Environmental groups from across Alabama and will gather in the state capital for the 12th annual Watershed Leadership Conference hosted by the Alabama Rivers Alliance Feb. 27-March 2.

This year’s conference will feature the first ever Alabama (Clean) Water Rally, a four-day event geared toward informing citizens about key water issues affecting the state and ways that citizens can become involved in protecting their waters, according to a press release.

With environmental issues playing such a key role on the national stage, concerned citizens from all backgrounds have much to gain from attending this rally, according to Elizabeth Salter, who attended the annual event five years ago as a concerned citizen, and now is the conference organizer.

“I’d always been a lover of nature and the environment, and I wanted to know what I could do to get involved in protecting it,” Salter said. “I first heard about the conference in 2004 and decided to go see what it was about. Five years later, I am now a staff member with the Alabama Rivers Alliance and I’m in charge of organizing the conference for other people who want to learn about Alabama’s environment.”

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