August 9, 1999
1) Gov. Siegelman Attends Water War Talks In Montgomery
2) Tri-State Conservation Coalition Created
3) Mobile Doctors Report Increased Air Pollution Cases
4) Public Comments Needed For Southern Forests Study
5) EDF Internet "Scorecard" on CAFO's
6) Various Enviro. Activities Across Alabama
7) Newspaper Op-Eds Around Alabama
8) BEN Note - Wildflowers
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1. Gov. Siegleman Attends Water War Talks - On Wednesday
August 4th, Alabama
Gov. Don Siegelman spoke briefly to "water war' negotiators
at their meeting
in Montgomery, Alabama. The talks between Alabama, Georgia and
Florida have
been almost 10 years in the making and will determine water allocation
for
the Alabama -Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
(ACF) river basins for the next century.
Siegelman stated: "quality of water is a concern..."
and said that he is
pleased with the progress the negotiators have been making on
this very
important issue. Negotiators this week discussed the possibility
of assuring
that Alabama will receive a minimum flow of water through a reservoir
Georgia
proposes to build on the Tallapoosa river where it crosses the
state line.
2. Tri-State Conservation Coalition Created - At the
"Water Talks" in
Montgomery, the Tri-State Conservation Coalition, a new regional
network of
non-governmental conservation organizations in Georgia, Alabama
and Florida,
made their presence known to the negotiators and the public.
The Coalition's mission is to "unify and coordinate the
voices of the
regional conservation community in order to advocate for protection
of water
quality, biodiversity, and recreation in the ACT/ACF River Basins."
The
Coalition is steered by a provisional committee comprising of
the Upper
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Alabama Rivers Alliance and the Southern
Environmental Law Center.
This is a very important and exciting new coalition and partnership.
The
long term environmental health of these river basins will not
only depend on
cooperation between the three states and the their negotiators,
but also
cooperation and a united vision among our conservation communities.
If you
are interested in learning more about the Tr-State Conservation
Coalition,
please contact Matt Kales at 404-352-9828 or email him at
mkriverkeeper@mindspring.com
3. Increased Ozone Related Health Problems In Mobile
- According to a August
6th Mobile Register article; as Mobile experiences its worst ozone
pollution
of the year, several local physicians are reporting that they
have seen
significant increases in ozone-related illnesses ranging from
asthma to a
flurry of cold symptoms spreading around the city, an indication
of the lung
searing effects ozone pollution has on lowering children's resistance
to
infection.
"It's almost as though there's a cold going through the
community," said Dr.
Lawrence Sindel, a pediatric lung specialist. Sindel said he's
been seeing
more patients with respiratory infections than he usually does
this time of
year and that ozone is at least part to blame. "I think that
the ozone and
the problems that we've seen in the past couple of weeks have
primed people's
airways, made them more susceptible to the infections that are
around, "
Sindel concluded in the Mobile Register interview.
Mobile officials have begun watching ground-level ozone numbers
more closely
this year because the county is at risk of violating federal health
standards
for ozone. In 1998, county concentrations reached code-red levels
nine
times. Recent readings of ozone levels at Mobile's Chickasaw ozone
monitor
were well above EPA's daily standards.
4. Public Comments Needed For Sothern Forests Study
- As reported in BEN this
past Spring, currently four federal agencies are conducting an
unprecedented
comprehensive study of Southern forest sustainability. These agencies
are
asking the public to comment on the direction of the study. This
month,
there will be 5 public comment meetings (unfortunately none are
in Alabama).
They have been scheduled to occur on August 12th Shreveport, La.,
August
16th Starkville Ms., August 17th Knoxville, Tn., August 19th Raleigh
NC, and
August 31 Tifton, Ga. You can also send your comments to Alan
Brown, P.O.
Box 5247 Mississippi State, MS, 39762-5247 or email abrown@cfr.msstate.edu
(the coordinator nearest to Alabama) by September 1.
To learn more about the Southeast Forest Sustainability study,
and what you
can do, contact the Sarah Hodgdon Regional Campaign Coordinator
for the
Dogwood Alliance at 828-883-5889 or e-mail info@dogwoodalliance.org.
Check
out the Dogwood Alliance website at: http://www.dogwoodalliance.org
5. EDF's Internet "Scorecard" on CAFO's -
Environmental Defense Fund's
infamous "Scorecard" website is known as one of the
best sources to learn
about toxic pollutants in one's neighborhood. This summer EDF
expanded the
Scorecard to include a section on Animal Waste from Factory Farms
or
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's). To learn more
about the
amount of waste generated from these operations and their effect
on Alabama's
environment, visit the EDF website at:
http://www.scorecard.org/env-releases/aw/
6. Various Environmental Activities Across Alabama -
Here are some
activities and a job announcement I learned about last week.
Smith Lake Environmental Preservation Committee (SLEPC) will
be holding their
summer membership meeting on August 14th , 9:00 A.M. at the Brushy
Pond
Resturant. Jean O'Dell with the Office of Surface Mining will
be the
featured speaker. For more info please contact Debbie Berry 205-823-0015
or
debcberry@aol.com
Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Alabama Environmental Council
will be holding
its inaugral meeting August 23, 1999 - 6:30 P.M. at the Monte
Sano State Park
Picnic Shelter in Huntsville. The group will also be having a
potluck
picnic. For more info please contact Lynn Leach at 256-776-4015
or email
lynnleach@aol.com
Nature Conservancy of Alabama has scheduled the following "Volunteer
Stewardship Workdays" at their nature preserves for the fall.
August 28: Brasher Woods Preserve, Etowah County
September 11, Pine Hills Preserve, Autauga County
September 18, Bayou Heron Coastal Clean Up
September 25, Prairie Grove Glades Preserve , Lawrence County
October 30: Yellow Leak Creek Preserve, Chilton County
November 20: Bibb County Glades Preserve, Bibb County
December 4, Dry Creek Preserve, St. Clair County
For more information contact Chris Oberholster 205-251-1155
The Conservancy is also putting on some impressive "Fall
Hike/Canoe trips".
They include:
Hike the Savanna - September 25th at 8:00 A.M.
Kayaking/Canoe Trip in Bayou Heron - October 16 at 7:00 A.M.
For more information please call the Nature Conservancy state
office at
205-251-1155
On the Job Seeking Front - The Nature Conservancy of Alabama
is seeking a
Major Gifts Officer. The position will support conservation efforts
in
Alabama and Mississippi and will be based in their new coastal
office.
Resume and cover letter may be sent to The Nature Conservancy,
Attn: Director
of Development, 2821 -C Second Avenue South, Birmingham, Al. 35233.
7. Newspaper Op-Eds In Anniston/Mobile - Here are a
couple excerpts from
state newspapers on recent environmental issues.
Dugger Wild: Keeping the Pristine That Way - Anniston Star
Editorial, August
4th
'Right now, Alabama has only two wilderness areas. If Congress
does the
right thing, we will get a third, right here in Calhoun County,
soon....
Cheers to Rep. Riley for introducing this bill. His two predecessors
introduced the same bill but failed to get it passed. This time
, though,
Rep. Riley believes that because of his party affiliation the
bill will have,
"a better shot than it had in the past." it should also
help that the
president endorsed the idea. LET"S HOPE so. Because a protected
wild Dugger
Mountain would be good for us and good for the environment."
Shelby's Plan Could Help Preserve State's Forests - Mobile
Register
Editorial, July 21
"Alabama's forests are pressured on several fronts, ranging
from the timber
industry's reliance on short-rotation forestry to the state's
lack of a plan
to help private and commercial owners manage their timber holdings.
In
particular, the forests feel the heat of estate tax laws that
can force
families to sell trees before they've matured.
.... Indeed, timber interests and environmentalists - who are
more often at
odds over forest management - are joining forces to support Shelby's
proposal, because they view it as mutually beneficial.
.... In a nation where leaders and citizens profess to value
a healthy
environment and a healthy economy, it would inject reason into
tax policies
that have for too long encouraged the needless destruction of
forests."
8. BEN Note:
What a pleasant drive! Driving down I-65 between Greenville
and Mobile,
early Friday morning, I noticed more than ever, wildflowers planted
along
that long stretch of interstate. Striking patches of pink, yellow
and purple,
they awaken me, even startled me, while I drove to the Forever
Wild meeting
in Fairhope. These were new plantings, and I could tell more are
in the
works.
Amidst the billboards, Cracker Barrels and gas stations - Alabama's
roadside
wildflowers are glorious and scenic reminders of "Alabama
the Beautiful". We
need them to inject nature and beauty in what has become a busy
and many
times sterile environment. - PB
* Write Alabama's Transportation Director Mac Roberts if you
would like to
see more wildflowers on the state's roadsides. His address: Mac
Roberts,
ALDOT, 1409 Colliseum Blvd. Montgomery, Alabama 36130.
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
