Cahaba River Society elects 2018 board, awards Cahaba Partners and Conservation Developers at Annual Meeting
Awards honor businesses, organizations and individuals for exemplary work on behalf of the Cahaba & Alabama's environment
 BIRMINGHAM, AL. Cahaba River Society members and supporters gathered at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on February 1, 2018 for their annual meeting.
At the meeting, CRS members elected the 2018 board of directors, CRS staff gave updates on the organization's programs and their 2017 accomplishments, and CRS honored the businesses, organizations, and municipalities that had performed exemplary work on behalf of the Cahaba and Alabama's environment with Cahaba Partner and Conservation Development Awards.
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New Board Members Elected
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 Emily Harley
In her role as Marketing & Media Relations Director at International Expeditions, Emily promotes world-wide conservation and community efforts for a 40-year-old ecotourism brand as well as directing overall marketing strategy. Highlights of these efforts over the past decade include educational presentations to the broader public and travel media; overseeing global conservation projects and partnerships, including three-year charitable services and co-marketing partnership with The Nature Conservancy; and managing all cause-marketing activities and implementation of donation system, raising funds to build Amazon water treatment plants and support Peruvian schools. Additionally, Emily serves as the Vice President of the International Galapagos Tour Operators’ Association and has a background working with non-profit organizations, including those dedicated to community development.
Bolaji Kukoyi, PE
Bolaji is the President of Dynamic Civil Solutions, a civil and transportation engineering firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Bolaji received multiple degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham: a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Mathematics. As a licensed professional in multiple states, Bolaji possesses extensive experience on many civil site, roadway and transportation projects. He is adept in the development of civil and transportation construction plans having worked with sundry agencies and has successfully managed multi-million dollar programs with portfolios in excess of $70 million.
Bolaji was the first dual recipient of the UAB Excellence in Business Top 25 and has also served as a panelist for the National Science Foundation Academic Research Infrastructure Program, a program designed to support 21st century research and research training infrastructure in our Nation’s academic institutions and non-profit research organizations.
 Bryance Metheny
Bryance is partner and chair of Burr & Forman’s Labor and Employment practice group and serves on Burr & Forman’s Executive Committee. He focuses his practice on representing employers and management in all aspects of Labor & Employment law.
Bryance also advises and assists employers in developing employment policies and procedures to govern the workplace. He has represented employers in matters before the National Labor Relations Board and in labor negotiations. Bryance has defended nationwide complex employment-related class actions and lawsuits throughout the United States and handled appeals to the Supreme Court of Alabama and United States Courts of Appeals.
 Dr. Anthony Overton
Anthony is Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Samford University. He is also the Director of the Masters of Sciences Program in Environmental Health, Policy, and Management at Samford University. He is engaged in Environmental Heath and Sustainability research in Aquatic Studies and is a certified Fisheries Biologist. Anthony brings a wealth of experience on environmental issues. He is an avid outdoorsman and is very passionate about preserving the environment for future generations.
 Stacy Thompson
A resident of Vestavia Hills, Stacy Thompson is a native Alabamian. Stacy joined Vulcan Materials Company in 2003 and currently serves as Environmental Specialist for the Southern & Gulf Coast Division operations.
She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from the College of Engineering at Auburn University and a Master of Science Degree in Agronomy and Soils. She is a graduate of Leadership Vestavia Hills Class of 2017 and she currently serves on the Administrative Board of Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood. Stacy and her husband, Jeremy, have three daughters in the Vestavia Hills School System, where she is an active parent volunteer. Stacy enjoys educating others on the importance of environmental stewardship and is afforded the opportunity to do this through training Vulcan's employees and educating school children who frequently tour Vulcan's operations. Her love of teaching and her passion for the environment brought her to the Cahaba River Society where she intends to merge these two areas of interest. Stacy is excited to help the CLEAN program reach more communities and enhance its environmental impact.
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Cahaba River Society Program Updates
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Following the election of board members, Cahaba River Society staff provided updates about CRS Programs and their accomplishments.
Below is a video of Environmental Educator La'Tanya Scott introducing the slideshow that she produced to showcase the work of the Shane Hulsey CLEAN Program:
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Environmental Educator La'Tanya Scott introduces the video slideshow she produced to showcase the 2017 Shane Hulsey Environmental Education Program accomplishments
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Watch La'Tanya's slideshow below:
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Shane Hulsey CLEAN Environmental Education Program 2017 Impacts
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Cahaba Partner and Conservation Development Awards
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During the Cahaba Partner and Conservation Development Awards Ceremony, Cahaba River Society honored the businesses, organizations, and municipalities that had performed exemplary work on behalf of the Cahaba and Alabama's environment with the Cahaba Partner and Conservation Development Awards.
The award winners recognized were as follows. (Click an image to see an enlarged version in a Facebook photo album):
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Educator of the Year - Cahaba Environmental Center at Living River
for creating a rich educational experience at Living River that connects Alabama youth with the Cahaba, and for hosting the Cahaba Connections Conferences, bringing people together to save the River..
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Volunteers of the Year - Alabama School of Fine Arts
for their years of volunteer service by awesome students and teachers, who have removed mountains of invasive privet to restore Cahaba River habitat.
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An ASFA student hard at work.
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Public Service Award - Tom Miller, City of Birmingham Stormwater Administrator
for leadership of the City of Birmingham’s collaborative process that developed an innovative Green Infrastructure stormwater design program to better protect water quality and reduce flooding as Birmingham grows.
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Watershed Conservation Development Award - City of Vestavia Hills Meadowlawn Park
for a Green Infrastructure project that works to improve water quality and reduce flooding using stream channel restoration, improve floodplain connection, reduce downstream erosion, and improve stormwater infiltration using constructed wetlands, bioswales, and LID parking area techniques.
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Watershed Conservation Development Award - University of
Alabama at Birmingham Express Parking Lot #4
for its urban redevelopment project that proves the feasibility and effectiveness of using green infrastructure to reduce runoff and water quality impacts from an urban redevelopment site. This project will improve stormwater runoff quantity and quality compared to the pre-existing development condition.
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Cahaba Conservationists of the Year - Little Cahaba River Property Owners
for unwavering commitment to good stewardship and long-term protection of the Little Cahaba River, its beauty and biodiversity, the forests that protect the River, and the drinking water it provides the region.
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Against All Odds Award - The Oblong Rocksnail
We want to congratulate the Oblong rocksnail for tenaciously clinging to life and Dr. Nathan Whelan for correctly noticing that a snail species thought for over 70 years to be extinct was actually holding on near Living River: A Retreat on the Cahaba. Thanks to Cahaba Riverkeeper and the Center for Biological Diversity for creating and submitting the “Petition to List the Oblong Rocksnail (Leptoxis compacta) as a Threatened or Endangered species under the Endangered Species Act” to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Outstanding River Advocate - Black Warrior Riverkeeper
for the great strides that their organization has made for river protection and their invaluable partnership with CRS, especially to protect people and wildlife from sewer overflows and stormwater pollution.
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Corporate Friend of the Year - Aveda Institute
for their outstanding commitment to their environmental values and their profound generosity with their annual Earth Month fundraising campaign which raises thousands of dollars each year to support CRS's work protecting and restoring the Cahaba River.
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Community Partner of the Year - DataPerk
for their years of partnership with CRS and for founder Troy Wallwork's years of service to CRS as a board member and volunteer.
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About Cahaba River Society
Founded in 1988, Cahaba River Society's mission is to restore and protect the Cahaba River Watershed and its rich diversity of life. We impact our central Alabama watershed, the Birmingham metro area, and policy at the state, regional, and national level. Our programs achieve three goals:
- Connecting people with the Cahaba for education, recreation, and stewardship.
- Building water-smart communitiesthat sustain the River for people and wildlife.
- Growing our strength, partners, and impact to achieve our mission.
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