Bama Environmental News

#241

1) Senator Shelby Moves To Block Chemical Weapons Transport
2) U.S. Steel Land and Donation To Create 1108 Acres Urban Park in B'ham
3) North Alabama Company Cited in Mercury Report
4) Tuscaloosa News Marks Tenn-Tom Waterway Anniversary
5) BEN Notes: Job Opening at The Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust, Sierra Club Music Benefit, "Master Wildlifer" Program, Community Culture and Environment Workshop, NPS/Water Quest Conference, New "Delta Book" Available, Tobacco Free Alabama

1. Senator Shelby Moves To Block Chemical Weapons Transport - According to the Anniston Star, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby plans to cosponsor a bill to prevent the Pentagon from studying interstate transportation of chemical weapons to destruction sites such as Anniston's incinerator.

Last week, the Army announced that it would study the possibility of relocating chemical weapons from certain stockpiles as a cost-cutting measure. The announcement has drawn local and statewide criticism, because of promises made by Pentagon officials that the incinerator at the Anniston Army Depot would be used only to destroy the stockpiles of weapons in the local area. The $150,000 study, which is slated to go to the Pentagon on February 18th is also opposed by Senator Jeff Sessions and two senators from Colorado.

2. U.S. Steel Land and Donation To Create 1108 Acre Urban Park in B'ham - According to the Birmingham News, in the largest donation in the company's history, U.S. Steel has agreed to give $1 million and sell land along Red Mountain in Birmingham at a $9.5 million discount to help create one of the nation's largest parks.

The proposed 1108 acre Red Mountain Park lies in Southwest Birmingham and extends 4.5 miles. A ridgetop portion of the land is expected to remain natural, while some of the flatter lands will used for recreation, including multipurpose sports fields. Under the terms of an agreement to be announced today, the Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust would pay $7 million for the land which has been appraised at $16.5 million. The U.S. Steel $1 million donation would be used to develop the park.

The additional park land would also make Birmingham the "greenest" large city in the country in terms of public green and open space. Including the Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, Birmingham's public park system and additional Land Trust properties, Birmingham will have 17.9 acres of public green space per 1000 residents, surpassing presently top ranked Minneapolis' 14.3 acres per 1000 residents.

3. North Alabama Company Cited in Mercury Report - The Washington D.C. based environmental group, Oceana, is demanding that the federal government force nine chlorine plants, including one in Muscle Shoals, to remove mercury from their process. Oceana contends in their report "Poison Plants: (Chlorine Factories Are A Major Global Source of Mercury) that Occidental Chemical's current mercury process is unnecessary and outdated.

The company, which has been honored in the past for its pollution prevention efforts by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, has reduced its air emissions of mercury by 30% and emissions into water by 60% in recent years. According to the Times Daily, the company continues to use the mercury technology because it is the only way to produce high grade potassium hydroxide, which is used by the pharmaceutical industry.

To read the entire Oceana report go to http://northamerica.oceana.org/mercury/index.html.

4. Tuscaloosa News Marks Tenn-Tom Waterway Anniversary - The Tuscaloosa News has been marking the 20th Anniversary of Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway with a series of in-depth articles written by News reporter Johnny Kampis. Check out the series below (Note: you may have to register with the Tuscaloosa News):

20th Anniversary of the Tenn Tom Waterway
Plans For Gulf of Mexico Route Date Back To 1800's
As Real Estate Erodes So Does Regard For The Tenn-Tom
Pleasure Seekers Find Plenty Along the Tenn-Tom
For Better or Worse Tenn-Tom is Here (Tuscaloosa News Editorial)

5. BEN Notes: Job Openings at Ruffner Mountain, Wildlife Center and Girl Scouts of North Alabama, B'ham Audubon Ecology/Nature Scholarships, Arbor Day Poster Contest Deadline, City of Florence Tree Conference, Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Conference, EEAA Conference 2005

Job Openings at Ruffner Mountain, Wildlife Center and Girl Scouts of North Alabama - Ruffner Mountain is seeking a part-time Wildlife Curator/Naturalist. The position is expected to become full time with appropriate benefits within the year. Primary responsibilities include care and maintenance and record keeping related to all native and nonnative animals residing at the Center. A Bachelor's degree in wildlife biology or related field is preferred or minimum of two years of relevant work experience. To apply - send cover letter outlining experience and two professional and one personal reference to Wildlife Curator Position, Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, 1214 South 81st Street, Birmingham, Al. 35206: or fax 205-836-3960; or email info@ruffnermountain.org. No phone calls please. Deadline: January 31st.

The Wildlife Center, located at Oak Mountain State Park currently has job openings for a Development Assistant and an Avian Intern. Please see their website http://www.awrc.org for detailed job descriptions.

Girl Scouts of North Alabama is seeking an Outdoor Program Manager. This individual will direct summer camp and year round onsite events. Develop and implement program activities and resources that support delivery of troop/group programs, membership, outreach and retention of girl members. Send resume to: Cheryl Hoard, Chief Operations Officer, Girl Scouts of North Alabama, Inc. 4704 Whitesburg Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35802. Phone: 256-883-1020; fax 256-882-1750 or email cheryl.hoard@girlscoutsofnorthalabama.org - Deadline : February 14th.

B'ham Audubon Ecology/Nature Scholarships - For teachers in Jefferson and Shelby counties, the Birmingham Audubon Society is offering scholarships to attend the Audubon Mountain Workshop in Mentone, Alabama May 12-15 (5 scholarships are offered) and the Maine Audubon Society's Workshop for Educators in Muscongus Bay - from July 17-23 (2 scholarships are offered). For the application form and more details about both workshops, go to http://www.birminghamaudubon.org and click on Grants and Scholarships. For additional info call Ann Sweeney at 205-879-7127.

Arbor Day Poster Contest Deadline - The deadline for this year's Arbor Day Poster Contest which is sponsored by the Alabama Cooperative Extension, Alabama Urban Forestry Association, the National Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota is February 10th. For information about the contest go to http://www.aces.edu/Calhoun/arborday/schoolentry.html

City of Florence Tree Conference - The Florence Tree Commission and Beautification Board will be holding their annual conference "Establishment and Care of Trees, Shrubs, Flowers and Lawns" on February 9th. For more info call 256-760-6314.

Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Conference - If you care about amphibians and reptiles in Alabama and the Southeast plan on attending the Southeast Partners Conference in Hot Springs, AR. February 25-27. This group is the herpetological counterpart of the highly successful Partners in Flight program. For more info about the conference go to http://www.separc.org

EEAA Conference 2005 - Make plans to attend the Environmental Education Association of Alabama's (EEAA) 2005 Conference on March 10-12 at Camp McDowell. You can download a conference brochure by going to their website at http://www.aces.edu/eeaa