March 16, 1999
1) Nature Conservancy of Alabama Turns 10 Years Old
2) Mobile Delta Land Bids Rejected
3) Going After Dumpers In Jefferson County
4) Cahaba River Management Plan Needs Volunteers
5) Southface Energy Institute - Looking For Bama Projects
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"Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your
parents. It was
loaned to you by your children."
Kenyan Proverb
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1. Nature Conservancy of Alabama Turns 10 - In March
of 1989, newly hired
Executive Director Kathy Stiles Freeland, along with an administrative
assistant opened the Alabama Chapter Office of the Nature Conservancy.
In
just10 short years the Nature Conservancy of Alabama (TNC) has
experienced
growth and success unparalleled in Alabama conservation history.
Please
check out these amazing figures and statistics that document TNC
of Alabama's
incredible growth and importance to the people of Alabama.
In 1989: TNC Members - 1800
In 1999: TNC Members - 7000
In 1989: State Office in Birmingham staffed by 2
In 1999: 3 Offices - Staffed by 10 people in Birmingham, 8 people
at the
Alabama Natural Heritage Program in Montgomery, and 2 staff members
at Grand
Bay.
In 1989: 2 Conservancy owned nature preserves in Alabama.
In 1999: 12 Conservancy owned nature preserves in Alabama. A total
of 46,000
acres have been protected in Alabama through direct Conservancy
action.
In 1989: No state land acquisition program
In 1999: TNC of Alabama helped create the Forever Wild Program
and led the
legislative initiative to pass a Conservation Easement Act.
Kathy Stiles Freeland, the Conservancy's Executive Director
is also
celebrating her 10th year. The success of TNC is a testament to
her
limitless dedication, passion and energy for Alabama's environment.
Please
join me in wishing TNC of Alabama and Kathy Freeland a Happy 10th
Anniversary!! For more information about TNC, call 205-251-1155
or visit
their website at: http://www.tnc.org/infield/state/alabama/
2. Mobile Delta Land Bids Rejected - According to a
Saturday Mobile Register
report, ACI Capital, the New York investment company that has
a contract to
buy more than 500,000 acres in the Mobile Delta from Kimberly
Clark Corp. ,
rejected 10 bids including 2 bids for more than $13 million each,
to buy
parts of the Delta.
"We're terribly disappointed..." stated Riley Boykin
Smith, Commissioner of
Conservation who was prepared to spend millions on the Delta lands
through
the state's Forever Wild Land Trust.
Despite this setback, the Department of Conservation/Forever
Wild is still
optimistic a deal will occur in the future. For more information
about the
status of the Delta land sale, access the Mobile Register article
"Delta in
Limbo: Southstar Rejects All Bids" written by Daniel Cusick
at:
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/Mar1999/13-a276846a.html
3. Going After Dumpers In Jefferson County - Last week
(3/10/99), Jefferson
County officals announced a new aggressive countywide campaign
to arrest and
fine people for creating illegal dump sites. Sheriff Mike Hale
stated that
he has assigned 3 deputies to a new "environmental detail"
while District
Attorney David Barber said people arrested for criminal littering
will be
prosecuted in district court as far as the law allows which means
paying
fines from $250 to $500 per conviction on the misdemeanor charge.
Bill
Peters, director of the county's environmental protection department
also
added that the program will coordinate and use the policing powers
of other
agencies such as the Forestry Commission, Health Department and
ADEM.
*One important fact about illegal dumps in Jefferson County*
In 1997, the
Jefferson County of Health had identified nearly 300 illegal dump
sites
within the county.
4. Cahaba River Needs Volunteers - The Cahaba River
Basin Project Steering
Committee (CRBP) needs volunteer help from the local community.
CRBP's
mission is to identify issues, explore solutions, and make recommendations
for the management and stewardship of the Cahaba River basin while
maintaining the balance between protectiong the environment and
promoting the
economy. The Committee has set up 5 technical subcommittees that
include
water qualty, water quantity, natural resources/conservation,
economic
development and education catagories.
For more information about the Cahaba River Basin Project and
how you can
help volunteer, contact Linda Wyckoff Schotz, the Cahaba Watershed
Coordinator at 205-251-7739 ext.39 or Randy Haddock at the Cahaba
River
Society at 205-32-CLEAN.
5. Southface Institute - Looking for Bama Projects -
Last week in Atlanta I
met Polly Sattler, the Program Administrator at the Southface
Energy
Institute. Ms. Sattler informed me that Southface is looking for
"linkages"
and "partnerships" with Alabama environmental advocates
and organizations on
Sustainability and Energy issues. A dynamic organization, Southface
offers
education, research and technical assistance programs on sustainable
energy
and environmental technologies. In Atlanta, the group has "the
Environmental
Resource Center" a state of the art home that showcases practical
ways to
save money, use resources wisely and reduce pollution. The 6,200
square foot
model home has more than 100 energy efficient and environmentally
sound
products and building technologies on display or in use and is
visited by
more than 15,000 people a year.
For more information about Southface and how you can get invlolved
call Polly
Sattler at 404-872-3549 or visit the Southface website at
http://www.southface.org
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
