Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1194015
Grants to help wh species protection Alabama Power and its parent, Southern Company, are among supporters of the Southeast Aquatics Fund, a competitive grants program that focuses on watershed restoration and protecting native freshwater species. A pair of grants announced earlier this year will help save the trispot darter. A grant to Cawaco RC&D will fund research and field studies in the Middle Coosa River Watershed to expand knowledge about the endangered species. Under the two-year grant, scientists will first take water samples in east Alabama and west Georgia, east of Gadsden and south of Weiss Lake, and test it for environmental DNA that may reveal genetic markers of the fish. e testing should help narrow the areas where populations may exist. In 2020, using their newly developed short list, researchers will again head into the field in hopes of finding previously unknown darter populations. e research will provide future best practices for protecting and restoring darter habitat. Meanwhile, the Alabama chapter of e Nature Conservancy will take the lead on a two-year grant to assess needs and priorities for helping improve water quality and protecting biodiversity in the Big Canoe Creek watershed. e project includes collecting data and engaging landowners throughout the watershed to consider best practices to help protect and improve water quality and habitat for freshwater species. e assessment seeks to identify "hot spots" where larger amounts of sediment may enter waterways and find ways of reducing sedimentation by partnering with local landowners. Methods may include restoring eroded sections of streambank with native plantings and expanding natural buffers along creeks, streams and riverbanks. 13 apcshorelines.com