Sustainability leaders get their feet wet “chasing” fish in the Cahaba watershed
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This week, the Green Resource Center for Alabama (GRCA) 2017 EMERGE Leadership class got their feet wet “chasing” fish in the Little Cahaba River.
Spotlighting the Cahaba watershed’s biodiversity, the EMERGE Leadership class, whose focus is sustainability, participated in a seining activity organized by Gordon Black from the Cahaba River Society. Shuffling their feet on the bottom of the stream bed approximately 10 yards, the group was able to direct and gather eight different species of fish into the seine.
Along with the hands-on demonstration, Black provided the leadership class with some facts about the Cahaba River and the watershed, which is one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America.
For example:
- The Cahaba River is home to more fish species (135 in total) per mile than any other river of its size or larger in North America. The Cahaba has more fish species than all of California.
- Out of 770 species of mussel worldwide, 182 live in the Cahaba.
- The tiny Cahaba watershed has more biodiversity than either the Colorado or Columbia watersheds.
The first program of its kind in Alabama, EMERGE is a leadership program designed by Green Resource Center for Alabama, to empower professionals and community leaders with the resources they need to advance sustainability within their networks.
Since its launch in January, EMERGE participants have learned about sustainability programs and initiatives from universities, businesses, environmental organizations and the research groups.
