1) Ozone Pollution Significantly Down In 2001
2) Vulcan Materials and Samford Establish Environmental Center
3) Dept. of Conservation Launches Alabama Rivers Discovery Expedition
4) "Dream Team" Joins PCB Case In Anniston
5) Alabama's Secures Second Brownfield Agreement in Opelika
6) BEN Notes : Celebrate National Unity, Hope, and Healing at a Park, Meet William Bartram in Birmingham, Ruffner Mountain Fall Events, Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama Calendar of Events, Audubon Teaches Birding

1. Ozone Pollution Significantly Down In 2001 - According to Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) statistics, the summer of 2001 was a good year for ozone in Alabama compared to the previous 2000 and 1999 ozone seasons.

Regarding the existing ozone standard, the 1-hour standard, Birmingham area's monitors had 3 readings in excess of the daily maximum this summer, as compared to 6 in 2000 and 7 in 1999. No other area in the state exceeded the 1-hour standard.

Numbers were also down regarding the proposed new and more stringent 8-hour ozone standard. According to the latest data, ozone levels were above the daily maximum on 19 monitor-days in 2001, versus 66 in 2000 and 60 in 1999. The 8-hour ozone standard is still under litigation at the national level and will probably not go into effect until 2004 or 2005. If the standard were in
effect today, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville would fail to meet the standard.

This year's dramatic drop in ozone exceedances has been attributed to an unseasonably mild summer compared to the drought conditions Alabama experienced the previous two years.

2. Vulcan Materials and Samford Establish Environmental Center - The Vulcan Materials Company Foundation has awarded Samford University a grant to establish the Vulcan Materials Center for Environmental Stewardship and Education. The grant announcement was made in conjunction with the dedication of the University's Sciencenter.

The new Center for Environmental Stewardship is designed to bring all of Samford University's environmental academic programs within a conceptual framework. The Center will nurture and support academic pursuits as well as integrate them with research activities, seminars and practicing professionals in the legal, corporate and regulatory arenas. Additionally, the Center will support two distinguished speakers in the area of environmental management each year.

The Birmingham based Vulcan Materials Company has been a longtime supporter of Samford's environmental academic programs and nationally has established 27 Certified Wildlife Habitats on its lands through the Wildlife Habitat Council. To learn more about this new environmental center visit http://www.vulcanmaterials.com and go to the section under press releases.

3. Dept. of Conservation Launches Alabama Rivers Discovery Expedition - Last week, the Alabama Department of Natural Resources and Conservation launched the "Alabama Rivers Discovery Expedition" an innovative program designed to
capture the public's attention and interest in our state's waterways.

Over the next 12 months, the Alabama Rivers Discovery Expedition will traverse the state's waterways by means of non-motorized water craft (ie., canoe and or kayak) which would be self propelled by the paddler. The expedition will travel 2500 miles of the state's waterways, and a daily journal of "discovery" will be logged on the department's website.

Along with increasing public awareness of our state's rivers, the rivers expedition will also be encouraging public involvement in state aquatic programs and support for a Scenic Rivers Act. For more information about this new innovative program, visit the DCNR website at http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/riverdiscovery/index.asp

4."Dream Team" Joins PCB Case In Anniston - A legal "dream team" consisting of celebrity attorney Johnnie Cochran, Montgomery attorney Jere Beasley and two other prominent state law firms (Burr Forman and Shelby and Cartee fromBirmingham) intend to join forces to file a new PCB pollution case against Monsanto Co.

According to the Anniston Star, Calhoun County residents began joining PCB pollution lawsuits in 1996 and a handful of cases have been settled. The new case is expected to pit thousands of new plaintiffs against Monsanto, which has been accused of polluting waterways and properties with PCB's, a suspected carcinogen. The company and its spin-off, Solutia, have maintained that they acted responsibly regarding the PCB contamination.

In the past year, Monsanto has settled cases with a combined payment of approximately $80 million. A number of cases are still pending including a 1996 suit filed by attorney Donald Stewart, who represents 3500 clients.

On October 29th, thousands of potential litigants from Anniston and Oxford met with the plaintiff law firms at the Anniston Entertainment Complex.

5. Alabama's Secures Second Brownfield Agreement in Opelika - The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and Viacom have signed an agreement to investigate potential environmental problems and cleanup or lessen the impact of those problems on a site formerly occupied by a metal tube manufacturing plant.

The site which is located in Opelika is the second area targeted for cleanup as a result of the newly created Alabama Brownfield Program. The brownfield program was created through the Alabama Land Recycling and Economic Redevelopment Act, passed by the Legislature this year. The Act encourages the redevelopment of former industrial sites by limiting liability to property owners who voluntarily address any conditions that may present a threat to human health and the environment. The act also charges ADEM with the responsibility of reviewing all cleanup plans and activities to ensure they meet or exceed requirements of environmental regulations and guidelines.

For more information about Alabama's Brownfield Program, contact Larry Norris at 334-271-7994 or email:lan@adem.state.al.us Read about the ADEM/Viacom agreement at http://www.adem.state.al.us/eduinfo/pressreleases/10viacom.htm

6. BEN Notes: Celebrate National Unity, Hope, and Healing at a Park, Meet William Bartram in Birmingham, Ruffner Mountain Fall Events, Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama Calendar of Events, Audubon Teaches Birding

Celebrate National Unity, Hope, and Healing at a Park - In a show of "national unity, hope and healing," the Department of Interior's conservation and recreation agencies, including the National Park Service, are waiving their entrance fees for visitors to their parks, wildlife refuges and monuments during the upcoming Veteran's Day Weekend. Celebrate our nation's natural heritage by visiting a park on the holiday weekend. For more information about this national event, visit the National Park Service website at http://www.nps.gov

Meet William Bartram in Birmingham - Don't miss a chance to meet Mr. William Bartram of Philadelphia -- in person. No, we won't be bringing in a ghost, but the Alabama Wildflower Society will be hosting Dr. John Hall, a research associate at the Alabama Museum of Natural History November 5th, 7:00 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Dr. Hall will be doing a personality sketch of Bartram, the famed botanist who traveled through the South from 1773-1776.

Ruffner Mountain Fall Events - Come visit Ruffner Mountain, one of the nation's largest nature preserves inside a major metropolitan area. On November 3rd at 10:00 Ruffner will be hosting a "Attracting Backyard Birds" seminar. On November 10th, Ruffner Mountain will be sponsoring a program on Fall Trees and Shrubs (10:00) and a Mine Hike at 1:00. For more information about Ruffner Mountain's fall programs, contact them at 205-833-8264.

Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama Calendar of Events - Not to be outdone, theLand Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama will be hosting several hikes associated with their "Autumn Ramble Hike." On November 3rd, 10:00, please
join the Land Trust on a "Autumn Colors Hike." On November 10th, 9:00 am, the Land Trust will be hosting a "Land Trust Historic Hike." For more information about the "Autumn Ramble Hike" Series, contact the Land Trust at
256-534-5263.

Audubon Teaches Birding - Another great way to experience the outdoors is to participate in the Birmingham Audubon Society (BAS) and Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation (AWR) Center sponsored "Audubon Teaches Birding" Series. On November 11th, 2:00 at AWR Center inside Oak Mountain State Park, Dwight Cooley will be presenting "Wings Over Wheeler - The Return of Alabama's Wintering Waterfowl." For more information about this exciting program visit the BAS's and AWR's websites at http://www.birminghamaudubon.org or http://www.alawildliferehab.org

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