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Upper Etowah River Alliance Named Extraordinary Watershed Group

The alliance was given the 2013 Extraordinary Volunteer Watershed Effort Award during the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream annual conference.

The Upper Etowah River Alliance and a local volunteer have both been commended for their efforts to protecting local waterways.

The alliance was given the 2013 Extraordinary Volunteer Watershed Effort Award for their routine efforts to monitor Cherokee County waters. 

Volunteer Wendy Higbee was also named the 2013 Volunteer of the Year. The awards were given last month during the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s annual conference in Buford. 

The Upper Etowah River Alliance conducts chemical and bacterial monitoring, visual habitat surveys and, most recently, have set up an amphibian monitoring station. They stay up to date on the sampling procedures and repeat a test if there is any question about a result.  

The organization, made up of between 20 and 30 home school students and their parents, also hosts a Rivers Alive cleanup in partnership with the city of Canton each November. 

Higbee has been involved with the Alliance since March 2011 and works with all of the volunteers’ schedules to coordinate sampling days for six sites, days to pick up supplies, recertification workshops and environmental education opportunities. 


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