Shoals to the Shores: We Are All One River

Alabama Waterways

An Update from Your Chair, Casie Jones

Our Water. It is a place where we recreate and it is a place where we educate. It is a source of enjoyment for our families on the weekend and it is a source of vitality for the health of our communities. It is a shelter for amazing biodiversity, yet, it is an easy target for neglectful and intentional polluters. It is our source of life and it requires protection and priority in decision-making.
 
All Alabamian’s deserve the right to clean water. Threats to our water sources have been a never-ending vicious cycle in our state and, recently, this issue has gained attention of citizens state-wide. Who, truly, is to blame for the destruction of our rivers and streams? We will seek to find answers and then we will demand that those parties with responsibilities and power set aside selfish intentions and honor the necessity to preserve our resources.
 
As members of the Alabama Chapter Sierra Club, our voice is strongest when we are informed, passionate, and speaking as one body of concerned citizen activists. These are our waterways and our communities that are affected by pollution events and bad management practices. Industries using our waterways should be held accountable for their impacts to the land, air, and water that surround us. Legislation should involve focus on reducing the amount of litter and run-off that effect the purity of our watersheds. The services provided by our ecologically-rich rivers and streams should be honored. It is time that we recognize we are all one river and work collaboratively and strategically in protecting and preserving that precious resource.