Cahaba River Society

Founded in 1988, Cahaba River Society (CRS) leads our community to restore and protect the Cahaba River watershed and its rich diversity of life. The diverse lives depending on the Cahaba include the people of Birmingham and central Alabama as well as the River’s globally significant biodiversity of freshwater wildlife. The Cahaba, the heart of “America’s Amazon,” has more fish species per mile than any other river in North America and a similar rich diversity of other river life. The Cahaba is a major source of the Birmingham area’s drinking water, and CRS’ service area – the “peopleshed” of those whose lives are affected by the River – is larger than the watershed, including Jefferson, Shelby, Bibb, Perry and Dallas County, stretching from Birmingham to the Black Belt.

Through collaboration, river restoration advocacy, and bringing people to the River for hands-on education, guided recreational opportunities, and volunteer stewardship projects, we have been building community support and making a lasting positive impact on the health of this valuable resource for over 30 years.