Our 2006-2007 and Ongoing Projects
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Challenge Grants: The Council offers small Challenge Grants ($500 - $5,000) to assist public and other 501(c)(3) agencies in their efforts to serve community needs in the CAWACO region. Projects funded support Council and USDA-NRCS Goals that promote the conservation and wise use of the areas resources.
ACES Educational Challenge Grants: Provided through the State’s Educational Trust Fund, the ACES Educational Challenge Grant Program is a partnership between the Alabama Association of Conservation Districts and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. These funds are set up for education of children and adults and must have a clearly defined educational objective.
Grants and Contracted Services: From time to time, Cawaco, in support of the stated goals, applies for and receives grant funding from federal, state, and local sources to perform specific tasks. These funds are used by the Council to address opportunities in the Council Area that address an issue within the scope of our mission. Priority is given to environmental issues linked to natural resources.
Black Warrior & Cahaba Rivers Clean Water Partnerships: These Partnerships are funded by a State contract through the Alabama Clean WaterPartnership and serve a 17 county area. Goals are to improve communication across,governmental, industrial, residential, and environmental boundaries and to promote programs that improve water quality. www.warriorcwp.org & www.cahabacwp.org
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Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership: The goal of the Partnership is to assist the 7 municipalities that boarder Five Mile Creek in the development of a 28 mile greenway. The greenway will not only serve the 7 participating municipalities, but also provide recreational opportunities throughout the greater Birmingham area.
Woody Biomass Utilization on National Forest Service Lands to Achieve Unmet Management Needs: The purpose of this project is to establish viable harvesting techniques and sustainable markets for small diameter stems and un-merchantable woody material. This will enable the National Forest in Alabama to increase efficiencies in rehabilitating lands. Demonstration sites include Oakmulgee Ranger District and the Alabama Power Gadsden Steam Plant. Preliminary estimates indicate: the potential annual utilization of biomass from a minimum of 20,000 acres to augment pulverized coal-fired power generation in Alabama alone; and the possible creation of 400 new jobs in Alabama.
Firewise: The objective of the Firewise Community Development Project (FCDP) is to develop an organized outreach initiative at the grassroots level in Walker, Jefferson & Shelby counties to (1) educate homeowners living within the wild land urban interface of proactive steps that they can take on their own to reduce their vulnerability to wild land fires.
Your Town Mentor Program: Small communities have limited resources to study options for community development, prioritize goals, seek existing programs and avenues of funding, and administer grant programs. The Mentor Program assists communities in implementing sound growth concepts and community revitalization.
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Community Development Grants: Cawaco receives funds directed to community development projects. Through contact with local communities, Cawaco is able to keep and work through an inventory of projects that are needed for community development. Cawaco provides due diligence, project management, and provides a final report back to the grant source.
Historical Beehive Coke Ovens Park (Fultondale): Cawaco RC&D Council provides assistance to the City of Fultondale in the creation of a passive park at the site of the Mary Lee Mines historic beehive coke ovens. The park will include the restoration of the coke ovens and construction of walking trails, providing residents and tourists with a cultural and recreational amenity. A $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts was approved for Sloss Metal Arts to create appropriate sculpture for the site. Additionally, a $1,000 grant was received from the Kodak Greenways Project which was used for site design.
Technical Assistance: Drawing upon the expertise and experience of staff and board members, the Council provides assistance to communities or groups upon request. The projects must have a strong correlation with Council Goals.
Our 2005 and Ongoing Projects
Located in north central Alabama, the Cawaco RC&D Council serves five Counties: Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby and Walker. The Council’s name originates from the principal natural assets of the area, the Cahaba, Warrior and Coosa Rivers. Historically much of the area has been devoted to agriculture, forestry, textiles, and heavy industry. Today as the metropolitan areas of Birmingham expand and service economies evolve, rural land is being converted to residential and commercial use.
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| Jasmine came with her father to pick some flowers as part of the Jones Valley Urban Farm’s Sunflower Harvest Festival July 15, 2006. Music, dance, and all the sunflowers you could get in your arms. The flowers were planted as a cover crop for the farm in the center of Birmingham. The property is owned by the Rushton Foundation and dedicated to Jones Valley Urban Farms’ mission of sustainable / organic food production as part of Community Development and Food Security. The balance of the cover crop will be tilled in for green manure in advance of the next crop. CAWACO RC&D is one of the many partners that actively supports JVUF and its Mission. |
Cawaco’s Mission: To help people protect and develop their economic, natural, and social resources in ways that improve their area’s economy, environment, and way of life
Cawaco’s Vision: To empower our people to help themselves.
McWane Environmental SEP—Cawaco participated on the committee that recommended the creation of an urban park to compliment W.C. Patton Park, ease flooding on Village Creek and serves as the eastern terminus for Village Creek Greenway. With a total value in excess of $5,000,000, this project addresses land, air and water quality and quantity as part of McWane CIP’s community activities.
Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership (www.cawaco.org/fivemilecreek)— was created as a result of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), signed by Jefferson County; the cities of Birmingham, Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale, Brookside and Graysville; and by several non-profit agencies. The MOA created a formal partnership with the goal of establishing a Five Mile Creek Greenway Corridor. The Five Mile Creek Greenway plan envisions a series of larger parks and open spaces along the creek connected by hiking, biking and canoe trails to provide adjacent communities with alternative transportation, eco-tourism to benefit local economies, and renewed pride. The greenway would also conserve and protect natural and cultural resources, including historic mines and beehive coke ovens, abandoned railroad lines, and possible Native American sites. The greenway would help conserve natural resources by protecting and restoring floodplains, wetlands and stream banks, preserving critical habitat, and removing non-native plants, such as kudzu and privet. It would encourage developers, homeowners and businesses to follow best practices to help improve and protect the creek from pollution. In 2005, the Black Warrior—Cahaba Rivers Land Trust presented the Greenway Partnership with the “Partnership Project of the Year Award,” recognizing Cawaco’s contribution and stating “… This partnership is being hailed as a national model for cooperation … it has secured almost $2 million dollars in federal and local funding …” Other Five Mile Creek programs include the “Five Mile Currents Newsletter” ($7,500); citizens watershed stewardship workshops ($10,200); a new organization, “Friends of Five Mile Creek,” and Samford University’s Oral History project. Additionally, the Council received a $50,000 award (matched for a total of $100,000) to develop a Greenway Master Plan.
Investigation of Waste to Energy—Cawaco is advancing the Council’s goals of energy conservation, job creation and the economic viability of existing industries by investigating and scoping for the future of WTE/Waste to Energy projects in the metro area. The project is looking at a local need for energy and a dedicated waste stream in excess of 14,000 tons per month of woody biomass. Imported fuel use will be reduced, solid waste (landfill) life expectancy will be increased and a local industry will become more competitive in a global market.
Woody Biomass Utilization on National Forest System Lands—This $430,000 project establishes viable harvesting techniques and sustainable markets for small diameter stems and un-merchantable woody material, enabling the National Forest in Alabama (NFAL) to increase efficiencies in rehabilitating lands from Condition Class 2 and 3 to Condition Class 1. Demonstration sites include the Oakmulgee Ranger District and the Gadsden Steam Plant. Preliminary estimates indicate: potential annual utilization of biomass from a minimum of 20,000 acres to augment coal-fired power generation in Alabama; and 400 new jobs.
Pesticide Amnesty Day—Cawaco administers the $270,000 Clean Sweep Waste Pesticide Collection Program for the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. These Amnesty Days assist homeowners and farmers in removing unwanted pesticides and encourage proper disposal. In 2005, Chilton County collection totals were over 6,800 pounds and Baldwin exceeded 41,000 pounds.
YourTown Alabama (www.yourtownalabama.org)—From 1998 through 2005, nearly 500 citizens and leaders and approximately 100 communities have participated. The successful 13th YourTown Workshop included diverse demographic representation of communities and one of the largest percent of mayors as participants. Cawaco received an $80,000 grant ($80,000 match for a total value of $160,000) from the Appalachian Regional Commission to implement the Your Town Mentor Project. This project helps communities use Your Town-Alabama concepts. Empowering local citizens with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to implement sustained economic and community development is the project goal.
Earth Team (www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/volunteers)—With new projects and new Earth Team Recruits, Cawaco logged over 5,000 service hours ($90,000) in 2005, winning Alabama and National RC&D Earth Team awards.
B.U.G.S.—In partnership with Jones Valley Urban Farms www.jvuf.org, BUGS (Birmingham Urban Garden Society) includes organic farming, farm to market, youth education, and nutrition. Projects include Birmingham City School’s first community gardens nutrition program and the Miles College organic lawn demo created by local organic innovator “Captain Compost.” B.U.G.S. funding: $75,000.
Black Warrior River Clean Water Partnership (www.warriorcwp.org)—The Black Warrior River CWP maintains and restores the biological integrity of the Black Warrior River Basin by providing Basin Facilitation Services with priority focus on AL Section 303(d) stream segments. The CWP Facilitator has completed additional Management Plans for Locust Fork, Mulberry Fork, Five Mile Creek and Black Branch sub-basins. The Partnership also facilitates coordination of Bankhead and Holt Lakes Renew Our Rivers Clean Ups. These clean ups are a partnership effort of corporate entities, governmental agencies, and citizen groups. The goals are: 1) to organize an annual cleanup on Holt and Bankhead Lakes, 2) to provide information about pollution caused by rainfall runoff, and 3) highlight watershed groups active in their area.
Cahaba River Basin Clean Water Partnership—The Council continues to perform beyond the scope and requirements of the Cahaba River Clean Water Partnership by developing strategies for the restoration of the basin in accordance with the Basin Management Plan. The Clean Water Partnership is developing plans to implement improvements to the water quality and quantity and to assist the UCC/ Upper Cahaba Consortium with efforts following the UCC’s defined end point.
VISTA (www.americorps.org/vista)—By partnering with the Office of Surface Mining to benefit from VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), Cawaco continues efforts in finding resources to carry out our mission. The current intern manages the Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership.
Internships—Like the VISTA initiative, Cawaco has used internships to carry out the NRCS / RC&D joint mission. In 2005 interns joining Cawaco came from UAB School of Engineering, Environmental Health Engineering Program (doctoral student); UAB Graduate School of Business, MBA Program; Auburn University, Master’s in Landscape Architecture; and the Office of Surface Mining. One of Cawaco’s staff interns developed Alabama’s first set of Bioswale Standards and Specifications.
McWane Neighborhood Community—This historic neighborhood is being rehabilitated in a partnership with Cawaco; Norwood Neighborhood Association; Auburn University, School of Architecture Center for Urban Studies, Weed and Feed, Birmingham City Council and other organizations. With an initial project value of $35,000, there is potential to re-develop the Norwood neighborhood, including a housing-related benefits program for McWane Industries employees.
Historical Beehive Coke Ovens Park—Fultondale is creating a park at the site of the Mary Lee Mines historic beehive coke ovens. Grants submitted by Cawaco include $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for Sloss Metal Arts to create appropriate sculpture for the site, and $1,000 from the Kodak American Greenways Awards Program for a student design competition. The park will include the restoration of coke ovens and construction of walking trails, providing residents and tourists with a cultural and recreational amenity.
The Olmsted Vision—A System of Parks for Birmingham—With a Cawaco grant of $5,000 and $65,000 in matching funds, the Birmingham Historical Society (www.bhistorical.org) republished the Olmsted Brothers report of 1925, Plan for Systems of Parks and Playgrounds for Birmingham, together with a 96-page illustrated publication providing correspondence between the landscape firm and local park advocates and an analysis of park development in the 1920s and 1930s. Following public display at the Birmingham Public Library, the Center for Regional Planning and Design, and other venues, the exhibit materials will be deposited in the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission archives as resource material for future study of regional park development.
Greenways Showcase—Greenway creators, designers and implementers gathered to present and share current and future projects, increasing awareness of greenway projects and their benefits. The Greenways Showcase was presented in conjunction with the republication of the original Olmsted documents by the Birmingham Historical Society.
