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These resources are available to teachers and individuals who would like to learn more about the Cahaba River, conservation, science, and creative inspiration in nature.
- Downloads
- The Cahaba River
- Cahaba Lilies
- Science and Conservation Resources
- Virtual Field Trips
- Creative Resources
- Documentaries from the Southern Exposure Series
Downloads
- Invertebrate ID Guide PDF
- Cahaba Lily Self Guided Tour PDF (Coming Soon)
The Cahaba River
About the Cahaba River (13:30)
Alabama residents of all walks of life share their memories and connection to the Cahaba River in this film by Hunter Nichols.
https://youtu.be/USAaPrCJhAE?si=HZrAf5sQdGIovDXY
Cahaba River Biodiversity with Dr. Randy Haddock (38:50)
Dr. Randy Haddock, one of the south’s notable ecologists, explores the CahabaRiver’s incredible biological diversity.
Cahaba River Biodiversity (2:32)
Cahaba River Society Education Director Gordon Black explains why the Cahaba River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9g3l6YmPa4&t=5s
Discovering Alabama: The Cahaba River (26:35)
The Cahaba River is featured in this classic episode of the Emmy-winning Alabama Public Television series, Discovering Alabama.
https://youtu.be/VhoJWVlMK3g?si=PxuTOG-zYhkm4TCj
Cahaba Lilies
This is Alabama: Cahaba Lilies (2:44)
An inspirational reflection on Cahaba lilies.
Cahaba Lilies with Dr. Randy Haddock (38:09)
Learn about the Cahaba lily and the challenging habitat they call home with Dr. Randy Haddock.
https://youtu.be/xUNgtxk96mE?si=wZLsDmv8KiigLjtg
Aerial Footage of Cahaba Lilies at Hargrove Shoals (5:43)
Aerial drone video by Ron Burkett of the world’s largest stand of Cahaba Lilies located in the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge.
Cahaba Lilies Vs. Invasive Wild Taro with Dr. Randy Haddock (21:50)
Learn about Invasive Wild Taro and its threat to native plants, including the beloved Cahaba Lily with Dr. Randy Haddock.
https://youtu.be/O556mQEW8FU?si=SxtAvhvQTLwZ7n6P
Science and Conservation Education Resources
The Links Between Alabama’s Rocks and Rivers with Dr. Bill Deutsche
Featuring content from Friends of Shades Creek and Cahaba River Society board member Paul Freeman.
https://youtu.be/AmWQBnxNzoM?si=j06xCmMLtspQVPcf
Hellgramites (0:34)
A brief overview of hellgramites, the larvae of the Dobson fly.
https://youtu.be/_Is1DJuK94M?si=FewGXM0YT_76XYsJ
What is the Biggest Fish in the Cahaba (2:01)
Dr. Randy Haddock, answers a question from Coraline, a 4th grader from Shelby County about the biggest fish ever found in the Cahaba River.
https://youtu.be/ZxujRSE_Cgg?si=byNuBvg6nNAItPk6
How Do Fish Communicate (1:38)
Environmental Science Educator La’Tanya Scott explains how fish communicate.
https://youtu.be/iX0-kUXtTCY?si=pFidWkSu7rEOIsl6
Are there Shad, Channel Catfish, and Smallmouth Bass in the Cahaba River? (9:54)
Dr. Randy Haddock, Cahaba River Society Field Director, answers a question from Stuart, a young angler who lives along Shades Creek in Jefferson County who wants to know if there are shad, channel catfish, and smallmouth bass in the Cahaba River.
https://youtu.be/3y3EYQGAl1U?si=SAl8VRECUN__NnJ1
What are these Little Yellow Clams in Freshwater Lakes and Creeks? (3:44)
Ian Black explains how invasive asian clams got here, why they flourish, and what we can learn from them about preventing the spread of invasive species.
https://youtu.be/Qoc1j1R5eiA?si=SGmI6ybsjyyIzBP4
Mountain Laurel Pollination (2:15)
Dr. Randy Haddock explains how mountain lauren ensures that it gets pollinated by visiting insects.
https://youtu.be/Kaugnh4I4tE?si=1b6zPBIiTKAiWS1d
Stromatolites (3:54)
Dr. Randy Haddock discusses some of the unique geologic features of the Cahaba River.
https://youtu.be/YLU-z0GP_sw?si=amJSURajxnO_BUJu
Virtual Field Trips
Virtual CLEAN Field Trip: Macroinvertebrate Survey of the Little Cahaba River
Follow Cahaba River Society’s environmental educators to a beautiful section of the Cahaba River to explore beneath the water’s surface and discover the creatures that live there. Learn about these special animals and what their presence means about the health of the River. Download our invertebrate ID guide to conduct your own macroinvertebrate study in a water body near you!
https://youtu.be/eSwhc4GvzLk?si=a_sJbTiECTXCIgyb
How to Canoe (4:04)
A canoeing primer for students on a guided canoe trip.
https://youtu.be/0LWkCs5KGL8?si=Q1g_NnRTureiwauy
Creative Resources
Writing Odes and Anti-Odes Inspired by the River (11:20)
Learn to write a poem of praise or a poem of complaint.
Greater Romantic Lyric Creative Writing Workshop (10:20)
Learn to write a poem in the Greater Romantic Lyric style.
https://youtu.be/EwOCnl7PMj4?si=_BD1WdUmQVNS1Uhd
A Poetry Reading from the Banks of the Cahaba with Tina Mozelle Braziele (11:21)
Enjoy this poetry reading inspired by the Cahaba River with Tina Mozelle Brazile, winner of the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry for her book, Known by Salt.
https://youtu.be/aiTqCq0tOds?si=epofE6nkmhgGXAHv
Documentaries from the Southern Exposure Series
Southern Exposure is a film fellowship program that is actively raising awareness about Alabama’s incredible natural resources and important environmental issues that impact all of us. This innovative summer fellowship brings emerging filmmakers from across the country to tell authentic, engaging stories through short documentary films about Alabama’s environment — and the people who cherish it — from the mountains to the coast.
In our Online Learning Library we are featuring some of our favorite Southern Exposure documentaries featuring the Cahaba River. You can view all of the Southern Exposure Films online at the Southern Exposure website.
What About The Drinking Water? (21:40)
This 2022 film highlights the important responsibility of water utilities in balancing the continued need for revenue with the long-range protection of drinking water sources and the role of river advocates and ratepayers in holding them accountable. A year after this influential film aired, the lawsuit by Cahaba River Society and Cahaba Riverkeeper, with attorneys from Southern Environmental Law Center, resulted in protection of 7,000 acres of Birmingham Water Board land, the largest land protection victory in Birmingham’s history.
Mussel Memory (21:25)
This 2023 film explores the significance of reconnecting river systems and protecting Alabama’s freshwater mussels, our natural water filtration system. Join scientists, conservationists, engineers and anglers as they fight to restore fish passage along the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers.
Waters of the US (21:09)
This incredibly beautiful film from 2019 tells the story of the rivers, streams, and wetlands of Alabama to illustrate the dangers of the proposed changes in regulations under the Clean Water Act.
If They Build It, What Will Come (10:57)
This 2018 film exposes the risk of building a road across an important forested stretch of river and how citizens and watershed groups are fighting to protect this precious resource.
Birmingham to the Gulf (13:11)
This 2016 documentary take a comprehensive look at river management decisions and questions the impacts of dams on Alabama’s waterways, its wildlife and its people.
The Storm Downstream (12:05)
This 2015 documentary tells the story of an individual trying to make a change in his own backyard, and the important role of citizen enforcement in reporting stormwater violations in the absence of action by state and local agencies.
E.O. Wilson: A Distinguished Alabamian (4:18)
Learn about E.O. Wilson’s journey from a young boy growing up in Alabama to becoming one of the most renowned scientists in his field and a supporter of the Southern Exposure film fellowship program in this 2015 documentary.
In Deep Water (7:01)
Follow the Coosa River downstream to discover the competing uses of this precious resource and how Alabama can protect its waters for the future in this 2014 documentary.
Dammed: The Story of Alabama’s Rivers (11:29)
This 2013 documentary explores the damming of Alabama’s rivers and it’s effect on watersheds, water quality, and water quantity?
Beltline Blues (12:49)
This 2013 documentary explores the impact the $5 billion northern beltline would have by pushing sprawl into rural landscapes, exacerbating air pollution in the region, and increasing polluted runoff into the Black Warrior and Cahaba Rivers.
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