Dear Black Warrior Riverkeeper supporters,
Back in college, I became enamored of Waterkeeper Alliance because it is truly a grassroots movement propelled in each watershed by members: donors and volunteers. Today, I am further convinced that our citizen-based advocacy is needed to protect the Black Warrior River basin and its residents, no matter what government is doing (or not doing). In the first 10 months of 2018, we achieved the following with your help:
• Co-founded Waterkeepers Alabama to enhance synergies among all 8 Waterkeeper groups in our state.
• Won the Alabama Rivers Alliance’s “Group of the Year” award with all of Waterkeepers Alabama.
• Won the Cahaba River Society’s “Outstanding River Advocate” award.
• Earned peer-reviewer status in U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s study of the imperiled Black Warrior waterdog.
• Helped the Black Warrior waterdog gain federal protection as a newly listed Endangered Species.
• Collaborated with nonprofits across the state to demand true leadership at ADEM and AEMC.
• Got ADEM to require all sewage plants in Alabama to start having detailed sewage spill response plans.
• Got ADEM to make American Proteins reduce solids in its effluent and improve its stormwater testing.
• Created a map of over 750 animal feeding operations listed on ADEM’s registry.
• Created a map of over 2,500 suspected animal feeding operations not listed on ADEM’s registry.
• Filed a legal action pushing ADEM to improve Metalplate Galvanizing’s pollution permits.
• Joined the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers campaign, educating fishermen and boaters about invasive species.
• Supported the defeat of an anti-Forever Wild bill through a fast and widespread social media campaign.
• Made 41 educational presentations to business, government, nonprofit, religious, and scholastic groups.
• Wrote comment letters to government agencies, requesting upgrades to 32 permits and/or water rules.
• Monitored 72 facilities across our 17-county basin through patrols by foot, truck, canoe, boat, and plane.
• Reviewed 278 facilities’ Discharge Monitoring Reports to record the number and nature of violations.
• Engaged hundreds of volunteers of all ages who donated thousands of community service hours.
• Retained our Platinum (top) rating on GuideStar, the leading source of information on nonprofits.
As 2018 closes, I hope you will support our continued success: blackwarriorriver.org/donate/
For Clean Water in 2019,
Charles Scribner
Executive Director