1. Donated: Largest Conservation Easement In Alabama History - An avid outdoorsman such as Campbell B. Lanier III appreciates the variety of nature's wonders. So to ensure that vast array of natural resources on his Sehoy Plantation, located on the edge of Alabama's Black Belt, Mr. Lanier granted a perpetual conservation easement to the Alabama Forest Resources Center (AFRC) in December on 10,517 acres of his 13,000 plus acre quail plantation near Hurtsboro, Alabama.

This marks the largest easement donation by a private landowner in Alabama history and is one of the 30 largest conservation easements ever donated in the United States.

According to Dan Dumont, director of AFRC, a statewide working forest land trust headquartered in Mobile, the donation is important for several reasons.

"The Sehoy easement is significant for Alabama because of its size and the quality and the uniqueness of the habitat ... and also because it should encourage other landowners to consider conservation easements as a tool for protecting their own land," Mr. Dumont said. The AFRC which was established in 1986, only recently began accepting donations of conservation easements and fee lands to protect working forests and wildlife habitat.

The Lanier family will continue to own, manage, hunt and fish, and raise and sell timber on Sehoy, which lies in Bullock and Macon counties in east central Alabama. The conservation easement ensures that the land will not be developed and will be kept intact as open space. Sehoy is home to approximately 400 plant species, excellent bobwhite quail, whitetail deer, and turkey populations, Backman's sparrow, common ground dove, the fox squirrel and other species whose numbers are declining in the Southeast. For information about this historic conservation easement, contact Dan Dumont at 251-433-2372.

2. Environmental Projects Receive Congressional Funding - Last week, the U.S. Congress passed FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations legislation, effectively funding numerous environmental projects across Alabama. The following is a listing of projects funded:

Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Federal Projects - Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge $3 million (this will add 1700 acres to the Refuge), Talladega National Forests Inholdings $700,000.
Pinhoti Trail - $400,000 for the completion of the Pinhoti Trail, a link to the Appalachian Trail.
Little River Canyon Field School - $1.8 million to build a field school at the Little River Canyon National Preserve.
Perdido River - $2.0 million to develop plans and acquire lands along the Perdido River in Baldwin County.

Unfortunately, Congress slashed national funding for LWCF State Funds and funds for Wildlife Programs by one-third.

3. Alabama Land Trust Making Strides - The Alabama Land Trust (ALT), a group whose mission is to preserve the rural character, ecological integrity, agricultural productivity, and forest resources of Alabama's land, announced success on several projects this winter.

Currently, ALT is working in Etowah, Madison and Blount counties protecting land with conservation easements. Recently, ALT placed 235 acres of land under permanent protection in Marycross in Etowah County. This protected area consists of both pastureland and forestland, and contains ecologically important bottomland hardwoods as well as spring fed creeks and wetlands. The Land Trust is also working on preserving 80 acres on Hines creek along Permeter Creek.

For more information about the Alabama Land Trust, visit their website at http://www.chattowah.org

4. Governor Riley Celebrates Arbor Day On Capitol Grounds - With approximately 150 school children, parents and state officials in attendance, Governor Bob Riley planted a red bud tree on the northside of the Capitol (just outside his office) commemorating Arbor Week.

At the event, three 5th graders were awarded prizes for winning this year's statewide Arbor Day Poster Contest sponsored by the Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA). The winners were: Ryan Haskins, Cullman (1st Place), Megan Christensen, Huntsville (2nd Place) and Cassie Wiggins, Reeltown (3rd Place).

Other dignitaries attending the event were Mayor Loretta Spencer of Huntsville, State Senator Zeb Little of Cullman and Rep. Jack Venable of Tallassee.

Alabama's official Arbor Day city for 2003 is Fairhope, Alabama. For more information about Arbor Day, visit the Arbor Day Foundation website at http://www.arborday.org or the AUFA site at http://www.aufa.com

5. BEN Notes - SELC Environmental Writing Contest, Friends of Hurricane Creek Chili Cook-Off, Youth Wildlife Art Contests, Project ROSE 5K "Run for the Roses" Race, EEAA Annual Conference, Red Rain General Store, Alabama Cup Canoe and Kayak Races, Mobile Bay NEP to Fund Habitat Projects

SELC Environmental Writing Contest - The Southern Environmental Law Center is now accepting submissions for the annual Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment. The award seeks to enhance public awareness of the richness and vulnerability of the region's natural heritage by giving special recognition to writers who most effectively tell the stories about the South's environment. The two categories for entries include: Journalism, for newspaper or magazine writing and Non-fiction Books.

This year, SELC is including an Advocacy Writing category for unpublished work. This award seeks to encourage community writers and activists to use the power of language as a tool in local environmental protection efforts. Submissions to this new category must be between 2000 to 5000 words and relate to natural resources in one of SELC's six states. The deadline for all entries is April 1, 2003. For more information about submitting nominations, contact Cathryn McCue at 434-977-4090 or visit the SELC website at http://www.southernenvironment.org

Friends of Hurricane Creek Chili Cook-Off - The Friends of Hurricane Creek will be holding their Annual Clean-Up and Chili Cook-Off - Saturday, February 22 at 9:00 a.m. To learn more about this event visit their website at http://www.hurricanecreek.org.

Youth Wildlife Art Contests - The Ireland Youth Wildlife Art Contest and the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest deadline is fast approaching. Both contests are open to all public, private and home school students in grades K-12. The winning artists are awarded plaques, art supplies and $50 for their school's art programs.

The deadline for entries is March 15th. For more information about the Ireland Youth Wildlife Art contest, contact the Alabama Wildlife Federation at http://www.alawild.org or call AWF at 1-800-822-9453. To learn more about the Federal Duck Stamp Contest go to http://duckstamps.fws.gov or contact the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge at 256-350-6639.

Project ROSE 5K "Run for the Roses" Race - Project R.O.S.E. will be holding their annual 5K Race "Run for the Roses" and 1 Mile Rosebud Fun Run Fundraiser on March 1st at 8:30 a.m. near the Amphitheater on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. Interested participants can call Project R.O.S.E. at 1-800-452-5901 or register online at http://www.active.com. Preregistration for the race is $12.00 or $15.00 the day of the race. The Fun Run is $5.00

Project R.O.S.E. coordinates up to 500 volunteer used motor oil collection sites across Alabama. Thirteen (13) Alabama counties, currently do not have used motor oil collection sites. These are the areas, Project R.O.S.E. will be targeting the monies raised from the race.

EEAA Annual Conference - The Environmental Education Association of Alabama (EEAA) will be holding their Annual Conference this year in Tuscaloosa, March 6-8 at the Four Points Sheraton. Registration packages are available from $60-$80 (3-5 meals). EEAA's conference will culminate with a presentation of EEAA's awards for the 2002 Best Environmental Education Programs in Alabama. For registration information, contact Jeff Hughes at 256-512-0146 or visit the EEAA website at http://www.aces.edu/eeaa

Red Rain General Store - Red Rain: An Environmental General Store will be donating 5% of all sales in the month of February to five (5) Birmingham environmental organizations. These groups include: Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama Environmental Council, Black Warrior River Keepers, Cahaba River Society and the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. Red Rain is located at 2803 18th Street South in Homewood (205-871-9282).

Alabama Cup Canoe and Kayak Races - Want to watch exciting whitewater races down some of Alabama's most pristine rivers? Check out the Alabama Cup! The 2nd leg of the Cup is scheduled for the Mulberry Fork Canoe and Kayak Races on March 1-2 (Contact the http://www.birminghamcanoeclub.org for more info). The 3rd leg and final stage in the race for the Alabama Cup is the Locust Fork Canoe and Kayak Races to be held on March 22nd. Contact Sam Howell at 205-244-8736 or showell@brescoinc.com for additional details.

Mobile Bay NEP to Fund Habitat Projects - The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (NEP) announced last week it will fund two (2) wildlife habitat restoration projects in the watershed of Mobile Bay within Mobile and Baldwin counties. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for two projects, one for $40,000 and one for $20,000 have been issued. Loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat due to population growth and associated urbanization and development or conversion to agricultural use has been identified as an area of priority concern by the NEP. For additional information about the RFP, visit the NEP's website at http://www.mobilebaynep.com or call 251-431-6409.