Find the latest information about CAWACO on our Facebook page.
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
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,…
March 19th 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…
Continue Reading March 19th Seven Springs Watercress Darter Work Day
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 proud to be the nonprofit partner for the Alabama Rivers & Streams Network (www.alh2o.org). 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 overview of current habitat improvement and sampling being performed in the State.…
MLK Day of Service in Titusville
On a cold MLK Day of Service 2022, volunteers put some finishing touches on the “Triangle Park” in North Titusville Neighborhood. The park, owned by Titusville Development Corporation, has been over a year in the making with tremendous donations and volunteer services from Father Nature Landscapes and Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood (GMC) landscape designers. On…
The World Games Tree Planting Initiative
BACKGROUND The World Games is an 11-day international multi-sport event organized with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The World Games 2022 will showcase a New Generation of Global Sports in Birmingham from July 7-17, 2022. An anticipated 3,600 elite athletes from over 100 countries will compete for gold in more than 30 of…
Francesca Feature Article
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…
Continue Reading Kellie Johnston receives Alabama Association of RC&D Councils Hall of Fame Award!
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…
Continue Reading Univ of Montevallo Provides Environmental Education-Virtually
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…
Continue Reading Shelby Emergency Assistance Creates Edible Garden
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…
Continue Reading Problem Solving at the Elementary Level – Bryan Elementary
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…
New park brings more than just an amenity to Titusville
Francesca Gross and volunteers at a workday in Titusville’s new Triangle Park , April 11, 2021. (photo by Sydney Cromwell).
Continue Reading New park brings more than just an amenity to Titusville
Paul Kennedy Makes Who’s Who!
Check out our Board Member, Paul W. Kennedy, who was featured as a “Who’s Who” in the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2021 Nonprofit edition. Paul was executive director of Cawaco RC&D before leaving to head the Walker Area Community Foundation. He had a hand in many of the great nonprofits and initiatives in the area and…
Urban Darter Project
Despite being the most populated city in Alabama, the Birmingham Metropolitan area is no exception, and is home to three endangered darters in the genus Etheostoma. Funds provided by the USFWS will support a coordinated effort to enhance and preserve habitat for trust species, expose diverse communities to principles of conservation, ecological restoration methodologies, and…
UAB Grand Challenge
Cawaco RC&D Council was contracted by University of Alabama Birmingham to implement a portion of UAB’s Grand Challenge strategic plan. Cawaco’s Environmental Specialist, Francesca Gross, coordinated volunteer tree planting days in the North Titusville and Kingston communities. Cawaco provided expertise in selecting tree type, specific planting locations, street tree planting plan, and maintenance plan. Partners included: Birmingham Sunrise…
Goldwire Heights Subdivision Enhancements
Cawaco is implementing a contract received from Navigate Affordable Housing Partners Inc. to construct two (2) subdivision gateway signs and plant trees for street-scaping in the Goldwire Heights community in Birmingham. Build UP Birmingham provides student interns for the project. This is a part of a larger project by Navigate Affordable Housing Partners Inc. to ensure that people have access to…
Titusville Lot Enhancements
Cawaco RC&D Council was contracted by Titusville Development Corporation to plan and implement the transformation of 2 vacant lots in North Titusville to low maintenance, functional, beautiful landscapes for the neighborhood to enjoy. Triangle Park on 3rd Avenue South and Kappa Avenue will be transformed into a community gathering place with seating, pollinator garden and…
Mulberry Fork Stream Stabilization
The Mulberry Fork Streambank Stabilization project included stabilizing and enhancing approximately 200 total linear meters of stream bank on Mulberry Fork and an associated tributary, Hurricane Creek, to improve habitat for the Black Warrior Waterdog and Flattened Musk Turtle and to improve fish passage. Additional activities included restoring and enhancing approximately 70 meters of in-stream…
Trispot Darter Fish Passage Partnership
The trispot darter is a small, colorful fish with three prominent black saddles on its back and grows up to 1.5 inches long. The species is found only above the fall line in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee within the Coosa River drainage. One breeding site for the trispot darter can be found on Alabama Power…
Rush Darter Fish Passage
During a 2018 bio-blitz at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, a new record for the federally listed (endangered) Rush Darter (Etheostoma phytophilum) was documented. This new record was found in an unnamed tributary (a spring run) to Turkey Creek and was just downstream of two concrete pipe culverts. The concrete pipe culverts are at the crossing…
DAV Chapter 4 Building Repairs
Cawaco received a grant from the Holle Family Foundation to bring the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4 building up to code. The roof was leaking and creating internal damage. Genius Roof installed a new roof that should last 20 years. Electrical upgrades were performed by Colston Electric bringing the electrical system up to code. LED…
Runway for Reclamation
On August 6, 2020, Cawaco RC&D received a grant from Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition to assist partners of the Alabama Rivers & Streams Network in developing capacity to prioritize and develop abandoned mine reclamation projects that will have measurable benefits to water quality and improve economic conditions for coal-related distressed communities. The grant will integrate the…
Strategic Habitat Internships
The USFWS has provided funding for student interns (2015-2023) to perform road crossing surveys. These surveys provide base information for habitat assessments and the SHU mapper. Students obtain hands-on experience, knowing that the data will be used by regulated industries, regulatory agencies, and non-profits to develop projects that improve habitat. This experience translates into a…
Cool Green Action Plan
This project is a unique collaborative effort between Cawaco RC&D Council Environmental Programs, the City of Birmingham, a diverse, multidisciplinary team from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and numerous local non-profits in Jefferson County, Alabama. Cool Green project Story Map, completed in March 2020, identified areas in Jefferson County with the following overlapping characteristics: urban…
RC&D Grows Gardens
Panola Community Outreach Pavillion (Green County) Funds from Alabama RC&D “RC&D Grows Gardens Project” were used to complete the Panola Community Outreach pavilion. The pavilion serves as a food distribution site for limited-income residents.
Pleasantfield Volunteer Fire Department Radios
Thanks to Senator Greg Reed, Cawaco heard about the needs of Pleasantfield Volunteer Fire department in Walker County. Pleasantfield is a very rural community in Walker County that has very limited cell phone service which makes the use of cell phones in emergency situations tenuous. Pleasantfield VFD had members who did not have a fire…
Continue Reading Pleasantfield Volunteer Fire Department Radios
Garden Report
2019 Cawaco Annual Report
[pdf-embedder url=”https://cawaco.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-Cawaco-Annual-Report.pdf” title=”2019 Cawaco Annual Report”]
Trispot Darter Study
Cawaco RC&D is managing a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation on behalf of the Alabama Rivers and Streams Network. The purpose of the grant is to enhance knowledge of the distribution and range of the Trispot Darter (Etheostoma trisella), a fish species endemic to the middle and upper Coosa River regions of…
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES- WATER FUN FOR STUDENTS K-5
Looking for educational resources for students K-5 to print at home or in class? Look no further! Here is a print-friendly version of a FUN activity book about water conservation!
Continue Reading EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES- WATER FUN FOR STUDENTS K-5
Cawaco Wins Two Southeastern RC&D Awards
Cawaco Board Members Paul Kennedy and Sheila Baker walked away with two Southeastern Association of RC&D Council awards this week in Asheville NC. Paul Kennedy was accepted into the SE RC&D Hall of Fame and Sheila Baker was deemed Board Member of the Year! (Pictured: Paul McCaleb accepting Kennedy’s award, and Sheila Baker)
Projects from the State of Alabama!
Enjoy this presentation that highlights the work being done throughout the state by Resource, Conservation & Development Councils in Alabama. [pdf-embedder url=”http://cawaco.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Presentation-2019-Annual-ConferenceFinal.pdf” title=”Presentation 2019 Annual ConferenceFinal”]
