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Headquarters
headquarters

Headquarters is located at Caffee Creek, a stream that runs into The Cahaba River. The Cahaba River runs through the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge.

Drawings by Sarah
Caffee Creek
Creek

SarahCaffee Creek begins around McCalla, Alabama. It is a part of the Cahaba River Basin. In 1999 Caffee Creek received a failing grade on the EWG (Environmental Working Group) Clean Water Report Card. The "F" was because a limestone company was dumping waste from the industry directly into Caffee Creek.

pines

A long time ago railroad bridges crossed the creek. Many people lived in the area because they worked in the coal mines very near Caffee Creek. You can see what is left of the old railroad bridge in this picture. Loblolly pine trees replaced the original long leaf pine trees after the area around Caffee Creek was mined. There were over 5000 people living in this area in the mid-1900's.

What has happened to Caffee Creek since then?

Gob piles of coal sit around the land near the banks of the Cahaba River and Caffee Creek. This is coal that was left after the mining ended. When it rains, the coal from these gob piles ends up in the river. There is also acid mine drainage around the Caffee Creek area. The acid mine drainage is a result of coal mining in the area.

map

Our Monitoring Site Click to see a larger map

Drawing by Daniel and photo by Breanne

Caffee Creek

Click to see a larger map

Reasons We Chose Our Monitoring Site

  • The site is close to where we live.
  • It is easy to get to the water from the road.
  • The water is shallow and is easy to wade in without being dangerous.
  • There are small and large rocks in the water.
  • There is a history of pollution in the area.

The best places to find aquatic macroinvertebrates are:

Run areas – water flows freely and there is no turbulence.
Pool areas – water is standing or still.
Riffle areas – there are larger rocks in the river bed that make turbulence. Smaller rocks end up here, too.
Edgewaters - the area around the edge of the water where sand, gravel, or leaves are found.

 

The water bodies scientists are most interested in are:

  1. Stream or river
  2. Lake, reservoir, bay, or ocean
  3. Pond
  4. Irrigation ditch

It's time to get started on our investigation. Get ready forchase

 

Make the Connection

1. Caffee Creek is a tributary of the

the Cahaba River.

the Alabama River.

2. A good place to collect macroinvertebrates is

in an area with many rocks.

in an area where the water is deep.

Learn More

Cahaba River

Friends of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Educators & Kids

 

Citations

About the Cahaba River Watershed. Retrieved March 2007 from http://wsfa.iewatershed.com/index.php?pagename=ow_watershed_cahaba_river .

Arello, G. (1998). Alabama: The River State. Birmingham: Natura Press.

Cahaba River Society. Retrieved March 2007 from http://www.cahabariversociety.org/ .

Environmental Working Group. Clean Water Report Card. Retrieved January 2007 from http://www.ewg.org/reports/reportcard/states/AL.html .

Fact Sheet. America's National Wildlife Refuge System. Retrieved January 2007 from http://www.fws.gov/refuges/generalInterest/factSheets/ .

Fancher, P. (2006, October - April ). Personal interviews on The Cahaba River, history of the area, The Cahaba Lily.

Friends of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved December 2006 from http://cahabafriends.freespaces.com/ .

Haddock, R. (2007, February 20 - April 2 ). Phone interviews and emails on benthic macroinvertebrates, water temperature, habitat quality, macroinvertebrate  populations, identification of macroinvertebrates, condition of Caffee Creek.

Kristofik, E. (2007, September - April ). Personal interviews and emails on benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring, choosing a testing site, water pollution, identification of macroinvertebrates, equipment, refuge management, habitat quality.

Miller, S. (2007 January - April ). Personal interviews on condition of Caffee Creek, watershed activities for the past and future, refuge management.

Outdoor Alabama. Cahaba River. Retrieved February 2007 from http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/rivers/cahaba.cfm .

Owings, J. (2007, March 29) Personal interview on choosing a monitoring site and identification of macroinvertebrates.

Parker, J. (2007 March 26 ). Personal interview on acid mine drainage and history of coal mining in the area.

Share the Wonder of Alabama. Splendor in the spring. Retrieved March 2007 from http://www.800alabama.com/yooa/scenic/lilies.cfm

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved October 2006 from http://www.fws.gov/southeast/cahabariver/

The Nature Conservancy. Cahaba River. Retrieved January 2007 from http://www.nature.org/initiatives/freshwater/work/cahabariver.html
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