November 17, 2005
#253
1) Sen. Richard Shelby Secures Environmental Funding
2) WildLaw Releases Black Belt Prairie Economic Impact Study
3) Jefferson County Commits $7 Million Toward Red Mountain Park
4) BEN Notes: Birmingham Audubon Features Wilderness, My Mobile Bay Website, Alabama Hiking Trail Society Website, Upper Cahaba Greenprint Online, "Go Fish" Car Tag
Through his leadership position on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby has been very instrumental in helping secure funding for vital state environmental programs and projects. The following is a list released by Sen. Shelby's office of environmental projects that have been approved by the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) House/Senate conference committee. Sen. Shelby is chair of the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee. Also included in the list below is a Alabama Wildlife Federation project that secured funding through Agriculture Appropriations. That bill passed the Senate earlier this month 81 to 18.
Commerce, Justice and Science Projects
Gulf Coast Fisheries and Ocean Research Facility -$5 million - These funds will be used to construct a NOAA fisheries lab at Dauphin Island. The new facility will focus on the issues and concerns associated with the Gulf of Mexico and its fisheries.
Orange Beach Coastal and Estuarine land Acquisition - $800,000 - These funds will be used by the City of Orange Beach to purchase 84 acres of fringe marsh wetlands and wet pine flatwoods. This land acquisition will protect this area from development.
Baldwin Educational Program - $1 million - These funds will be used to develop estuarine educational programs in coordination with Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Village Point Park Preserve - $1 million - These funds will be used for land acquisition for Village Park Preserve along the Eastern Shore of Mobile. The 54 acre historic park is home to seven Alabama State Champion trees and its pristine natural beauty will be available to the public.
Coastal Ecosystem - $5 million - These funds will be used for land acquisition, from willing sellers only, along the Perdido River in Baldwin County and coastal wetlands near Grand Bay in Mobile County. This project would protect biologically sensitive lands in coastal Alabama.
Alabama Environmental Educational Education Center - $500,000 - These funds will be used to expand the 4-H Environmental Education Center in Shelby County.
Agriculture Appropriation
Alabama Wildlife Federation Conservation Education Center - $446,000 - These funds will support a cooperative program with the Alabama Department of Conservation and the Alabama Wildlife Federation to provide a hands on education program about a variety of ecosystems and how they can be conserved.
For more information about Senator Shelby's efforts on the Appropriations Committee, go to http://shelby.senate.gov.
2. WildLaw Releases Black Belt Prairie Economic Impact Study
WildLaw has released an economic study promoting the protection of Black Belt Prairie lands in Central and Western Alabama, titled "The Potential Economic Impact of the Proposed Black Belt Prairie National Grassland in Alabama."
Performed by Dr. Diane Hite from Auburn University's Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, the study concluded that a designated protected National Grassland would attract Ecotourism and increase property values around protected areas in the Black Belt by as much as 27%. To read the entire economic study and learn how you can get involved with protecting this rare and vanishing habitat in Alabama, go online to http://www.wildlaw.org/news.html#102805.
3. Jefferson County Commits $7 Million Toward Red Mountain Park
The Jefferson County Commission voted last week to spend $7 million over the next 5 years to help purchase property for Red Mountain Park. The County will now enter into an agreement with the Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust to help buy a portion of the property.
To learn more about how you can help support a new 1100 acre park in Jefferson County, go to the Friends of Red Mountain Park website at http://www.redmountainpark.org.
4. BEN Notes: Birmingham Audubon Features Wilderness, My Mobile Bay Website, Alabama Hiking Trail Society Website, Upper Cahaba Greenprint Online, "Go Fish" Car Tag
Birmingham Audubon Features Wilderness - On November 17th, 6:45 at the Birmingham Zoo, the Birmingham Audubon Society will be featuring John Randolph and Vince Meleski in a presentation called "Alabama's National Forest Wilderness Areas, the history behind their creation and the efforts to shape their future." It should be a very informative meeting for people who care about Alabama's National Forests.
My Mobile Bay Website - Want to get hooked up with the most up to date information about Mobile Bay? Go to http://www.mymobilebay.com and receive the latest water quality/meteorological information about the ecological status of the Bay.
Alabama Hiking Trail Society Website - If you love to hike, make sure to bookmark the Alabama Hiking Trail Society's website http://www.hikealabama.org to get the latest info from a group dedicated to promoting , maintaining and protecting the trails of Alabama.
Upper Cahaba Greenprint Online - The Upper Cahaba Greenprint has been uploaded to the Region Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham's website. Check it out at: http://www.rpcgb.org/Upper%20Cahaba.htm.
"Go Fish" Car Tag - The Department of Conservation is promoting a new car tag to promote fishing in Alabama. For information about the new "Take a Kid Fishing" license plate, go to http://www.outdooralabama.com/news/release.cfm?ID=258.