses.
Home to more species of freshwater fish, snails, mussels and crayfish than any other state, Alabama paradoxically features America’s lowest-ranked environmental protection agency, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). Many polluters have grown accustomed to lawlessness in the watershed due to lack of enforcement by ADEM. Black Warrior Riverkeeper is devoted to filling this gap by using the citizen enforcement provisions provided by federal law, including the Clean Water Act, to bring polluters to justice.
Our valuable but vulnerable Black Warrior Basin is so important to biodiversity, recreation, and public health that we have received widespread help from across the country. During our first five years, we received generous support from foundations as well as celebrities like Laurie & Larry David, Lorraine Bracco, Edward James Olmos, Michael Franti and Jon Fishman. However, we could not protect the Black Warrior without local support from Alabama citizens.
With your help, Riverkeeper has assisted the Black Warrior Watershed on many fronts. Before 2001, Alabama lacked a non-governmental organization solely focused on protecting the entire Black Warrior River Basin. Since then, your local Riverkeeper has patrolled a remarkable portion of the basin’s 6,276 square miles, while making countless educational presentations to schools, officials, and civic groups. Using evidence that Nelson Brooke collects as staff Riverkeeper, our Chief Prosecuting Attorney, Mark Martin, has filed legal actions — when necessary — to address over 15,000 Clean Water Act violations in the Black Warrior River Watershed.
The 2006 Alabama Watershed Group of the Year, Black Warrior Riverkeeper now employs four staff members. A testament to democracy in action, Black Warrior Riverkeeper is only as strong as our membership base. We look forward to increasing that base, and the scope of our advocacy, with your support.
