October 3, 2002

#188

1) President Bush to Replace Water Negotiators
2) Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge Becoming a Reality
3) Chattawah Open Land Trust Renamed Alabama Land Trust
4) Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama Moves Into Limestone County
5) Anniston Featured In National Sierra Club Report
6) BEN Notes : ForestFest - A Bluegrass Celebration, Stream Restoration Workshop in Birmingham, New Book - "Paddling Alabama" , Real Goods - National Tour of Independent Homes

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ECOFEST 4

Don't miss ECOFEST 4 - October 17th, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Workplay in Birmingham, Alabama. There will be music, dancing, food by Homewood Gourmet and a live auction. Tickets are $75. Proceeds benefit the Southern Environmental Center (SEC - http://www.bsc.edu/sec/ ) at Birmingham-Southern College. Over
20, 000 children visited the center and Ecoscape in 2001. This is the SEC's one and only fundraiser for the year. Please order your tickets today by calling
205-226-4934.
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1. President Bush to Replace Water Negotiators - According to the Anniston Star, sources close to the ongoing water allocation talks between Alabama, Georgia and Florida say President Bush soon will announce the appointment of two new federal commissioners.

Birmingham attorney and businessman Drayton Nabors is expected to be named federal commissioner of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa Compact. Alec Poitevint of Bainbridge, Georgia is the likely appointment to oversee the Appalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Compact.

The new appointees will be replacing federal commissioner Lindsey Thomas of Georgia and longtime Alabama environmental advocate Pete Conroy. Conroy served as the alternate federal commissioner.

2. Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge Becoming a Reality - Two years ago, Congress established the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge in Bibb County to protect 3500 acres along the Cahaba River. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed on the first 1,120 acres of the refuge.

"This is the very first land that makes the land go beyond being sort of a paper refuge," stated Chris Oberholster, conservation programs director for the Nature Conservancy of Alabama to the Birmingham News.

The land, which will be managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service was divided into two purchases, including one that will protect the west bank of the world's largest known stand of Cahaba lilies. The Cahaba River is home to 135 fish species and has more species per mile than any other river in North America. Biologists have also identified 69 imperiled mussels, snails, and other plants and animals within and along the river.

3. Chattawah Open Land Trust Renamed Alabama Land Trust - To better reflect the organization's work in Alabama, the Chattawah Open Land Trust has been renamed the Alabama Land Trust.

Located in Jacksonville, Alabama, the Alabama Land Trust is working extensively in Jackson County, particularly in the biologically sensitive Paint Rock River Watershed and Southern Cumberland Plateau. Some of the Alabama Land Trust efforts include a partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Alabama in the Paint Rock region resulting in the protection of 2400 acres protection efforts to preserve Gray Bat habitat in the Fort McClellan area near Anniston.

To find out more about the Alabama Land Trust and their expanding mission in Alabama, visit their new website at http://www.allandtrust.org

4. Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama Moves Into Limestone County - After recently changing their name to better serve the North Alabama area, The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama located in Huntsville and Madison County finally has its first property out of the county.

Elliott Mathews, a land owner in Limestone County, has created a life estate to protect his 130 acre farm. The property consists of rolling hills, woodlands and open pasture. Presently, the pasture land is being leased for cattle. The property is bordered to the east by Limestone Creek and has the potential to serve area canoers as a picnic area. Mr. Matthews will continue to use his property throughout his lifetime. Upon his death, the property will come to The Land Trust. With no direct heirs or other heirs in the area to continue his commitment to land preservation, Mr. Matthews chose to donate his property to The Land Trust. This way he could insure the safety and preservation of his land beyond his life time.

To learn more about "life estate" donations, contact The Land Trust at 256- 534-5263.

5. Anniston Featured In National Sierra Club Report - Last week, the Sierra Club released "Leaving Our Communities at Risk," a report profiling 25 communities across the country, including Anniston, Alabama.

According to the Anniston Star, the report claims the Bush Administration is neglecting the federal toxic waste cleanup program called Superfund; allowing facilities to release more pollution into the air; and decreasing the Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement budget. The Anniston section focuses on the Monsanto PCB problems in the region.

To read the entire report online go to http://www.sierraclub.org/communities

6. BEN Notes: ForestFest - A Bluegrass Celebration, Stream Restoration Workshop in Birmingham, New Book -Paddling Alabama, Real Goods - National Tour of Independent Homes

ForestFest - A Bluegrass Celebration - A special weekend of entertainment is in store at the 1st Annual ForestFest. Scheduled for October 11th and 12th at the Cheaha Mountain Amphitheater, the event is to benefit Jacksonville State University's Little River Canyon Field School. Heading the event are Sugar Hill Records recording artists Railroad Earth. ForestFest also offers music from Distant Cousins, Glenn Tolbert, Sequoia, Log Cabin Bluegrass, Foggy Hollow and Herb Trottman. There will also be a family stage, old-time fiddle and banjo workshops, storytellers, balloons and Native American music.

The Cheaha Amphitheater offers a covered performance area on a 60 acre farm near the intersection of Hwy. 78 and Hwy 9. Advance tickets for the weekend are just $20 (Friday $10 and $15 for Saturday). For more information visit http://www.cheahatheatre.com or call 256-310-2548.

Stream Restoration Workshop in Birmingham - An Introduction to Stream Restoration Using Natural Channel Design workshop will be held October 15th and 16th in Birmingham. Cost is $175 for government/non-profits and $350 for general registration. Participants will learn basics of stream functions and processes, causes of stream instability and restoration options for urban and agricultural streams.

A Storm Water BMP Academy will also be held October 17 in Birmingham. This workshop will address innovative designs such as stormwater wetlands, bio-retention areas and level spreaders. Cost for this workshop is $50.

For more info on these two workshops contact Eve Brantley at brantef@aces.edu or visit http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/streams/birmingham.htm

New Book - Paddling Alabama - Did you know Alabama ranks 7th in the United States for its number of stream miles? Or that Alabama has 77,242 miles of river and stream channels?

To help you guide through the myriad of waterways, Curt Burdick and Joe Cuhaj have co-authored a new book called Paddling Alabama. Within the pages, the authors not only guide readers down 29 waterways, but also act as travel guides to the regions, their history, best places to stay and eat, and the events and attractions that make the region special. For more information about this fascinating new book, contact Falcon Books and Globe-Pequot Press' Jeff Serena at jserena@globe-pequot.com

Real Goods - National Tour of Independent Homes - Come learn on Saturday, October 5th, how electricity for your home can be created from the Sun, Wind and Water. Real Goods National Tours of Independent Homes will be holding a tour of four homes employing photovoltaic, natural cooling, and passive solar and earth sheltered design. The tour of homes is halfway between Birmingham and Huntsville. Call Martha and Stephen at 205-429-4120 for directions and additional info.