THE PROJECT    

The ProjectResearchEducationExtensionEventsPublicationsHome

 

 

 

Related Projects

 

 

The TWP project collaborates with other projects for mutually beneficial activities in the Tallapoosa Basin and additional financial resources:

 

Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service: Community-based Restoration Initiative

TWP partners collaborated with a CSREES project of Eve Brantley (ACES at AU) that focused on community outreach and installation of Rain Gardens in the Tallapoosa Basin.

 

Alabama Cooperative Extension System: "Classroom in the Forest Program"

The project collaborated with ACES Tallapoosa County Coordinator, Tommy Futral, for the integration of a Living Streams Program that introduced local students to aspects of the TWP.

 

Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership  

The TWP collaborated with the TCWP (local stakeholders, including upper, middle and lower sub-basin groups) for funding stream gages and stream bioassessment research, public outreach, and development of watershed management plans.

 

Auburn University Environmental Institute

The AUEI provided a grant to the AU Fisheries Department and the AU Department of Curriculum and Teaching for developing stream bioassessment protocols, and developing curricula that enhance aquatic science education for middle schools.  This project works in streams and with schools of the TWP. It also provide funds for teacher workshops and  interns in classrooms.

 

Auburn University, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology

Cost-Efficiency Study for the three levels of technology.

 

Stream Bioassessment using Fish and Macroinvertebrate Communities 

The Middle Tallapoosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership (MTRBCWP) and the Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association (LWPOA) responded to a proposal from the AU Fisheries Department for funding stream bioassessment by examination of fish communities in select streams of the Upper and Middle Tallapoosa River basins ($7,500 provided by the MTRBCWP and $500 by LWPOA).  Stream bioassessment by the examination of macroinvertebrate communities (aquatic insects and worms, snails, and crayfish) was also conducted on the same streams (except for Mill Creek).  Funding for stream macroinvertebrate sampling was provided by the MTRBCWP ($6,000) and the AU Environmental Institute ($3,000) in 2004.

1- Stream bioassessment by the examination of fish communities

2- Stream bioassessment by the examination of macroinvertebrate communities

 

Synergies with other USDA/CSREES Projects and Activities

Synergies between the TWP and other USDA/CSREES projects are numerous and continue to evolve at the local, regional and national levels.  Here are several that have developed through the second year of this project.

 

 

 ACTIVITIES

  1. Rain Garden Installation: July 12, 2004. Bailey Sportsplex Park, Alexander City, AL.  Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Eve Brantley and Charlene LaBlue installed a demonstration rain garden. Cooperators included Master Gardeners, LWLM volunteers, Auburn University students and faculty, and city workers.

  2. Rain Garden Installation: July 13, 2004. Radney Elementary School, Alexander City, AL.  Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Eve Brantley and Charlene LaBlue installed a demonstration rain garden. Cooperators included Master Gardeners, LWLM volunteers, Auburn University students and faculty, Boys and Girls Club volunteers and city workers.

  3. Rain Garden Installation: July 21, 2004. Benjamin Russell High School, Alexander City, AL.  Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Eve Brantley and Charlene La Blue installed a demonstration rain garden. Cooperators included Master Gardeners, LWLM volunteers, Auburn University students and faculty, Boys and Girls Club volunteers and city workers.

  4. Rain Garden Tour: August 26, 2004. Radney, Benjamin Russell, and Sportsplex, Alexander City, AL. Eve Brantley, Charlene LaBlue, Tommy Futral, John Glasier and Dick Bronson conducted a tour of rain gardens. Participants came from Birmingham, Montgomery, Auburn and surrounding counties.  Attendees shared construction tips.

  5. Best Management Practice Designs:  August 28, 2004. Alexander City, AL. Auburn University Landscape Design students with the leadership of their Professor, Charlene LaBlue, presented BMP Designs of the Alexander City downtown area that depicted alternate landscape designs for improving storm water runoff problems. Participants included Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Charlene LaBleu, Eve Brantley and Auburn students.

The TWP collaborated with the ACES Tallapoosa County Coordinator, Tommy Futral, in the integration of the Living Streams program into the existing ACES Classroom in the Forest program.  The Living Streams program targets 5th grade students, and introduces them to several aspects of the TWP. The Living Streams Program gives students a hands-on learning experience as they explore the macroinvertebrates that live in streams. Students learn to identify different species of macroinvertebrates by getting into a stream and collecting them from under rocks, leaves and aquatic plants. After tallying the number of different species in three different groups (see AWW’s Bio-Assess Stream Quality Assessment Form), they can rank the stream water quality as excellent, good or poor. Students learn that trees play an important role in water quality by holding the soil, providing shade and slowing the flow of runoff from rain events.

 Enviroscape is a model of a watershed that is used to show students how pollution impacts the water that a community uses for drinking, swimming, fishing and boating. The model has streams and a lake, forests, factories, farms, subdivisions, a golf course, a sewage treatment plant and roads with cars. Kool-Aid of different colors is used to simulate pollutant runoff from each of the different land-use areas. Students are taught how they can help keep their streams, rivers and lakes clean.

ACES county coordinator and TWP collaborator Tommy Futral teaches students about watershed management using the Enviroscape model

TWP, MTRBCWP, ACES, Alexander City

officials and Radney Elementary School

team up in stream bank restoration

  1. Enviroscape:  November 22, 2005.  Alexander City, AL. Tommy Futral Conducted a program for 165 1st and 2cnd grade students at Jim Pearson Elementary School using the Enviroscape watershed model.  Martha White trained and presented the program to 490 students at the same school.

  2. Stream Restoration Project:  November 14, 2005.  Alexander City, AL. Tommy Futral and Eve Brantley (ACES), the mayor and city employees, and members of the Middle Tallapoosa River Basin Clean Water Partnership teamed up with 15 students and two teachers from Radney Elementary School to plant trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers to stabilize the banks of a local stream. They also established a pocket wetland.

  3. Classroom in the Forest Program:  September 29, 2005.  Dadeville, AL. Tommy Futral, Bob Daniel and Tammy Jones conducted Classroom in the Forest for 135 5th grade students at Council School.

  4. Enviroscape:  August 21, 2005.  New Site, AL. Tommy Futral Conducted a program for 83 5th grade students at Horseshoe Bend Elementary School using the Enviroscape watershed model.

  5. Enviroscape:  August 14, 2005.  Alexander City, AL. Tommy Futral conducted a program for 160 3rd and 4th grade students at Stephens Elementary School using the Enviroscape watershed model. Ann Goree trained and presented the program to 480 students at the same school. 

  6. Classroom in the Forest Program:  May 5, 2005.  Hackneyville, AL. Tommy Futral, Allen Williams, Brian Osborn, Bob Daniel and Rita Brown conducted Classroom in the Forest for 85 5th grade students from Horseshoe Bend School.

  7. Classroom in the Forest Program:  May 3, 2005.  Hackneyville, AL. Tommy Futral, David Kelly, Fred Wilhelm, Shane Harris and Danny Baker conducted Classroom in the Forest for 296 5th grade students from Radney School.

  8. Classroom in the Forest Program:  April 29, 2005.  Camp Hill, AL. Tommy Futral, Tammy Jones, James Yarbrough, Kelvin Perkins and Allen Williams conducted the Classroom in the Forest program for 120 5th grade students from Edward Bell and Reeltown elementary schools.

  9. Classroom in the Forest Program:  April 28, 2005. Camp Hill, AL. Tommy Futral, Bob Daniel, Brian Osborn, Jerry Brown and Tammy Jones conducted the Classroom in the Forest program for 110 5th grade students from Dadeville Elementary School.

  10. Classroom in the Forest Program:  May 7, 2004. Hackneyville, AL. Guy Slyden, Brian Osbourn, James Yarbrough and Mona Gilliland conducted “Classroom in the Forest” for 290, 5th grade students from Radney School. Topics included: Living Streams, Treasure Forest, Fire Equipment, Tree ID, What Lives Here?, Nobody Lives Here, Wildlife Management, Flag a Tree, Oh Deer, and Everything Needs Space.

  11. Classroom in the Forest Program:  May 4, 2004. Hackneyville, AL. Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Danny Baker, Joe Martin, Bobby Jennings and Michael East conducted “Classroom in the Forest” for 85, 5th grade students from Horseshoe Bend School. Topics were: Living Streams, Nobody Lives Here What Does It Matter?, What Lives Here?, Treasure Forest, Flag a Tree, and Everything Needs Space.

  12. Classroom in the Forest Program:  April 23, 2004. Camp Hill, AL. Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Jean Royston, Dick Duncan, Bob Daniel and Jerry Brown conducted “Classroom in the Forest” for 120, 5th grade students from Edward Bell and Reeltown schools. Topics were: Living Streams, Nobody Lives Here, What Does It Matter?, What Lives Here?, Treasure Forest, Flag a Tree, and Everything Needs Space.

  13. Classroom in the Forest Program:  April 21, 2004. Dadeville, AL. Tommy Futral, John Glasier, Dick Bronson, Michael East, Jeff Brown, Tammy Jones and Rita Brown conducted “Classroom in the Forest” for 130, 5th grade students from several schools. Topics were: Living Streams, What Lives Here?, Nobody Lives Here, What Does It Matter?, Fire Equipment,  and Treasure Forest Landowner.

  1. Stream Gages.  The TCWP provided $4,000 for the purchase of two stream gages and accessories.  Gages were installed for generating hydrographs of TWP streams.

  2. Stream Bioassessment.  The TWP provided $6,000 for bioassessment research and outreach in the TWP streams.

  1. Stream Bioassessment. Field trips for bioassessment with researchers and citizens were planned for November 2004.

  2. Teacher Workshop: September 9, 2004. Auburn University, AL. Bill Deutsch conducted the classroom portion of a Stream Bioassessment workshop for eight, pre-service science teachers from AU.  Some of these teachers will pilot aquatic science projects in schools in the Tallapoosa Basin.

  3. Teacher Workshop:  September 21, 2004. Auburn University, AL. Sergio Ruiz-Cordova and Omar Romagnoli conducted the field portion of the Stream Bioassessment workshop for eight pre-service science teachers from AU.

  4. Stream Ecology lecture:  September 29, 2004. Auburn University, AL. Eight pre-service science teachers attended a lecture by Dr. Cliff Webber on Alabama streams and the macroinvertebrates ecology. The activity was coordinated by Dr. Charles Eick.

  5. Teacher Workshop:  October 9, 2004. Southern Union College, Opelika, AL. Bill Deutsch and Jacqueline Haynes-Middleton conducted a workshop on Stream Bioassessment for middle school and high school science teachers of the Auburn/Opelika, AL area.

  6. Manuals for Aquatic Science Education. AWW and the AU Department of Curriculum and Teaching partnered to begin the development of educational versions of the Water Chemistry, Bacteriological and Stream Biomonitoring manuals used by AWW volunteers.  Each of the manuals will have a general lesson plan and will be correlated with the Alabama Course of Study so that teachers can incorporate these subjects into their classroom teaching.

 

   T O P         

 

 
  © 2004  Auburn University and TWP