1) Developer Sentenced For Wetlands Violations In Baldwin County
2) Alabama Cities Top U.S. In Deaths From Dirty Air According to Study
3) Alabama's Community Fishing Program: A National Model
4) Young America Outdoors: A Nationally Syndicated Enviro Program From Bama
5) BEN Notes - Tree Summit to Launch New Movement, Help Protect Shades Creek, Clean Water Action Plan Website, Support BEN Groups

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1. Developer Sentenced For Wetlands Violations In Baldwin County - According to the Mobile Register, Baldwin County real estate developer Paul Smith must pay $48,000 to the local environmental group Mobile Bay Watch and take out a full page ad in the Mobile Register explaining how he ruined nearly 20 acres of wetlands in Gulf Shores, a federal judge ruled this week. The developer also received 5 years probation and must pay for the restoration of the damaged land.

Smith pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act for filling in a stretch of wet pine savanna north of the Intracoastal Waterway near Jack Edwards Airfield. The area is known for its widespread and species-rich plant bogs and one of the last populations of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers in Baldwin County. The Mobile FBI's environmental enforcement
office and its Southern Alabama Enviro-Crime Task Force investigated the case at the request of the EPA, with help from the Corp of Engineers and the Baldwin County District Attorney's Office.

2. Alabama Cities Top U.S. In Deaths From Dirty Air According to Study - Four Alabama cities rank in the top ten nationally, for the number of deaths per capita caused by breathing polluted air from coal-burning electrical power plants according to a new study.

The public health study titled, "Death, Disease and Dirty Power" was released by Clear the Air, a Washington based environmental and health coalition. Locally, the Alabama Environmental Council and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy held a press conference in Birmingham announcing the study's findings.

The study contends that fine particle pollution from dirty power plants shortens the lives of 30,100 people nationwide, including 1,100 in Alabama every year. The city of Gadsden led the national list with 59 deaths attributed to power plant pollution per 100,000 adults. The city of Anniston ranked 3rd on the national list (49 deaths per 100,000) followed by Florence (ranked 4th with 48.2) and Birmingham (ranked 9th with 46 deaths).

The study has been denounced by the Tennessee Valley Authority and Alabama Power. Both companies disputed the study's research and noted recent multi-million dollar investments in pollution reduction equipment. TVA's response to the study can be found at http://tva.gov/environment/index.htm

For more information about the study, please contact the Alabama Environmental Council at 205-322-3126 or the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy at 865-637-6055. You can read the complete public health study at http://www.cleartheair.org

3. Alabama's Community Fishing Program: A National Model - Since 1995, the state of Alabama's Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division has held more than 150 Community Fishing events statewide. In five short years more than
42,000 children, seniors, the disabled and families have participated in this state program.

Recently, the Alabama program has been recognized nationally as a model program in a brochure produced by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies promoting Sport Fish Restoration. Last year 47 events were held in Alabama with more than 9100 participants. Alabama's Community Fishing events introduce children to the joys of fishing, provide a quality
family experience and instill a conservation ethic among our youth. For more information about the Community Fishing Program contact Doug Darr at 334-242-3884.

4. Young America Outdoors: A Nationally Syndicated Enviro Program From Bama - Did you know a nationally syndicated children's environmental program is produced and many times filmed right here in Alabama? "Young America Outdoors" a children's outdoor program, which is produced in Alabama and sponsored by Alabama Tourism and Travel can be seen in over 100 media markets, including on Sunday and Saturday mornings in Seattle, Boston, New York City, San Diego, Toledo, Ohio - even Anchorage, Alaska.

The program features outdoor activities and subjects ranging from surf kayaking to white water rafting. For information about this new Alabama institution we can all be proud of (especially Alabama Tourism's support), visit their website at http://www.yaotv.com

5. BEN Notes: Tree Summit to Launch New Movement, Help Protect Shades Creek, Clean Water Action Plan Website, Support BEN Groups

Tree Summit to Launch New Movement - If you care urban forestry and preserving nature within our cities, please join people throughout Alabama at the "Tree Summit." Trees for Alabama, the organization who will be holding the summit, is a newly formed group interested in promoting, protecting and planting trees in rural, urban and developed environments.

The Tree Summit will be held on October 27th , 8:30-2:00 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The registration fee (which includes lunch) is $25. For more information and to register call 205-781-2210.

Help Protect Shades Creek - Join the Friends of Shades Creek Watershed, an "up and coming" river group, on Sunday afternoon October 22nd 2:00 to 5:00 at the Southern Progress Building, just off Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. The group will celebrating the protection of 33 acres within a riparian hillside in Homewood. There will be music and local artists at the event. For more information contact Michelle Blackwood at 205-879-6866.

Clean Water Action Plan Website - Check out the latest information about the National Clean Water Action Plan. Visit their site at http://www.cleanwater.gov

Support BEN Groups - Don't forget to support the three groups chosen by BEN to support in 2000. In lieu of a subscription to BEN, we ask people to support the following groups - Southern Environmental Center (205-226-4934), Camp McDowell (205-387-1806) and the American Lung Association (205-933-8821).

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