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1) Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama:
Preserving Land and Growing * Remember: Back issues of BEN can be found at: http://www.BamaNews.com 1. Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama: Preserving Land and Growing - Here is some great news coming out of North Alabama. 1999 was a remarkable year for the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama (LTHNA) in terms of membership growth and land acquisition. Check out these incredible numbers. Land Donations - In 1999, The Land Trust increased their program by over 800 acres to bring the total of land preserved in Madison County to over 2200 acres. The newly acquired lands include:
Membership Growth - The Land Trust increased their membership 55% in 1999, adding 400 membership to their rolls. The future looks bright for this creative and innovative Alabama land protection/preservation organization. To learn more about The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama please visit their website at http://www.landtrust-hsv.org or call them at 256-534-LAND. 2. Jefferson County Winning the War On Illegal Dumps - Here is some more good news coming out of Jefferson County, Alabama. Since Jefferson County launched their illegal garbage dump campaign in March of 1999, cases have been made against 426 persons for dumping illegally in the county. Out of the 426 cases, a stunning 394 have been resolved, with only 32 of the cases remaining unresolved for various reasons. Many of the dumpsites have been cleaned up, usually by the people doing the dumping. Some of the sites are so large (up to 10 acres) that heavy equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks have been brought in to do the work. Several sites have also been cleaned up by County crews and private landowners. There are many footsoldiers in this "war on dumps" in Jefferson County. Jefferson County's Sheriff's Department, for example, has four deputies now working on environmental matters, including Sgt. Cecil Tidmore a 30+ year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, who recently won the prestigious Governor's Award for Law Enforcement as a result of his accomplishments in the County's illegal dumping campaign. The Jefferson County Commission and their Department of Environmental Protection led by Bill Peters also deserves recognition for their passionate work against illegal dumping. To learn more about this highly successful and effective program against dumps, contact the Jefferson County Commission Department of Environmental Protection at 205-325-8712. 3. Little River Canyon Field School Unveils Year 2000 Programs - Ever wanted to visit a Frog Pond? Or "gorge yourself" by taking a deep canyon hike? These are just some of the exciting programs offered by the Jacksonville State University Little River Canyon Field School. Since 1991, the Field School has been offering exciting environmental education opportunities aimed at creating an appreciation of Little River Canyon's cultural history, geology, ecology and biological diversity. The Field School has just unveiled their year 2000 programs on the web. You can access their schedule at : http://www.jsu.edu/depart/epic/LRCFS.htm If you want to receive their beautiful color brochure/schedule, outlining this year's activities call 256-782-5697 or e-mail lrc@jsucc.jsu.edu , and they will send you a free copy. 4. Geological Survey of Alabama Introduces New Educational Webpages - One of the most informative, educational and useful websites about Alabama and earth sciences comes from the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA). This year the GSA is expanding their site to include hydrogeology, geohazards and educational weblinks - just to name a few. Please check out the following exciting new webpages that have just been added to the GSA site. GSA's Main Page - http://www.gsa.state.al.us/ 5. Ruffner Mountain and Alabama Water Watch Events - Two local Alabama groups - Ruffner Mountain and Alabama Water Watch are holding a couple of "fun" and educational events and conferences. Please check them out. Ruffner Mountain - On Saturday, January 29th Ruffner Mountain will be holding a Backyard Birding workshop. The program begins at 1:00 and will end at 3:00. Learn how to landscape your backyard for birds and receive info on the best feeders and food to maintain your wildlife haven. For more info/and reservations contact Ruffner at 205-833-8264 or 833-8112 on weekends. Alabama Water Watch - Water Watch will be holding their 4th Annual Technical and Public Information Conference, January 29th at Auburn University's Foy Union, Room 213. The conference will update you on Water Watch's activities and include a new study on Mercury in Alabama's environment. There will also be a slide show - showing Water Watch programs in action in 12 different countries. The conference begins at 9:30. For more information contact Alabama Water Watch at: 1-888-844-4785. Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication, contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com We also encourage readers to visit our website at : http://www.BamaNews.com |
