1) Alabama Senator Richard Shelby Named to Energy & Natural Resources
2) ADEM Pollution Prevention Awards 2000
3) American Lung Association's State of the Air 2000 Statistics
4) Dauphin Island Sea Lab Honored As Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center
5) National Wetlands Status and Trends Report
6) BEN Notes - Discovering Alabama Series/Videos, Ruffner Mountain February Programs, Bankhead Trail Trust Celebration, Environmental Education Association of Alabama Slates Conference

"In July 1969, University of Alabama professors, Charles Prigmore, Tom Rogers, and Joab Thomas, went to the Bankhead National Forest to look for a possible wilderness in Alabama. They returned convinced that the Bankhead offered one of the few remaining significant remnants of Alabama's natural heritage.

That same year the U.S. Forest Service revealed its plans to clear cut and convert this hardwood forest to pine, except in the inaccessible gorges and the 1,240 acres set aside as the Bee Branch Scenic Area. In December, the Conservancy officially began its effort to have around 12,000 acres of the Bankhead placed under the protection of the National Wilderness Preservation System." - From the book, "Protecting Alabama: A History of the Alabama Environmental Council (Alabama Conservancy)"

1. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby Named to Energy & Natural Resources - Senator Richard Shelby recently added the Senate energy and natural resources committee to his list of committee assignments in the U.S. Senate.

As a member of the energy and natural resources committee, Sen. Shelby will be facing several critical environmental decisions in the coming year, including the new administration's effort to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil production, new policies to confront the energy crisis in California and the appointment of President George W. Bush's Interior Secretary nominee Gale Norton.

2. ADEM Pollution Prevention Awards 2000 - The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has released their "Awards in Pollution Prevention for 2000" report. Here are the recipients of this year's awards and some examples of their pollution prevention activities.

ADEM's 2000 Directors' Award - The 2000 Directors' Awards in Pollution Prevention are presented to Alabama businesses and industries that have demonstrated leadership and commitment to wise management in protecting the environment and public health through pollution prevention. Recipients have implemented facility-wide written pollution prevention plans and have demonstrated the environmental benefits. The recipients are:

Anniston Army Depot - The Depot has reduced hazardous waste generation 55% and has diverted 56% of its solid waste from waste facilities.

Occidental Chemical Corporation, Muscle Shoals - In 1999, the company implemented zero discharge goals. Total solid/hazardous waste generation has been reduced from 1170 tons/year to 634 tons/year.

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. - First to implement lead-free coating eliminating lead from painting process. Paint shop design resulting in 78% transfer efficiency, one of the highest in the industry. Only automotive plant in U.S. recycling 100% of paint sludge.

Nova Chemicals, Inc., Decatur - 93% reduction in hazardous waste generated per 1000 pounds of product.

ADEM's 2000 Achievement Award in Pollution Prevention - This award category does not require a written pollution prevention plan.

Bosie Cascade Jackson Mill - Waste generation reductions have declined from 1.2M Kg/yr to 285k Kg/yr for non-hazardous solid waste and 4940 Kg/day to 296 Kg/day for air emissions.

Russell Corporation, Alexander City - Landfilled waste in total was reduced by 94% from 1980 levels.

Engelhard Corporation, Huntsville - Discharges of chlorine from water eliminated.

To receive the complete listing of "good works" these companies have accomplished in the area of pollution prevention, contact ADEM's Gavin Adams at 334-270-4353.

3. American Lung Association's State of the Air 2000 Statistics - The American Lung Association has released their "State of the Air 2000" report, which calculates the number of "at risk" populations that are vulnerable to high levels of ground-level ozone pollution. These "at-risk" populations include children under 14 years old, seniors over 65, children with pediatric asthma, and citizens with adult asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

According to the study, between 1996 to 1998, there were 71 orange and red alert days (or high ozone days that are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups) in Jefferson and Shelby counties. In the two counties alone, the air quality was considered unhealthy for more than 356,823 people who belong to one of the sensitive groups. In Madison County there were 20 unhealthy days potentially adversely impacting more than 119,000 people. Mobile County had 14 unhealthy days within the three year period effecting 183,000 people from "at-risk" groups.

During ozone season (May to Oct), the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and local health departments issue warnings about possible "unhealthy" air quality days (You can visit ADEM's ozone website on a daily basis to receive this info at: http://www.adem.state.al.us/EnviroProtect/Air/AirQualAla/airquaal.htm ). For more information about ground-level ozone air pollution and lung disease visit the American Lung Association's website at: http://www.lungusa.org

4. Dauphin Island Sea Lab Honored As Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center - Dauphin Island Sea Lab has been recognized as the 13th "Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center" by the U.S. government. The title has been typically reserved for major aquariums in big cities such as in Boston, New York and Seattle. The unique coupling of a research center and the Estuarium earned Sea Lab its designation.

Every year nearly 100,000 people visit the Estuarium and 15,000 Alabama students take classes at the Sea Lab. Several hundred students and scientists research topics such as global warming, dying coral reefs and fish populations. To learn more about the Sea Lab visit their website at: http://www.disl.org

5. National Wetlands Status and Trends Report - Last week, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service released the long-awaited wetlands status and trends report entitled, "Report to Congress on the Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United Sates 1986 to 1997."

The report finds that the estimated wetlands loss rate is now 58,000 acres annually (or 644,000 acres between 1986 to 1997). This represents a 80% reduction from the previous decade.

Forested wetlands experienced the greatest decline of all wetland types with a loss of 1.2 million acres. For the first time in the nation's history there are fewer than 50 million acres of forested wetlands in the conterminous United States. Freshwater emergent wetlands declined by 1 million acres during the study period, while freshwater ponds increased nearly 13%, offsetting some of the overall decline.

The study also attributed the causes of wetland losses nationally to: urban development (30%), agriculture (26%), Silviculture (23%) and rural development (21%). To learn more about this report's finding, visit the following website: http://www.nwi.fws.gov/bha/SandT/SandTReport.html

6. BEN Notes - Discovering Alabama Series/Videos, Ruffner Mountain Sets February Outdoor Calendar, Bankhead Trail Trust Celebration, Environmental Education Association of Alabama Slates Conference

Discovering Alabama Series/Videos - Dr. Doug Phillip's award winning Discovering Alabama series is appearing Tuesdays at 6:00 and Sundays at 1:00 and 7:30 this winter. This week's shows highlight Alabama Caves and the Mobile River Basin. For more info about upcoming shows or video copies of previous shows (Doug has produced 38 editions), contact Discovering Alabama at 205-348-2039.

Ruffner Mountain Set February Outdoor Calendar - Ruffner Mountain Nature Center in Birmingham has scheduled three outdoor programs for February. On February 10, the center will be offering a workshop on orienteering. On February 17, there will be a Mines Hike. And on February 24th there will be a "Attracting Backyard Birds" program. For more info about these programs, contact Lisa Harris at 205-833-8264.

Bankhead Trail Trust Celebration - The Bankhead Trail Trust will be hosting "a Celebration of Community Support for a Community Trail" on February 9, 10:00 a.m. at the Bankhead Ranger District's Office in Double Springs. Please come and support the designation of Inman Trail. Refreshments will be served.

Environmental Education Association of Alabama (EEAA) Slates Conference - The EEAA's annual conference will be held in Huntsville on March 1-3. Field trips will include a visit of two recycling centers, a trip to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, a hike on Monte Sano Mountain and an exploration of Cathedral Caverns. The concurrent sessions, on topics ranging from archeology to writing grants, promise to be full of fun learning opportunities. For more info contact Jeff Hughes at 256-512-0146.

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 To receive back issues of BEN, please go to our website at: http://www.BamaNews.com