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Cool Green Trees Part of Sustainable Team in Birmingham
Cool Green Trees (CGT) is helping Birmingham become a more sustainable city! As one of 25 cities chosen for the three-year Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities (BASC) initiative, Birmingham selected three organizations to help the city unlock the potential to build a safer and more prosperous community. CGT, Cornerstone Revitalization Foundation, and IMC Financial Consulting will…
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Cawaco RC&D and Alabama Legislature Invest in North Birmingham Food Access
Roots of Nourishment enhanced a community garden through the addition of raised garden beds and an irrigation system within the community greenhouse. The improvements grow Roots of Nourishment’s capacity to provide fresh food and wellness programs, promoting sustainable food production and healthy living. “I live in a food desert. There are many of us who…
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Swimsuit Drive for Children in Foster Care
It might feel like 2025 has just begun, but pool weather is right around the corner. The Alabama Association of RC&D Councils is running a swimsuit and towel drive to support the BigHouse Foundation, a nonprofit supporting foster and adoptive families in East Alabama. BigHouse provides these swimsuits and towels to social workers across the…
2024 Projects of the Year
We honored five projects at our annual meeting that we felt went above and beyond due to the size of their impact, their uniqueness and creativity, and the partnerships utilized. Give them a round of applause and get in touch with them if you want to support their projects further! Blount County The Town of…
Grow Your Career with Cool Green Trees!
We’re seeking a mission-driven Volunteer Manager to support our Cool Green Trees (CGT) program! CGT is dedicated to planting and preserving Jefferson County’s urban tree canopy. The Volunteer Manager will be responsible for: Serve as a CGT advocate for the significant role natural climate solutions play in linking communities, enhancing local economies, improving air quality,…
Economic development goes green
5 things to know about Cawaco RC&D Striking a balance between nature and human needs is vital. Cawaco RC&D is committed to this mission. But what does that look like in practice? Here are 5 things to know about Cawaco RC&D: Read Now
2025 Holle Family Foundation Grant Cycle Now Open
The Holle Family Foundation is accepting grant applications until November 1, 2024. The Holle Family Foundation is guided by a charitable philosophy that seeks to promote individuals and institutions throughout central Alabama that nurture individual accomplishment and worth. The Foundation aims to support work that maximizes impact across several grant initiatives: services and advocacy for vulnerable populations,…
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Conserving Natural Resources & Cultivating Vibrant Communities
Happy World Nature Conservation Day! At Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development Council, we connect Central Alabama communities to the resources and partnerships needed to drive economic development in an environmentally sustainable way. We believe in balancing nature’s needs with our own, finding solutions that benefit both livelihoods and local biodiversity. That’s why we focus on…
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Cool Green Trees is Hiring!
We’re seeking a mission-driven Program Manager to take our Cool Green Trees program to the next level! CGT is dedicated to planting and preserving Jefferson County’s urban tree canopy. The Program Manager will be responsible for: Increasing awareness of the organization in the community. Ensuring a sustainable future for the organization through diverse funding streams.…
New Pollinator Garden in Oak Mountain State Park
Have you heard the buzz? Oak Mountain State Park opened a pollinator garden last week! It’s the first of 12 pollinator gardens across Alabama State Parks.The gardens will be in full bloom by 2025. On-site teacher toolkits will allow educators to utilize interactive learning tools, including a children’s storybook experience in six of the gardens.The…
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Raising Awareness for Watercress Darters
The Birmingham metro area is home to three endangered darters, including the watercress darter (Etheostoma nuchale). Cawaco RC&D worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enhance and preserve habitat for these species. We hosted community workdays to remove invasive plant species, installed public educational signs, and helped distribute a book about the history…
2025 Grant Cycle Now Open
April 1- July 1, 2024 We are currently accepting applications for the 2025 grant cycle! Applicants should make themselves aware of the timelines and reporting requirements prior to applying. Funds are reimbursable. Applications may range from $5,000 to a maximum of $20,000 for projects that affect a large population or multiple counties. Applicants are encouraged…
Cool Green Trees is in the News!
In case you haven’t heard- Cool Green Trees is a new Cawaco Program that is locating Urban Heat Islands in Birmingham and cooling them down by planting trees. Concrete, streets and buildings “collect” and store heat, even after the sun goes down. This program targets the hottest areas in Birmingham, but the trees do more…
2024 Funding Opportunity
The 2024 Cawaco Grant Cycle opens April 1- July 1, 2023. All applicants are now required to create an account with username and password prior to applying. Applications will be available starting April 1. Awards are determined in September. READ MORE
A 3 for 1 Project
Cawaco provided assistance to the US Fish & Wildlife Service which could improve fish passage for the Trispot Darter. The project removed a perched concrete culvert pipe and replaced it with a bottomless arch structure. The site was a priority due to proximity of historic records and recent survey for Trispot Darter habitat. The land…
Adding Mussel(s)
At the end of the 2021, Cawaco agreed to receive funds from the Coosa River Basin Initiative of behalf of AABC. Funding came from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR). The purpose of the funds was to assist AABC in propagating and re-introducing the Coosa Moccasinshell mussel, GADNR produced a video that provides basic information about mussels and their…
Town Creek Restoration-14 Years Later…
In 2008, Cawaco and the City of Jasper contracted with North State Environmental to solve erosion and stormwater management issued on Town Creek. The Creek flows through the City in front of Maddox Middle School. North State used a new (in 2008) concept of natural channel design techniques. Fourteen years later, the construction has held,…
Cawaco assists in mussel reintroduction
As the nonprofit partner of the Alabama Rivers & Streams Network, Cawaco facilitated funding provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources through the Coosa River Basin Initiative to DCNR-Alabama Aquatics Biodiversity Center. Funding was used by AABC to propagate the Coosa Moccasinshell mussel and reintroduce it to its natural habitat in the Coosa River…
2022 Cawaco Annual Report
Cawaco has had a busy year! We took on a new staff person, and got a new Chairman. We not only have a very successful grant program, we have other Cawaco Project that enhance the reach of the Council. Read more below! 2022 Annual Report
Rep. Corley Ellis Receives Legislator of the Year Award
https://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2022/03/08/rep-corley-ellis-receives-leadership-award-from-statewide-development-organization/
Continue Reading Rep. Corley Ellis Receives Legislator of the Year Award
2022 Roebuck Springs Work Day
April 2 2022 Come volunteer to plant the stream banks at Roebuck Springs on the Roebuck Springs Golf Course spring run – – home of the endangered Watercress Darter WHEN: April 2 Saturday 9 am until 12 noon WHERE: Meet at Don Hawkins Recreation Center Parking lot at Roebuck Golf Course. 8920 Roebuck Blvd, Birmingham,…
2022 Seven Springs Watercress Darter Work Day
March 19, Saturday 9 am until 12 noon As part of the Urban Darter Project, Freshwater Land Trust is hosting a habitat improvement workday at Seven Springs in the Powderly neighborhood of Birmingham. The workday is on Sat, Mar 19 from 9 AM to 12 PM, and we’ll be meeting at Faith Apostolic Church (2001…
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Free Educational Resource
Teach your students about water and mineral science with this fun activity book! It is free to download! Wacky water bookDownload
Delivery to Parrish Elementary
Kasey Kilpatrick, a teacher and gardener at Parrish Elementary was awarded a mini-grant for her school garden and got a seed delivery too!
Alabama Rivers & Streams Annual Meeting
Cawaco RC&D is the nonprofit partner for the Alabama Rivers & Streams Network (www.alh2o.org). 2023 Annual Meeting will be held January 18, 2023. Check the link above for updates. The ARSN annual meeting was held January 19, 2022 with 82 participants from federal and state agencies, utilities, forestry, universities and nonprofits. The meeting provides an…
Working with Birmingham Parks
Francesca Gross, Environmental Specialist for Cawaco RC&D was featured Birmingham Parks and Recreation Report (September 2021). Read more about Francesca and her work!
Tractor Supply Supports Gardens
Cawaco would like to welcome our new partner, Tractor Supply-Bessemer. Tractor supply donated their end of the year seeds for the RC&D Grows Gardens program. This program provides resources for schools and community gardens throughout Alabama. We are grateful for their support and dedication to Alabama communities.
2021 By-The-Numbers
This is a one-page graphic of the Cawaco grant program numbers, as well as other Contracts and Grants we manage. 2021-By-the-NumbersDownload
2021 Annual Grant Report
2021 was a challenging year for many, due to the challenges presented from change in leadership and COVID obstacles. However, our grantees were able to adapt and persevere! This is evidence that our Board of Directors makes excellent funding decisions and approves the proposals with exceptional care. Thanks to the organizations and leaders throughout the…
2021 RC&D Grows Gardens Presentation
Sponsored by Alabama Association of RC&D Councils and USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, RC&D Grows Gardens provides resources to school and community gardens. Results of the 2021 RC&D Grows Gardens was presented at the 2021 Alabama Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils annual conference. The project also received support from local Alabama Cooperative Extension…
RC&D Grows Gardens
We are very grateful to the Alabama Association of RC&D Councils for providing us with a grant to continue the RC&D Grows Gardens program. By partnering with AMRV RC&D, ALA-Tom RC&D, Mid-South RC&D, and Northwest Alabama RC&D, we were able to provide mini-grants to 13 school and community gardens! Mini-Grants were used to purchase materials…
2020 Project Report
Look what happened in 2020! 2020 Project Report
Kellie Johnston receives Alabama Association of RC&D Councils Hall of Fame Award!
Kellie is a creative, innovative thinker. Not only can she dream up a project, she can also find the people to make it happen. She has a way of creating partnerships and maintaining working relationships that have lasted over a decade. Kellie works constantly to promote RC&D. When we have grantees who do not get…
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Univ of Montevallo Provides Environmental Education-Virtually
The Environmental Education Program at the University of Montevallo (UM) originally applied for a Cawaco grant to provide in-person programming for each grade in Montevallo City Schools. Around November 2020, it was realized that the chance of being able to do in-person programming was slim to none. This required UM to pivot and focus on…
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Shelby Emergency Assistance Creates Edible Garden
SEA’s goal is to provide for the basic needs (food, housing, utilities and medical care) of people in crisis, helping them achieve self-sufficiency. Local gardeners have brought produce to SEA for many years to provide directly to clients. Cawaco provided grant funds to enable SEA to establish their own garden. In the past, produce went…
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Chilton Broadband Feasibility Study
Cawaco RC&D provided $15,000 to Chilton Industrial Development Authority to fund a broadband feasibility study for Chilton County. The study was paid for through a partnership of the Chilton County Industrial Development Authority, Chilton County Commission and local municipalities to determine what parts of the county do not have access to broadband (high-speed internet) and…
Problem Solving at the Elementary Level – Bryan Elementary
Bryan Elementary saw a community need for PPE equipment and used the opportunity to provide STEM education. Using Cawaco funds, Bryan Elementary was able to purchase two 3D printers and produced and protective face shields for protection against the COVID-19 virus. The shields were distributed to local nurses and at the local senior center. The…
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Cawaco Funds Shelby County Career Corps
https://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2021/06/02/shelby-chamber-to-present-career-corps-summer-program/
Historic Dining at Camp Fletcher
Funding from Cawaco and other area foundations assisted Bridgeways in rebuilding the WOHELO Dining Hall. Built in 1935, the dining hall was the central hub of camp. However, storm damage revealed that the original building could not be renovated and a new building was necessary. The new dining hall is larger, will accommodate more students…
Transformed vacant lot in North Titusville
Francesca Gross and volunteers at a workday in Titusville’s new Triangle Park , April 11, 2021. (photo by Sydney Cromwell).
We had a lot of fun at
The Leaf Pantry 
and urban farm with farmer James Bates and local gardeners!
James has been gardening for 60 years and he loves to share his knowledge. He has greens, beans, potatoes, asparagus, corn and tomatoes already planted! 
This was the first of 4 Urban Agriculture in Alabama workshops we will be hosting this year! ... See MoreSee Less
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The Community Arts Council of Blount County built an accessible entrance to their facility so all residents, regardless of ability, can patronize and participate in events and performances held at Blount County's only dedicated community arts facility. In addition, expanded access to the facility allows exhibitors and participants to safely load and unload materials and supplies necessary for perf ... See MoreSee Less
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In rural communities, entrepreneurs are increasingly the ones who provide jobs and help spur more equitable and sustainable economic growth. Montevallo Main Street’s CO.STARTERS program walks entrepreneurs through business fundamentals in 10 weeks, all within the context of their local community. This program is strengthening Montevallo’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, encouraging business growth, cr ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to Jones Valley Teaching Farm for hosting our quarterly board meeting today! We enjoyed being in your beautiful space and learning more about what you do for Birmingham.
#communitydevelopment #UrbanAg #foodeducation ... See MoreSee Less
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Join Cawaco RC&D for a Spring Planting Q&A with Farmer James!
See you then ... See MoreSee Less
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Roots of Nourishment is growing food and community in North Birmingham!
Their community garden fosters healthy living, community engagement and sustainable food production, ensuring greater access to nutritious food for the local community. Cawaco RC&D supported their efforts through funding to establish the garden beds and a water irrigation system in the greenhouse. Roots of Nourishme
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Now, this is something to cartwheel about!
Carbon Hill Jr. High School cheerleaders now have safer mats to use as they practice, attend competitions, and host pep rallies and cheer clinics for the Pee Wee cheerleaders. They replaced mats that were over 15 years old and unsafe. Thanks, Senator Greg Reed & State Representative Tim Wadsworth for your partnership in keeping these Bulldogs ch
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