Abstract
Dog River Clearwater Revival (DRCR) is a 25-year-old place-based nonprofit whose sole mission is to improve the water quality of and access to Mobile’s urban river and its many tributary creeks and streams. In order to successfully achieve its mission, DRCR realized there was needed to fully understand the many factors contributing to water quality degradation throughout the 95 square mile watershed. In 2000, the first Dog River Watershed Management Plan provided a glimpse into the river’s conditions and its future should uncontrolled development continue. Fast forward 20 years and many of the issues identified in the plan resulting from urbanization not only persist but also some are now critical. The need to update the Dog River plan to address new stressors, new science, and new funding opportunities became clear. With the guidance and resources available through the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program the new Dog River Watershed Management Plan was released in 2018. Today, in 2020, after completing the complicated process of urban watershed planning the complex tasks of implementation of recommended actions continue to teach our organization and its members many lessons. As we continue the journey through project implementation, it can sometimes be overwhelming to a small grassroots organization, but a path forward has been laid out and tools have been given us through the Watershed Management Plan to improve the water quality of and access to Dog River.
