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America The Beautiful Freshwater Challenge: A Partnership to Conserve and Restore America’s Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Wetlands

About ARA

Alabama Rivers Alliance is a statewide network of groups working to protect and restore all of Alabama’s water resources through building partnerships, empowering citizens, and advocating for sound water policy and its enforcement.

Click here to read a summary of our 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan.

Latest News

Alabama Beer Company Launches New Local Beer With a Special Fund to Protect Alabama’s Waterways
Southern Exposure Applications Open Now!
Southern Exposure DVDs donated to all Jefferson County Library locations
Become an ARA ALSTAR!

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Calling all filmmakers! Applications for the 2025

Calling all filmmakers! Applications for the 2025 Southern Exposure Film Fellowship are now open!

Now in its 13th year, the Southern Exposure Film Fellowship program provides a challenging learning experience to exceptional film students and emerging filmmakers from across the country seeking to explore and develop their talent as environmental advocates through nonfiction storytelling. This innovative summer fellowship equips students with the skills, equipment, content knowledge and contacts to create authentic, engaging, inspiring films intended to raise public awareness about important issues facing Alabama’s environment — from the mountains to the coast.

Learn more from our link in bio!

#SouthernExposure #EnvironmentalFilmmaking #DocumentaryFilmmaking #EnviroDocs #AlabamaFilms #AlabamaRivers #DefendRivers #WaterIsLife #EnviroFilms #Fellowship #summerfellowship #SummerJob

This #GivingTuesday, our Board of Directors and Yo

This #GivingTuesday, our Board of Directors and Young Professional River Defenders are raising money for Alabama Rivers Alliance and our work across the state! We are so grateful to them for their leadership, their expertise, their commitment and most of all their support of our work, our team and our mission to protect and defend Alabama's 132,000 miles of rivers and streams!

Check out their fundraiser and give today (and any other day!) to help them reach their goal of $25,000 raised in 2024! Link in bio!

From Dawn Lee, ARA Board Member and Liaison to our YPRD:

"I know you’re covered up in Giving Tuesday posts but if you’re looking for somewhere that I personally recommend, please donate today to the Alabama Rivers Alliance. I serve on the Board of Directors for ARA and I have firsthand knowledge of the strategic way they approach environmental advocacy by supporting and promoting collaboration across a statewide network of more than 100 organizations, by engaging a broad audience of Alabamians through innovative programs like the Southern Exposure documentary film program and by building relationships with state and local decision makers to guide water focused policies in the right direction."

Give today and help the ARA Board of Directors reach their goal of $25,000 raised!

Great news out of Madison Park! This is an importa

Great news out of Madison Park! This is an important wastewater project that Alabama Rivers Alliance has been monitoring and advocating for since 2021, beginning with the #SouthernExposure Film, "Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities". We're grateful for Commissioner Sankey and Mayor Reed for seeing that federal funds are dedicated to such a long-awaited, long-needed project! Read more from our bio.

#WaterIsLife #MontgomeryAL #Montgomery #SSO #SanitarySewer #MadisonPark #montgomerycounty

Earlier today, ARA’s executive director, Cindy L

Earlier today, ARA’s executive director, Cindy Lowry, was honored with the Alabama Women of Conservation Award from @nature_alabama and a committee of outstanding Alabama women in conservation.

Those of us at ARA, along with the incredible partners we work with, already know the passion, vision, and expertise Cindy brings to this movement. But as Beth Stewart so eloquently shared today with around 50 river defenders and conservation leaders, her impact is extraordinary:

Cindy leads with compassion, kindness, and an unmatched ability to listen and collaborate. She manages the intricate moving parts of this grand movement while staying persistent in her visionary goals—not just for Alabama Rivers Alliance, but for the protection of all Alabama rivers, streams, and the communities that rely on them.

Cindy’s rare ability to inspire trust and earn respect across all walks of life—be it business leaders, government officials, or impacted communities—has driven ARA’s success. Under her leadership, environmental change has taken root in a state where progress often takes years or decades. She continues to elevate the next generation of creative and effective leaders in this work, as evidenced by her current and former staff, and the mighty Young Professional River Defenders she has mentored and cultivated.

Join us in celebrating our friend and humble yet fiercely dedicated leader—a true force of nature. Three cheers for Cindy — hip hip hooray!

Tomorrow in Montgomery! Join ARA and @friendsofthe

Tomorrow in Montgomery! Join ARA and @friendsofthealabamariver at @clovercapri for the NEW Southern Exposure Films! 🎥

Created in six weeks during the summer, the 2024 Southern Exposure films celebrate special people and places in Alabama while exploring complex issues and solutions.

💧 In The Cost of Forever, we uncover the hidden and costly dangers of ‘forever chemicals’ in our rivers and drinking water sources, following Riverkeepers and water protectors as they strive to protect communities—and themselves—from PFAS contamination.

🌱 In Saving Seagrass: Alabama’s Critical Underwater Nursery, we dive underwater to discover a “whole ‘nother living world under there in the seagrass that nobody ever sees”, full of critters and life and we learn what must happen to protect this Submerged Aquatic Vegetation vital to the health of Mobile Bay and the communities and industries that rely on it.

🌼 In Alabama Roots, we travel across Alabama rediscovering our native plants, meeting passionate plant people along the way who are making changes big and small in hopes of preserving the last vestiges of once vast ecosystems and Alabama’s unprecedented botanical biodiversity

💪 In Forces of Nature, we meet and celebrate three Alabama women who, out of necessity to protect the people and places they love, answered the call to advocate for their water, land and communities.

📝 Philoptary, from our Poet / Film Fellow, Jermaine Thompson, features a captivating poem created this summer. Images from past filmmakers and from Jermaine’s own experience at Ruffner Mountain in Birmingham accompany the words.

Thank you so much to @worldwaterff for the Social

Thank you so much to @worldwaterff for the Social Impact Award given to the 2023 #SouthernExposure film, FL*SHING INJUSTICE this weekend! The film features the incredible work of Sherry Bradley and Perman Hardy as they find practical solutions for wastewater issues throughout the Black Belt in #Alabama. The film, and Sherry and Perman, received a standing ovation and were honored as the #wastewater #heroes they are! Directed by @astrid.otter, FL*SHING INJUSTICE is available at southernexposurefilms.org

Repost from @worldwaterff
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🏆🌊✨ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗪𝗙𝗙 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀! ✨

We’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible talent and powerful stories shared at this year’s World Water Film Festival. These films inspire action, raise awareness, and remind us of the importance of protecting our planet’s most vital resource: water.

🏆 Award Recipients:

Best Global Impact: Our Blue World - Paul O’Callaghan & Aoife Kelleher @braveblueworldfoundation

Best Documentary: Until the Last Drop - Ewa Ewart @ewaewart1313

Best Documentary Short: Ripple Effect - Adam Rackoff & @matthewmodine

Best Social Impact: Flshing Injustice* - Astrid Malter

Best Single Topic & Community Uprising: @sludgethefilm : A PFAS Uprising -Jeffrey Christian, Kiera Howard, Adam Rackoff & @matthewmodine

Best Narrative - Wendy A-Ward: @texasmermaidmovie - John David De Virgiliis

Best Experimental: Living Waters - @l.m.frey

Best Music Video/Animation Entre2Eaux - Caroline RAGUSA

Your stories move us, inspire us, and ignite change. 🌍💧

A special thank you to our sponsor @docutribe for supporting this incredible platform for storytelling and advocacy. 💙 And thank you @columbiaclimate for hosting our event!

🎥 Thank you to all filmmakers and participants for making this festival a success. Let’s continue to celebrate water, inspire action, and create solutions together! 🌊✨

#WWFF2024 #FilmAwards #WaterForAll #ClimateAction #SustainableFuture #WorldToiletDay #Waterislife #filmfestival #braveblueworld #ourblueworld #rippleeffect #sludethefilm

For years, the Alabama Rivers Alliance has dreamed

For years, the Alabama Rivers Alliance has dreamed of blending two of Alabama’s best things—clean water and amazing local beer—to create a grant program that supports our partners in times of urgent need. Thanks to the passion and support of Alabama Beer Company, that dream is now a reality! We’re thrilled to see this partnership make a real impact for Alabama's 132,000 miles of rivers and streams and the people and wildlife that call them home. Learn more about the DRIFT Fund coming super soon! Read this article from our link in bio.

#AlabamaBeer #AlabamaRivers #CleanWaterGreatBeer #WaterIsLife #DefendRivers #DRIFTFund @LightBeer #AlabamaBeerCo

The Alabama Rivers Alliance and our partners at @a

The Alabama Rivers Alliance and our partners at @alabama_scenic_river_trail, @alabamacupraces and @waterkeepersalabama are thrilled to be a part of this new collaboration with @alabamabeerco! Stay tuned for more delicious details coming soon …

#cleanwatercleanbeer #WaterIsLife

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