Support water quality monitoring on the Coosa

1.You will be supporting an organization that is vital to protecting a most precious resource by answering the simple questions “is it safe to swim?”, “are the fish safe to eat?”, and “what can I do to make the Coosa healthier for my community?” as a means to ensure the public is aware of issues that impact recreation, public health, and property value. This is especially important this year as our beloved River is in danger from dangerous pollutants and has been designated the 5^th most endangered river in the United States.

2.You can earn prizes and have a little fun predicting my swim time on the Coosa on June 4. Last year I swam between the iconic bridges of Gadsden, Alabama. With the help of trusty Kayakers, family and good friends, Tim Franklin and Richard Dean of my home town in Hokes Bluff and the Gadsden Chapter President of MOAA (Military Officers Association of America), Rob Rollins. This year the course will be similar, but a little farther to River Road.

For the Grand Prize we will use the same incentive used for several years in a swim I do for the Bay in Rhode Island and the Coosa: DOUBLE your donation to a Charity of your Choice, recognizing there are many worthy charities in addition to the Coosa. This Grand Prize goes to the donor who comes closest to predicting my time in this year's swim. Last Year's Winner: Dennis Davis--2 time winner shown with his Coosa Riverkeeper T-shirt from last year. (Yes he also won a classic towel from a previous win!)

Thanks to the generosity of many, previous charities which have benefitted in the past including the Coosa and the Bay in RI:

2011:Winner Dave Magill- Doctors without Borders)

2012: Winner:Mike Parker— Presumpscot Regional Land Trust Maine

2013: Winner Dave Magill and Tim Erickson Team in Training for Leukemia/Lymphoma)

2014:Winner Linda Adam-Hall: Habitat for Humanity

2015: Winner Bill Farrell: San Miguel School of Providence, a private, independent Lasallian middle school and Rhode Island Community Food Bank

2016:Winner John Neel:Georgia State Foundation for worthy students

2017: Winner Bob Laske: Norman Bird Sanctuary & Newport Boys and Girls Club in honor of Dave Leys; Kayak to Newport YMCA.

2018:Winner: Bob Watts: Rose Island Light House

2019:Winner: Bill Johnson: YMCA Camp Hi Rock Mt. Washington MA

2020:Pete Marnane: Juvenile Diabetes Research Association

2021:Bill Johnson and George Milner: Delawar Humane Society and South Mountain Foster Children

2021: Coosa River Bridge Swim: Dennis Davis:Gadsden Habitat for Humanity

4. How do you predict?

In view of the Rendering plant and other issues regarding the quality of our rivers, I will be swimming the iconic bridges right next to my hometown, Hokes Bluff, in Gadsden. It is approximately 1.3 Miles. Based on my average times for a mile over the last 17 years, I will swim between 46.6 (my fastest) and 61.7 Minutes (my slowest). If I swim my average, I will swim 52.8 which is exactly (and coincidentally) what I swam last year. If you want details, see attached spread sheet for actual times and how the average times were converted for the 1.3-mile swim, including a graph and trend line. Pictures of past winners who have donated to the Charities listed are also shown.

EMAIL PREDICTIONS TO ME: CdrJimparham@hotmail.com

Thank you in advance!

We will follow the same rules we have used for Save the Bay. If you guess the same time as another, the earlier post wins. Final Report will be published in early June when my trusty shipmate Rob Rollins certifies my results after. Good Luck and if you have any questions email or call---256-458-1232. I would love to hear from you!