Birmingham Urban Watershed STEM Initiative
(BUWSI)
In 2022, the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) helped secure a $1.3 million National Academies of Science grant to incorporate environmental justice and climate change into teaching modules for schools in Mobile. A pilot version, the Birmingham Urban Watershed STEM Initiative (BUWSI), was introduced for 11 Birmingham City Schools located within the Village Creek watershed in 2024. While the closing of BSC represents an enormous loss to the community, the merger of the SEC and BUWSI program with AEC will allow these STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs for Birmingham City Schools to move forward to continue, and in fact, expand.
Program at Birmingham-Southern College
Dr. Mark Meade, professor of Urban Environmental Studies, and his students (shown on the left) conducted an evaluation of fish assemblages in the Black Warrior and Cahaba River headwaters in the Birmingham area using EPA rapid bioassessment methods. These headwaters are historically polluted dating back to the 1880's.
Village Creek, Five Mile Creek, Beaver Creek, Turkey Creek, Middle Black Creek, Little Cahaba River, and Shades Creek had water quality tests and a fish IBI (index of biotic integrity) conducted. The levels of pollution related to the types of fish collected: the more polluted, the more tolerant fish were found such as largescale stonerollers and creek chubs, while the cleaner creeks had intolerant species such as the coal darter and alabama darter.
Field Trips to Avondale Park
Beginning in 2025, Dr. Hazelhoff has been taking underserved Birmingham City schools to Avondale Park and the Botanical Gardens for an environmental education field trip. There, the kids conduct water quality tests and UAB professor Dr. Meade and his grad students show them fish and macroinvertebrates caught in the park pond, they go on a bird walk to learn about songbirds, and a walk around the rose garden to discover the local flora.
Magic City School Bus ($500)
Sponsor up to 30 children for a docent guided field trip to Avondale Park.
Click here to sponsor
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