1. Governor Riley Calls For More Studies of LNG - According to the Mobile Register, in letters to the Alabama State Docks officials and federal regulators, Alabama Governor Bob Riley said he intends to block the sale of Mobile County's former Navy home port site to ExxonMobil for the company's proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal until an adequate independent safety study has been conducted.

ExxonMobil wants to build a $600 million LNG terminal near a residential area about two miles south of the Mobile city limits. Federal officials have maintained that LNG facilities pose only a small threat to the public, but a number of studies have suggested that an accident or terrorist attack involving an LNG tanker could be catastrophic. Local environmental and community groups Mobile Bay Watch and the newly formed Better Growth Mobile have opposed selling the home port without an independent study.

Governor Riley cited these concerns and the need for a study in the letter, concluding: "I regret that these actions on my part have become necessary. I cannot and will not, however, compromise the security of our state or the safety of our people with unknown risks."

2. State Historical Parks Facing Budget Crunch - State Senator Pat Lindsey of Butler wants to secure about $1 million in this year's state budget to help historical parks such as Historic Blakeley State Park near Spanish Fort and St. Stephen's Historical Park in Washington County survive.

After Gov. Bob Riley's tax plan failed in September, these parks lost 75% of their state funding for the current fiscal year. Park officials want some of those monies restored in the 2005 budget. Sen. Lindsey, a member of the Senate's General Fund budget committee, stated in the Mobile Register, "historic parks make Alabama a better place to live, and it's important to preserve them." Environmentally, Blakeley protects more than 3,800 acres in an area in Baldwin County that is being rapidly developed. The St. Stephen's park has 250 acres that is used for archeological research and recreation.

3. Snail Reintroduced to the Coosa River - A small snail once thought to be extinct was recently reintroduced to the Coosa River below Jordan Dam after a 80 year absence. More than 3,000 interrupted rocksnails (Leptoxis foremani) were released by the Alabama Department of conservation and Natural Resources.

The interrupted rocksnail is a "candidate" species, meaning it is on the list for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act. The snail had not been listed previously because it was thought to be extinct. Because this snail lays eggs in February, it was important to release them a few months prior into the Coosa River so they will be ready to reproduce. Once common in the main channel of the Coosa River, the interrupted rocksnail, 36 other snail species and 8 mussel species are known to have disappeared from the Coosa River.

Since 1990, Alabama Power has been increasing the release of water into the Coosa River below the Jordan Dam. "By turning the water back on, the channel has come back to life," stated Dr. Paul Johnson, a research scientist with the Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute, an organization supporting the snail's recovery.

For more information about this project, contact Jeff Gardner at 256-767-7673 or http://www.outdooralabama.com

4. BEN Notes - Ruffner Mountain Seeking Executive Assistant, WWF Call For Proposals, Cahaba River Society's Annual Meeting, City of Florence Urban Forestry Workshop, Friends of Hurricane Creek Annual Meeting, Environmental Education Association of Alabama Annual Meeting, Montgomery Smart Growth Conference Scheduled, Mulberry Fork Canoe/Kayak Races

Ruffner Mountain Seeking Executive Assistant - Ruffner Mountain Nature Center in Birmingham, Alabama is seeking an executive assistant. The position will help provide administrative/clerical support for executive staff, including donor record keeping; bookkeeping, scheduling programs and maintenance calendars and coordination of all office functions. Requires minimum of 2 years office experience and a genuine interest in nature. To apply - Fax a cover letter and resume, including salary history to 205-836-3960 or mail to 1214 South 81st Street, Birmingham, Alabama, 35206. Additional info can be found on Ruffner's website at http://www.ruffnermountain.org.

WWF Call For Proposals - The World Wildlife Fund's Southeastern Rivers and Streams Support Fund is pleased to announce a request for proposals for the Southeastern Rivers and Streams Support Fund. The Fund awards grants to local and regional watershed groups, grassroots citizen initiatives and cooperative aquatic science projects that work to protect, restore and champion watersheds and aquatic species in the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mobile Basins. Contact Judy Takats, WWF's Southeastern Program Director at 615-297-1423 for an application and guidelines. The deadline for submission is February 16, 2004.

Cahaba River Society's Annual Meeting - The Cahaba River Society (CRS) will be holding it's Annual Meeting January 30th at Samford University's Planetarium, located in the ScienceCenter. The featured speaker will be a presentation by Alabama Nature Photographer Beth Maynor Young titled "When a River Changes Your Life." For more info about this event, contact the CRS office at 205-32-CLEAN.

City of Florence Urban Forestry Workshop - The City of Florence Urban Forestry Office will be holding a "Growing for the Future" workshop on February 11th at the Florence Conference Center. Last year, more than 300 people attended this day long workshop which includes forestry and horticultural workshops. It is a great event. For additional info call - 256-760-6364.

Friends of Hurricane Creek Annual Meeting - The Friends of Hurricane Creek will be holding their 10th Annual Hurricane Creek Cleanup and Chili Cookoff on Saturday, February 14th, starting at 9:00 a.m., located at Stoker Point, which is located at the Holt-Peterson Road Bridge over Hurricane Creek. For more information about this event, contact John Wathen at 205-507-0867 or fohurricane@simplecom.net.

Environmental Education Association of Alabama (EEAA) Annual Meeting - The EEAA will be holding their Annual Meeting on February 19-21 at Camp Beckwith in Fairhope, Alabama. The conference is titled, "Teaching in the Nursery: Developing the Next Generation of Environmental Educators." For more info about this conference, visit the EEAA website at http://www.aces.edu/eeaa/main.html

Montgomery Smart Growth Conference Scheduled - Envision 2020 in the Montgomery Metro area will be holding a Smart Growth Conference, February 27th at the Montgomery Civic Center. For more information about this meeting on how to best plan for the river region's growth, call Envision 2020 at 334-269-0224 or visit their website at http://www.envision2020.org .

Mulberry Fork Canoe/Kayak Races -Don't miss the 23rd Annual Mulberry Fork Canoe and Kayak Races near Garden City on the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior River, about 50 miles north of Birmingham. Volunteers are needed and training will be available. For more info call Lorraine LaGrange at 205-822-8199 or email rain210@bellsouth.net.