SHORELINES

21 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :1 Rivers began in 2000, more than 56,000 volunteers have collected more than 13 million pounds of trash and debris from waterways across the Southeast. "Renew Our Rivers began with one Alabama Power employee who had a vision to improve the health and beauty of the Coosa River near Plant Gadsden, where he worked," said Matt Bowden, vice president of Environmental Affairs at Alabama Power. "As we celebrate the 15th year of this grassroots effort, we hope to engage the next generation in stewardship of our lakes and rivers." Through partnering on the Cleanup Classic, Alabama Power and the Alabama Bass Trail are providing high school anglers a number of volunteer opportunities in 2014. By taking part in the 16 cleanups scheduled this year on Alabama Bass Trail waterways, students can collect conservation hours required to qualify for grants from the Bass Trail's Service Hours Grant Program. The Alabama Power Foundation is also marking the 15th year of Renew Our Rivers with the launch of the "Students to Stewards" program, designed to encourage conservation education. The program will provide support for dynamic stewardship and conservation projects that educate youths about the importance of the state's unique ecosystems – encouraging students to become better stewards of the environment. "This grant program is a natural next step of our dedication to transforming and helping improve the quality of life in our state. By reaching students, we want to transform prevention into building better habits at a young age," said John Hudson, president of the foundation. The foundation will award 15 teacher grants and several larger classroom grants to educators who are focused on teaching future generations about maintaining and improving Alabama's abundant natural resources. Submissions will focus on developing a lifelong interest in protecting these resources through unique, hands-on or research-and technology-based lessons. School groups will partner with a 501(c)(3) public charity in their community with an interest in water or environmental stewardship. "By partnering with volunteer organizations and learning through these hands-on projects, the Students to Stewards program will look to inspire students and positively impact the environment in the communities where they live," Hudson said. For an up-to-date listing of Renew Our Rivers cleanups in 2014, please visit RenewOurRivers.com or go to AlabamaPower.com and click on "Lakes & Recreation." Winning Cleanup Classic teams • Hayden – 2,598 pounds • Gardendale – 1,192 pounds • Auburn – 1,091 pounds — BR ANDON GLOVER For more information about Renew Our Rivers, visit Alabama Power's NewsCenter. alabamapowernews.com/ROR Above: Photo by nik layman — Students from Auburn High School clean up trash on Lay Lake by boat. "AS WE CELEBRATE THE 15TH YEAR OF THIS GRASSROOTS EFFORT, WE HOPE TO ENGAGE THE NEXT GENERATION IN STEWARDSHIP OF OUR L AKES AND RIVERS." — M AT T B OW D EN, V ICE P R ESID EN T O F EN V IR O N M EN TA L A FFA IR S AT A L A B A M A P OW ER

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