Create a Clean Water Future

11/19/2021

How many times have you seen some lunch packaging lingering around the schoolyard or office? If nobody picks it up, it will stay there looking bad until the next rain when it will be washed down a storm drain. The stormwater then carries that litter to the bay and into the ocean.

One thing you can do is get a lunch box with small containers, then you can easily bring dinner leftovers, and a variety of things you love to eat. Best of all, there's no plastic film that may blow off and damage our waterways.

Carrying a reusable lunchbox not only saves money, but can help keep bags and wrapping paper from polluting our streams and bay.

11/18/2021

Whether you catch fish for fun or for a living, swim for exercise or for leisure, kayak or powerboat, or just like to gaze at its beauty, as a community, coastal Alabama is intimately intertwined with its water resources.

Understanding the health of Mobile Bay’s estuarine waters is paramount to ensure the experiences and opportunities afforded to you remain intact and accessible for the next generation.

There is a productive and cost-efficient way to collect comprehensive water quality data, all it needs is you. In watersheds around Mobile Bay, citizens from all walks of life volunteer to become certified Alabama Water Watch (AWW) monitors and test sites monthly.

Completing water quality monitoring training and adopting a site to regularly test, is a great way to help the community identify problems before they get out of control.

12/10/2020

Watch the Truck Bed Trash Can Design Competition tonight at 7pm on WKRG.com. One local finalist will win $3,500!!
And do not forget to CAST YOUR VOTE for the Viewer’s Choice Prize in the link below.

The Stream of Truck Bed Trash Can Design Competition will air here on WKRG.com Thursday December 10th at 7pm and be available afterwards. ABOUT: One of the largest environmental issues facing our c…

10/06/2020

Check out this local program that's helping Create a for generations to come!

The Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling program has collected over 14,312,000 shells as of October 1st, which is the equivalent of 35.5 acres of coverage and 222 dump truck loads!

The Program is led by the Alabama Coastal Foundation- they collect shells from local restaurants and put them back into waters to help new oysters grow. An oyster shell is the preferred habitat of oyster larvae to settle on to form new ! In addition to food value, oysters provide other important ecosystem services, including:
-Improving : An adult oyster can filter 15 gallons of water per day.
-Providing : Oyster reefs provide habitat for fish, shrimp, crabs, birds and other animals.
-Limiting : Oyster reefs are natural breakwaters that protect .

Please visit the participating restaurants to thank them for taking part in this important program! See participating restaurants here: https://www.joinacf.org/aosrp-participating-restaurants

The Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling program has collected over 14,312,000 shells as of October 1st, which is the equivalent of 35.5 acres of coverage and 222 dump truck loads!

The Program is led by the Alabama Coastal Foundation- they collect shells from local restaurants and put them back into waters to help new oysters grow. An oyster shell is the preferred habitat of oyster larvae to settle on to form new ! In addition to food value, oysters provide other important ecosystem services, including:
-Improving : An adult oyster can filter 15 gallons of water per day.
-Providing : Oyster reefs provide habitat for fish, shrimp, crabs, birds and other animals.
-Limiting : Oyster reefs are natural breakwaters that protect .

Please visit the participating restaurants to thank them for taking part in this important program! See participating restaurants here: https://www.joinacf.org/aosrp-participating-restaurants

08/05/2020

Thank you to the Volunteer Water Quality Monitors of Coastal Alabama for helping create a for generations to come!

Know someone who may be interested in becoming a volunteer water quality monitor? Send Mobile Bay National Estuary Program a message!

We're so proud of the dedicated volunteer water quality monitors and their recent recognition by Alabama Water Watch!
Why volunteer water quality monitor? Volunteers do this because they want to help protect waterways near where they live, work, or play. The data collected is often used to supplement information collected by state and local resource management agencies. These agencies use the data to identify potential problems; to inform restoration efforts; to establish baseline conditions for waters that would otherwise go unmonitored; and to evaluate the success of best management practices (BMPs) designed to mitigate problems. Know someone who might want to become a water quality monitor? Message us!

06/18/2020

Volunteer with Mobile Bay National Estuary Program!! Link to sign up: https://form.jotform.com/kbarfoot/applesnail

Need volunteer hours? Join us on the dates below! Volunteers can gather egg masses by kayak or on foot! Link to sign up: https://form.jotform.com/kbarfoot/applesnail

The Island Apple Snail is a highly invasive aquatic species from South America- someone in Mobile had them as pets and released them into Langan Park lakes! These snails have no natural predators, lay egg masses that contain up to 2,000 eggs, and destroy native vegetation!

Boy Scout Troop 292 Mobile AL The University of South Alabama Dog River Clearwater Revival Mobile Baykeeper Alabama Coastal Foundation United Way of Southwest Alabama Cottage Hill Baptist Church USA Center for Continuing Education Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama 3Mile Creek University of South Alabama Mobile County Master Gardeners Keep Mobile Beautiful South Alabama Homeschooling The Mobile Rundown Mobile County Public Schools City of Mobile, Alabama City Church of Mobile

06/10/2020

Volunteer opportunities with Mobile Bay National Estuary Program!

Need volunteer hours? Join us from 9am-1pm at Langan Park! Our team has removed 26,989 apple snail egg masses since these efforts began six weeks ago! That’s pretty impressive! To sign up, send us a message or visit https://form.jotform.com/kbarfoot/applesnail

Dog River Clearwater Revival Mobile Baykeeper Alabama Coastal Foundation Keep Mobile Beautiful United Way of Southwest Alabama Cottage Hill Baptist Church Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama 3Mile Creek The University of South Alabama South Alabama Homeschooling Mobile County Master Gardeners The Mobile Rundown Mobile County Public Schools The University of South Alabama Friends

06/08/2020

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is looking for volunteers to help remove apple snail eggs from 9am-1pm at Langan Park on the following dates:
Tuesday, June 9
Thursday, June 11
Tuesday, June 16
Thursday, June 18
Link to sign up: https://form.jotform.com/kbarfoot/applesnail

06/04/2020

Volunteer opportunity! Great opportunity for college students who need volunteer hours!

05/21/2020

Did you know Mobile Bay National Estuary Program develops Watershed Management Plans for watershed communities here on the Gulf Coast?

The primary purpose of a watershed management plan is to guide natural resource managers, policy makers, and community organizations to restore and protect the quality of rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands in a given watershed. These plans are intended to be a practical tool with specific recommendations on practices to improve and sustain water quality. Read more about their work in the post below.

Mobile Kayaking Group Inshore Fishing Mobile Area Fishing in Mobile, AL Mobile Saltwater Fishing Club

As we all work together to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to keep our partners and community updated on our restoration and watershed planning efforts along the Gulf Coast. We'll be sharing each day this week. Today's update is on the status of watershed management planning.

MBNEP continues to work with contractors across both counties to complete comprehensive watershed management plans. We are committed to these plans, as they have become an effective tool for giving citizens at the most local of scales an opportunity to participate in the restoration process. Through these planning exercises, over 1,000 residents have provided input on environmental concerns and opportunities, effectively guiding restoration investments of Deepwater Horizon-related dollars.

The biggest change in watershed planning has been the limitations resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic. Our engineering teams are having to rethink how to reach out to watershed communities virtually or in other creative ways. This change is both a challenge and an opportunity, as virtual meetings will provide us with an opportunity to reach even further into these watershed communities for input. Our engineering teams are using mapping software to remotely assess current conditions in the watershed and are following CDC social distancing guidelines for all essential site visits.

To date, nine watershed plans have been completed across 16 “HUC-12s,” or small drainage basins. MBNEP is managing the development of an additional five plans with funding to issue Requests for Qualifications for another five areas within the next two years.
For more information on watershed work visit http://www.mobilebaynep.com/the_watersheds

04/21/2020

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is using the 10 year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill to celebrate how far we've come as a coastal community. Follow the series on their page!

03/17/2020

Great research coming out of Canada related to combating plastic pollution!

From the article:
A study by Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada, has found that waxworms, which normally live in beehives and eat wax, also can survive on polyethylene—the kind of plastic used in shopping bags and elsewhere.

A study at Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada, has found that waxworms, which normally live in beehives and eat wax, also can survive on polyethylene—the kind of plastic used in shopping bags and elsewhere.