SHORELINES

3 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :4 At the year closes, we often reflect on the memories and milestones of the passing year and look forward to a new year with a fresh perspective and new goals in mind. In this issue we, too, celebrate some great milestones that occurred on our lakes and waterways. One of the milestones is our story about the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series, which shows anglers from across the country the many fishing opportunities our great state has to offer. Closing out its inaugural year with the championship tournament on Smith Lake in October, plans are underway for a bigger and better 2015. As the 15th year of Renew Our Rivers passes, we are grateful for the more than 70,000 volunteers and cleanup organizers over the years who have helped us transform the waterways in Alabama and across the Southeast. This past year gave us even more reasons to celebrate with more than 500,000 pounds of trash removed by volunteers in 2014. For the first time in 50 years, a continuous stream of water now flows through the 20-mile former river course of the Coosa River below Weiss Dam. Just as a new year brings new hope for the future, this new flow will help breathe new life into this stretch of the Coosa along with better conditions to help restore aquatic life as well as new recreational opportunities for paddlers. This issue includes more stories of milestones and success. We share with you how one local band in the Lake Martin community held its inaugural toy drive concert this holiday season to help provide gifts to children in need. We celebrate a new pavilion with live wells at Beeswax Landing and how it will make fishing tournaments even better on Lay Lake. We have a lot to be proud of in 2014 and look forward to sharing many more milestones with you in the year ahead. Enjoy! — BOB BL ALOCK WATER WHYS Left: Photo by Wynter Byrd — High school anglers try their luck fishing near the new pavilion at Beeswax Landing on Lay Lake .

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