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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…
Continue Reading 2022 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). 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…
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…
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…
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).
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 and Sunrise Rotary 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, Kingston and East Lake communities. Cawaco provided expertise in selecting tree type, specific planting locations, street tree planting plan, and…
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…
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…
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
If you do the right things-for the right reason-everything works out. Today, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Interior, Shannon Estenoz visited two USFWS Partners projects administered by Cawaco. The projects focus on improving habitat for the Trispot Darter. We are so grateful to the landowner and our partners for trusting us with this important work . ... See MoreSee Less
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Have you made plans for 2024? It is not too soon! The 2024 grant cycle will open April 1- July 1. Awards are announced in September. ... See MoreSee Less
2024 Grant Announcement
sh1.sendinblue.com
Cawaco Grant Cycle Opens April 1! Create your account today! Application window: April 1- July 1. Awards announced in September 2023.Comment on Facebook
The 2024 Grant Cycle is opening April 1- June 30! We have migrated to a new system so all users will be required to create a username and password. Make sure you pick the correct council! Cawaco covers Blount, Chilton, Shelby, Jefferson and Walker Counties but there is a council for ALL counties of the state.This application becomes available beginning April 1! ... See MoreSee Less
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Ready to get outside this spring? Join FLFR on March 25 for a hike on Graves creek!🚶🌱🌷Our next hike is next weekend! 👏
An easy to moderate ramble along Graves Creek on March 25 at 10 am.
Register here: www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/NzY1NDc= ... See MoreSee Less
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We need YOU to help us plan for the next five years! Please take our survey! Your vote counts!
... See MoreSee Less
Cawaco RC&D Area Plan Survey
www.cognitoforms.com
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The Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute registration is open! The free workshop includes various agricultural activities for grades K-6 and field trips to active farms. The application deadline is April 15, 2023.
Apply online at: www.alabamaaitc.org ... See MoreSee Less
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Stacey Horton Dryer
National Forests in Alabama are seeking to hire 11 people in the following positions:
• Bankhead National Forest, in Double Springs, AL is hiring 3 positions as GS-3/4/5, Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Prep);
• Conecuh National Forest, in Andalusia/Wing, AL is hiring 3 positions as GS-3/4/5, Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Prep);
• Oakmulgee Division of Talladega National Forest, in Brent, AL is hiring 2 positions as GS-3/4/5, Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Prep);
• Talladega Division of Talladega National Forest, in Talladega, AL is hiring 3 positions as GS-3/4/5, Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Prep).
The subject vacancy announcement opened today, Monday, March 13, 2023 in USAJOBS.
Below is a link to the vacancy announcement.
The vacancy announcement will automatically close, once 225 applications have been received, so apply early! Do not wait!
Vacancy Announcement #: 23-R8GVA-11868871DH-AW
Open Date: 3/13/2023
Close Date: 3/20/2023
Announcement Link: www.usajobs.gov/job/711607800
Tips for Applicants:
• Don’t wait until the last-minute to apply
• Use your personal email address for your profile
• Read and understand the vacancy announcement before clicking the “Apply” button
o Qualifications section: Describes the qualification requirements for the position
o Required Documents section: States which documents are required for eligibility and qualifications
Resume should contain required information
Other documents should meet requirements listed
Only attach documents that are required
Do not attach duplicate documents ... See MoreSee Less
Forestry Technician (Timber Sale Preparation)
www.usajobs.gov
These positions are located on National Forests in Region 8 performing timber duties as part of the timber management program. Incumbent's duties include timber marking, timber cruising, harvest unit ...Comment on Facebook
Jason Lake
This is Aaron Edwards from Empire Alabama. We met with him last week and delivered the remainder of the seeds! Aaron is a veteran and a farmer that participates in the At-Ease Veteran Therapy Farming. The Veterans At-Ease is a program dedicated to increasing veteran participation in agriculture and to encourage therapeutic relief of service-related disabilities such as PTSD, TBI, and much more through farming.
Aaron allows veterans from the community to garden on his farm and Cawaco is happy to support these efforts! ... See MoreSee Less
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Looking good my brother 👍🏼💕😘
Alabama has so much to offer! Check out a trail near you! ... See MoreSee Less
The Best Alabama Hiking Trails For Every Month Of The Year
www.travelawaits.com
Alabama is a wonderful hiking destination for both seasoned and beginner hikers. Here are great hikes for every month of the year.Comment on Facebook