An artificial reef created in the Gulf of Mexico four years ago appears to be teeming with life. In 2016, two of Alabama Power’s retired boilers were sunk off the coast of Mobile County to improve the marine ecosystem. The giant steel structures previously used to turn steam into power have also proven to be a boon for offshore […]

The third decade of Renew Our Rivers (ROR) gets underway in February with the first of the year’s 32 cleanups of Alabama rivers and waterways. If last year is any indication, there will be more volunteers and more trash removed in 2020, said Mike Clelland, ROR coordinator. Since 2000, when the program began, 122,000 volunteers have collected […]

Work has started on a new public-use weigh-in pavilion at Smith Lake, which is part of a partnership between B.A.S.S. and Alabama Power. Union Sportsmen’s Alliance volunteers recently broke ground on the project at Lewis Smith Lake Dam Boat Ramp in Walker County. The pavilion will feature holding tanks for fish, which reduce stress and increase survival rates. The […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted preliminary approval to higher winter pools at Weiss and Logan Martin lakes. The corps released a draft of its plans earlier this month, addressing Alabama Power’s requests to increase normal winter pool levels at Weiss Lake by 3 feet and at Logan Martin by 2 feet. “While […]

Grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) are being used to restore Alabama’s longleaf pine forests and grasslands. One site is near Selma overlooking the Alabama River. Alabama Power and its parent, Southern Company, are among the supporters of NFWF. Claude Jenkins, a wildlife biologist with the Alabama Wildlife Federation, gave a tour […]

Renew Our Rivers volunteers removed more than 316,000 pounds of trash and debris from Alabama lakes and rivers in 2019. More than 4,500 volunteers participated in a cleanup this year, which was Renew Our Rivers’ 20th anniversary. The 2019 campaign went out with a bang and ended with some of the largest cleanups of the year. One […]

Bats across the state of Alabama will soon have new digs thanks to Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) volunteers. APSO chapters spent part of last week building and painting bat houses that will be installed in wooded areas. Some will also go up near Alabama Power lakes and rivers. The work was part of Southern Company’s Week of Service. “We […]

For the third consecutive year, B.A.S.S. and Alabama Power are partnering to award two $5,000 scholarships this year for students currently attending, or planning to attend, a technical school or community college in the state of Alabama. The applicant must reside in an Alabama Power service area and be a member of a B.A.S.S. High School Club or the B.A.S.S. Nation, a […]

Lake Thurlow is coming back up following completion of a two-year project to replace spillway gates at Thurlow Dam. Lake levels are scheduled to begin rising on Tuesday, Oct. 29, reaching normal full pool by Thursday, Oct. 31. The drawdown was needed to replace the dam’s 36 spillway crest gates, known as flashboards, which were installed […]

The Smart City Expo Atlanta might have been in Georgia but included a piece of Alabama. The Sept. 11-13 expo drew people from across the world to learn about what makes a city “smart.” Topics included infrastructure and transportation, economic development, technology and cybersecurity, energy and sustainability, diversity and inclusion. The event was the first […]

Florida native Bobby Johnson won the inaugural Great Alabama 650 paddle race from Weiss Lake to Mobile Bay. Johnson set a blistering pace for the 650-mile core section of the Alabama Scenic River Trail, completing the race in seven days, eight hours, one minute and 55 seconds. He crossed the finish line at Fort Morgan between 10 and […]

From helping preserve and enhance the state’s longleaf pine forests and coastal habitat, to supporting protection of rare species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, Alabama will benefit from multiple grants just announced by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Alabama Power and its parent, Southern Company, are among the supporters of NFWF. Across the Southeast, NFWF awarded more […]

Alabama Power employees have spent the last few months turning several open fields around the company’s lakes into pollinator habitats. When most people think of pollinators, bees automatically come to mind. That’s for good reason, as bees pollinate 80% of the world’s plants, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. However, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, other […]

The first students will graduate next week from an intense HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) “boot camp” in Jasper. Bevill State Community College and Alabama Power announced in 2017 plans for a joint HVAC training center, which opened for classes last August. The summer boot camp is an accelerated program that teaches technical knowledge and skills to repair, […]

Alabama Power’s Renew Our Rivers campaign has earned one of the state’s most prestigious environmental conservation awards. The Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) honored Renew Our Rivers Aug. 9 as the Water Conservationist of the Year during the group’s annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards ceremony. For more than 40 years, AWF has presented the awards to […]

Project Horseshoe Farm in Greensboro offers something for all ages. The nonprofit, founded in 2007, provides housing, meals, transportation, community center programs and other services to seniors, but also works with young people through after-school and summer programs.

A long-awaited Cahaba River access site in Leeds should be open to the public by the end of the year, according to the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust. Called Moon River, the kayak and canoe launch will be on Land Trust property on U.S. 78. The name comes from a river camp/gas station/dance hall that existed nearby […]

Growing up near Tampa, Florida, Matt Edwards spent most of his time either on the baseball diamond or at the family-friendly pub his coach owned and operated. “It was just the place to go. We went on Friday nights and after games. It was just a place to hang out, play cards, throw darts and […]

The year is not half-over. But already, Renew Our Rivers volunteers have removed more than 164,000 pounds of trash and debris from Alabama lakes and rivers. The lake and river cleanup campaign is celebrating 20 years in 2019.

Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill Wednesday creating a commission charged with installing statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller at the Alabama State Capitol. The state Senate voted 29-0 May 28 to create the Women’s Tribute Statue Commission. The law, which the House of Representatives had approved earlier in the legislative session, was sponsored by Rep. […]

Kidz Outdoors works around the year to give special-needs children across the country hunting and fishing opportunities they would otherwise not have. The Alabama Power Foundation recently presented the nonprofit with a grant that will help Kidz Outdoors continue its work. Based in Hueytown, Alabama, Kidz Outdoors has sent hundreds of kids on hunting and fishing trips. Other outdoor […]

Hundreds of special-needs children are casting a line this week – many for the first time in their lives – at Oak Mountain State Park’s Exceptional Anglers event. The annual Gone Fishin’, Not Just Wishin’ program is celebrating its 24th year of teaching basic fishing skills to students from Jefferson and Shelby county school systems. […]

For the fourth year, Alabama Power Company bike riders took to the streets for the annual Dam Ride. The group, called the Power Pedalers, biked 78 miles Friday and Saturday from Alabama Power headquarters in downtown Birmingham to Lay Dam near Clanton and back. “Seventy-eight miles is a little more than your casual, average group ride. It takes a little […]

Janice Vance had just returned from a funeral in Montgomery when she heard tornado sirens sound outside her home in downtown Wetumpka. She turned on local television to check in on the weather. “They said if you live in Wetumpka, it’s too late for you make it to shelter. About the time they said that, that’s […]