Alabama Power and Renew Our Rivers volunteers will be busy this spring working with community partners on cleanups and other events focusing on environmental stewardship, education and conservation.

Thirteen river cleanups coordinated through the Renew Our Rivers campaign will draw hundreds of volunteers in March and April. Other events scheduled include an Arbor Day tree giveaway, a ribbon-cutting for a new solar facility, work on an artificial reef in Mobile and more.

“Alabama Power employees are committed to protecting the environment, on the job and in their communities,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power’s vice president for Environmental Affairs. “We work with partners across the state to raise awareness about Alabama’s natural beauty and its biological diversity while supporting efforts to help conserve our state’s important natural resources.”

Alabama Power will install fish habitats on Neely Henry and Smith lakes this spring. (file)

A number of Arbor Day events are planned, including in Mobile. (file)

Alabama Power’s new solar facility holds a ribbon cutting in March. (Phil Free / Alabama NewsCenter)

Alabama Power will install fish habitats on Neely Henry and Smith lakes this spring. (file)

Stewardship, education and conservation events in March and April include:

• March 3 – Arbor Day Tree Giveaway, Tricentennial Park, Mobile (contact Beth Thomas at 251-694-2361). Alabama Power will partner with the city of Mobile for an Arbor Day event and tree giveaway.
• March 15 – Ribbon-cutting for “AL Solar A” Facility LaFayette, Chambers County (contact Katie Bolton at 205-257-4149). One of the state’s largest solar energy facilities, built in partnership with Alabama Power, will celebrate its successful launch with a ribbon-cutting.
• March 19 – Fish Habitat Construction and Installation, Neely Henry Lake (contact Mike Clelland at 205-664-6391). Alabama Power will work with the Neely Henry Lake Association to build and install fish habitats on Neely Henry Lake.
• March 28 – Fish Habitat Construction and Installation, Smith Lake (contact Mike Clelland at 205-664-6391). Alabama Power will work with the U.S. Forest Service and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to build and install fish habitats on Smith Lake.
• April 14 – Reef-building Project, Helen Wood Park, Mobile (contact Beth Thomas at 251-694-2361). Alabama Power will work with The Nature Conservancy and the city of Mobile to build artificial reefs.
• April 17-20 – Earth Week, Oak Hill School, Tuscaloosa (contact Heather White at 334-208-4400). The Alabama Power Service Organization Western Division chapter will support Earth Week activities at Oak Hill School, which serves special-needs students in Tuscaloosa.
• April 20-21 – The Dam Ride 2018, Coosa River (contact Herbie Johnson at 205-257-1359). Bicycle or kayak ride includes route by Alabama Power hydro dams on Coosa River in Shelby and Chilton counties and is a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Alabama-Mississippi Chapter.

Renew Our Rivers has had 110,000 volunteers join the effort since its inception in 2000, collecting more than 15 million pounds of trash and debris from waterways across the Southeast. In 2017 alone, 4,714 volunteers removed more than 295,000 pounds of trash from Alabama lakes, rivers and shorelines.

Alabama Power volunteers and others will hold multiple Renew Our Rivers cleanups this spring. (file)

Alabama Power volunteers and others will hold multiple Renew Our Rivers cleanups this spring. (file)

Alabama Power volunteers and others will hold multiple Renew Our Rivers cleanups this spring. (file)

There are 13 opportunities to volunteer at a Renew Our Rivers cleanup in March and April:

• March 3 – Lake Eufaula, Chattahoochee River (contact Brad Moore at 334-750-7824).
• March 17 – Valley Creek (contact Freddie Freeman at 205-424-4060 ext. 4188 or jcdh.org/wpd).
• March 17-24 – Logan Martin, Coosa River (contact Mike Riley at 205-531-2372).
• March 24 – Lake Mitchell, Coosa River (contact Dale Vann at 205-910-3713 or rdvann@bellsouth.net).
• April 7 – Lay Lake at Plant E.C. Gaston, Coosa River (contact: Tanisha Fenderson at tfenders@southernco.com).
• April 7 – Cahaba River (contact Myra Crawford at myra@cahabariverkeeper.org).
• April 11-12 – Smith Lake, Winston County (contact Allison Cochran at 205-489-5111).
• April 15-21 – Lay Lake, Coosa River (contact Judy Jones at 205-669-4865).
• April 20 – Smith Lake, Cullman County (contact Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981).
• April 21 – Lake Jordan, Coosa River (contact Brenda Basnight at 334-478-3388).
• April 24-25 – Plant Barry, Mobile River (contact Bo Cotton at 251-331-0603).
• April 27 – Plant Miller, Locust Fork (contact Jeff Baker at 205-408-2033 or jkbaker@southernco.com).
• April 28 – Weiss Lake (contact Sam Marko at 404-626-8594).

For details about Alabama Power’s efforts to protect the environment and conserve natural resources, visit www.alabamapower.com. Click “Our Company” and then “Environmental Stewardship.”