October 29, 2002

#189

1) Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge To Be Established
2) East Alabama EcoTourism: Pinhoti and Chief Ladiga Trails
3) Smart Growth America Ranks B'ham 23rd Most Sprawling Community
4) National Enviro Magazine Features Grassroots Activist Lynn Battle
5) Auburn University Finishes 3rd in Solar House Competition
6) BEN Notes: Mobile Bay Watch Job Opening, Alabama Urban Forestry Assoc. 18th Annual Convention & New Website, Alabama Garden Trail, LEAF Names New President

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Cahaba River Publishing Notecards

Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, Beth Maynor Young has released a new edition of her famous notecards. This year's edition is flat out "stunning."

You can view and order Beth's notecards online by visiting her website at http://www.cahabariverpublishing.com - Make sure to click on the "products" section on the webpage once you enter the site.

As an added incentive to purchase these remarkable images, Beth has agreed to donate 10% of the sale of notecards that come over the website for the next two weeks, to the three BEN charities. You can learn more about these charities at http://www.bamanews.com/donation.html

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1. Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge To Be Established - Last week, the state of Alabama "gave birth" to another National Wildlife Refuge - the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge at Fort McClellan in Anniston

After nearly six years of planning and political maneuvering, the new refuge will officially become a reality early next year. When all is said and done, the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge will protect the last untouched area of mountain longleaf pine in the United States. The 7,600 acre refuge (the refuge is also expected to grow an additional 1,300 acres from a planned gift by the Joint Powers Authority) was established through an amendment to the 2003 Defense Authorization Bill. Sen. Jeff Sessions added the amendment, which directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the protected area. Sessions also stated that the Army has committed $1 million in startup funding for the refuge.

The new refuge was supported by local environmentalists, businesses and politicians. According to Pete Conroy, the refuge's leading advocate, the addition of the refuge gives the Anniston area one of the highest density of nationally protected areas anywhere in the country.

2. East Alabama EcoTourism: Pinhoti and Chief Ladiga Trails - More good news coming out of East Alabama.

On October 19th, after more than 10 years of climbing Indian Mountain with picks and axes, volunteers from the Alabama Trails Association (ATA) have finished building the Pinhoti Trail to the Georgia state line. A heroic achievement, the ATA has accomplished its part in connecting the historic Appalachian Trail to Alabama. Approximately another 45 miles of trail must be built in Georgia to finish the connection with the Benton MacKaye Trail, which connects with the Appalachian Trail. When the new Georgia section of the trail is completed, the old famous trail will rightfully extend to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in East Alabama. Many Alabama trail enthusiasts can't wait for the day when trail and hiking books throughout the nation will have to change their description of the Appalachian Trail as "a path from Maine to Georgia" to "a path from Maine to Alabama."

Later that week, after the Pinhoti Trail dedication, another ecotourism trail event was held in Jacksonville, Alabama. Jacksonville State University is now home to a new one mile stretch of trail connecting the university to the 33 mile Chief Ladiga Trail. The trail, which spans Cleburne and Calhoun counties, is the first of its kind in Alabama on a university campus. Championed by Jacksonville State University President Bill Meehan, the trail crosses the JSU campus, connecting the university and it's students with the popular trail, nature and the surrounding local communities.

3. Smart Growth America Ranks B'ham 23rd Most Sprawling Community - Recently, the Birmingham Metro area was ranked the 23rd most "sprawling" out of 83 metro areas studied, in a report released by Smart Growth America. Here are some of the studies findings:

Daily miles driven per person - 34.8
Percent of commuters using transit - 0.79%
Percent of commuters walking to work - 1.21%
Average Commute Time, in minutes - 26.58

Nationally, the Birmingham area came in third for the miles driven daily by residents, 28th in commute times, 13th in fatal accidents and 33rd in ozone pollution. The region was last in the percentage of people walking to work and has the 7th lowest ratio of people taking transit.

To learn more about Smart Growth America's sprawl study, visit their website at http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com

4. National Enviro Magazine Features Grassroots Activist Lynn Battle - The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) calls her the "Lead Lady" and a "Local Hero." In Alabama, we know her as Lynn Battle - founder of the Citizen's Lead Education Poison Prevention Project (CLEPP), and a passionate advocate for the environment and children's health.

Last month, Ms. Battle and her daughter Destiny were featured in the NRDC news magazine "OnEarth." The article, which was written by an Alabama environmental freelance writer Tara Hulen, profiles Ms. Battle's fight to prevent lead poisoning in Birmingham and the state. Currently, through her efforts, CLEPP tests more than 3000 children a year for lead poisoning and helps families find safe housing and abate lead problems in their home.

Check out their story at http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/02fal/heroes4.asp

5. Auburn University Finishes 3rd in Solar House Competition - War Solar? Earlier this month, Auburn University finished 3rd in the week-long national Solar Decathlon, a contest to power and operate a solar house. Auburn's team of students competed against 13 other university teams, finishing behind the winner, the University of Colorado and the competition's runner-up the University of Virginia. The event was sponsored by the Department of Energy. The houses were judged in 10 different categories to determine which most efficiently used solar energy for heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, appliances, computers and charging an electric car.

6. BEN Notes: Mobile Bay Watch Job Opening, Alabama Urban Forestry Assoc. 18th Annual Convention & New Website, Alabama Garden Trail, LEAF Names New President

Mobile Bay Watch Job Opening - Mobile Bay Watch, Inc./Mobile BayKeeper is seeking an administrative assistant. Responsibilities include general secretarial skills, computer work and some writing. Salary range is $17,000 to $20,000 with health insurance and other benefits to begin after 90 days. To apply, fax your resume to 251-476-0329 or email callaway@mobilebaywatch.org

Alabama Urban Forestry Assoc. 18th Annual Convention & New Website - The Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA) will be celebrating their 18th Annual Convention November 6-8, at The Lodge in Opelika, Alabama. This year's topic will be the emerging issue - "Urban Wildland Interface." Check out the convention agenda and registration information on AUFA's newly designed website - http://www.aufa.com

Alabama Garden Trail - The Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel has produced a beautiful brochure highlighting the new "Alabama Garden Trail." Check out the following websites featured in the brochure:

Huntsville Madison County Botanical Gardens - http://www.hsvbg.org
Anniston Museum of Natural History - http://www.annistonmuseum.org
Alabama Wildflower Society -http://www.alabamawildflower.org
Birmingham Botanical Gardens - http://www.bbgardens.org
Aldridge Gardens - http://www.aldridgegardens.com
University of Alabama Arboretum - http://www.bama.ua.edu/~arbor
Southern Living Colonial Garden - http://www.americanvillage.org
Jasmine Hill Gardens - http://www.jasminehill.org
The Shakespeare Garden - http://www.blountculturalpark.org
Dothan Botanical Gardens - http://www.dabg.com
Bellingrath Gardens & Home - http://www.bellingrath.org
Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel - http://www.touralabama.org

LEAF Names New President - The Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation has hired a new president after a nationwide search. Robert J. Martin, former National Ombudsman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and notable agency watchdog, will be taking the helm of LEAF.

Martin replaces LEAF's founder and CEO for 23 years - Suzi Ruhl. Ruhl is nationally known for her leadership on environmental health issues. To learn more about LEAF, one of the leading legal environmental and health advocacy organization's in the Southeast, visit their website at http://www.leaflaw.org.