Saturday, June 2, 2012, Quinn’s Landing

679 Quinns Landing Road, Oakman, AL 35579

8 a.m. till noon

FREE HOT DOG LUNCH FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS!!!

Join us for the 9th annual Bankhead Lake Cleanup on Saturday, June 2th beginning at 8:00am.  BankheadLake, part of the Black Warrior River System, provides a valuable resource and many recreational opportunities for the region.  The clean up is coordinated by the Black Warrior River Clean Water Partnership and supported by a coalition of local citizens, businesses, County, State and Federal agencies including the US Army Corps of Engineers and Alabama Power.  During the last clean up, 132 volunteers removed 7.31 tons of trash and debris from Bankhead Lake.

Help us top last year’s totals!!!!!

There are two ways to participate:

• Community Clean Up:  Pick up trash and debris along roadsides and in sloughs during the week beginning May 29^th.  Trash bags and gloves will be available at the Quinn’s Landing Restaurant. Gathered debris may be disposed of in the dumpster at Quinn’s Landing to be included in the final tonnage count !!!
• Volunteer Event:  Registration begins at 8am at Quinn’s Landing.  Volunteers with boats can  take a non-boater to pick up trash and debris around the Lake.  Tshirts will be available while supplies last.  A volunteer appreciation hot dog lunch will be served beginning around 11:30am.

Alabama Power is now offering a patch to any Boy Scout or Girl Scout who participates in a Renew Our Rivers clean-up.  Contact the coordinator below to register your troop.  This is a great opportunity for your troop to earn community service hours and learn about caring for the environment.

WHAT TO WEAR, BRING

• Shoes you don’t mind getting wet – old tennis shoes, high top work boots
•  Long pants
•  Insect repellant

If you have the following, please bring:

• Heavy duty work gloves
• Dip nets

  SAFETY NOTES 

• Only pick up items you are comfortable carrying. Ask for help with larger or awkward items. If it won’t budge, just leave it!
• Be careful when handling sharp items. Use gloves!!
• Be on the lookout for snakes, wasps, and hornets in debris piles or vegetated areas.
• Don’t get dehydrated. Drink plenty of water.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT

DIANE GRUMAN (205) 553-9373 or KELLIE JOHNSTON AT (205) 623-0458

The Chilton County Farm, Home & Wildlife Expo 2011

August 6, 2011

In an attempt to make the public aware of the resources that are available to them at the research and extension center,  a field day we term as the Farm, Home and Wildlife Expo highlights the fruit and vegetable work that is ongoing to addresses needs that pertain to the culture these crops are grown in. We offer tours of research underway, tasting of in season fruit and vegetables, samples of cooked items using these products in the recipes, to educate the consumer of other ways to incorporate these healthy items into their diet.  Cooking demonstrations to show consumers how to include other farm raised products including beef, poultry and dairy in their menus at home and inform them of the value these cuts have to the diet.

This event attracted over 1000 participants, who braved the heat as well as the thunderstorms, in order to sample, learn and enjoy fruits, ice cream, cooking and canning, and farm demonstrations. This program was partially funded by Cawaco RC&D, who provided the Chilton County Research Center a $5,000.00 grant.

The Alabama 4-H center in Columbiana recently closed a $10,000.00 grant they receieved through Cawaco RC&D and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The grant provided scholarships to students throughout the Cawaco 5-County area.  The educational objective was to promote environmental education and leadership skills through hands-on experimental learning. Topics studied included entimology, forest ecology, herpetology, macro invertebrate study, orinthology, rivers and reservoirs, and outdoor recreation. The scholarships allowed over 2500 students from Walker, Shelby and Jefferson counties to attend the science school program. Without the funding, none of the participants would have been able to attend these events.

Springwood students conducting chemical studies on Lay Lake

http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2011/07/06/timberline-stream-under-restoration/

http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/2011/06/23/minooka-now-has-permanent-cleaner-waste-treatment/

Cawaco RC&D Council Challenge Grant:  Educating Seniors Through Internet Access.

Senior Mentor 80 year old Mike Culotta set a personal goal of training 200 seniors to use the computer. He worked for over 290 hours SO FAR on the project and taught 150 learners on two computers provided by Cawaco RC&D Council Challenge Grant.  The entire project educated 514 learners this year.

The $2500.00 grant was matched with over $5,000 in Volunteer service, making the Total Project Value a very impressive $7,709.64.

Grant Recipient is:

Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging Office
15863 Highway 25
Calera, AL 35040
Phone: 1-866-570-2998

June 13, 2011

The Clanton Advertiser reported that Cawaco RC&D Council will provide a  $9,000 grant for storm related items for Chilton County.  The money will be used for repair and maintenance on the weather sirens, according to Commissioner Allen Caton.

Cawaco RC&D has been accepted to enter the inaugural class for the Standards of Excellence program promoted by the Alabama Association of Nonprofits (www.alabamanonprofits.org.)  The National Standards of Excellence Institute was formed to promote the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management and operations.  It provides nonprofits with clear benchmarks to measure performance against the highest standards of nonprofit governance and management, delivers educational programming and technical assistance, and grants the Seal of Excellence to organizations that complete a rigorous peer review process.

Courier Journal