Cahaba Riverkeeper announces the retirement of Founder and Executive Director Myra Crawford, PhD, MPH, and her appointment as Executive Director Emerita. Additionally, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce David Butler, Esq, as Executive Director and Riverkeeper, effective April 1. Butler will continue to serve as the organization’s attorney.
Beginning with a donation of $5,000 in 2009, Crawford built the organization, with Butler, into a champion for the consistent collection of credible scientific data on the Cahaba. In addition to the flagship Swim Guide program, Cahaba Riverkeeper has developed numerous scientific studies and innovative programs. Most recently, Cahaba Riverkeeper celebrated the launch of a legacy project, Cahabapedia, a GIS-based compendium of information about the Cahaba River. This program was inspired by the inability of staff and partners to quickly locate critical data from federal, state, and local agencies during a crisis and honors Crawford’s efforts to make data easily accessible to the public. Crawford has been instrumental in ensuring members of Waterkeepers Alabama have access to a similar platform for their respective watersheds.
Research on the Cahaba has been conducted for PFAS, microplastics, eDNA, general water chemistry and bacteriological contamination, which is available to the public. Building on the successful education of more than 70 college-age interns through the Swim Guide program, Cahaba Riverkeeper created the Environmental Leadership Program to expose high school students to field and laboratory work, higher education opportunities, and career paths available in environmental science.
“My greatest sadness in leaving is that I will no longer be working day-to-day with one of the finest men it has ever been my privilege to know,” Crawford said. “David and I have been a successful team and I treasure his tenacity for honesty and dedication to task. No one has worked harder for this feisty little river or knows it better. Without reservation, I leave the care of the Cahaba in his hands.”
Butler joined Cahaba Riverkeeper as a volunteer and was named Riverkeeper in 2014 as Crawford remained Executive Director. Butler was awarded his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2018. Both are graduates of the University of Alabama system.
“When I decided to volunteer with Cahaba Riverkeeper, I could never have predicted the impact Dr. Crawford would have on my life, both personally and professionally. It is with a mix of sadness and excitement that I accept the responsibility of continuing her incredible work leveraging data to inspire communities to protect the Cahaba River. I could never replace Myra, so I’m incredibly grateful she will remain a resource as we work to preserve the Cahaba River for generations to come.”
To learn more about Cahaba Riverkeeper, visit www.cahabariverkeeper.org/our-story
To learn more about Dr. Crawford’s legacy, visit www.cahabariverkeeper.org/our-founder
