1. ADEM Reform Coalition Releases Blueprint - Last Tuesday, at a meeting of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission, the ADEM Reform Coalition, a statewide group of 20 faith-based, environmental, rural, public health, environmental justice and good government organizations, released "For the People, By the People - A Blueprint for Reform of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management."

The report makes 22 separate recommendations focusing on leadership, enforcement, resources and public participation. Members of the ADEM Reform Coalition include:

Alabama African American Environmental Justice Action Network, Alabama Environmental Council, Alabama Rivers Alliance, Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters, Alabama Watch, Ashurst Bar/Smith Community, Cahaba River Society, Camp McDowell, Friends of Little Cahaba River, Friends of Rural Alabama, Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network, Friends of Shades Creek Watershed, LEAF, Mobile Bay Watch, Sand Mountain Concerned Citizens, Serving Alabama's Future Environment, Sierra Club of Alabama, St. Clair Conservation Alliance, Village Creek Human and Environmental Justice Society.

To receive a copy of the report, contact Adam Snyder, Alabama Rivers Alliance at 205-322-6395 or asnyder@alabamarivers.org .

2. Land Trust of Huntsville Announces "Greenprint for Growth" Plan - The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama (The Land Trust) has released "Greenprint for Growth," a study/plan that identifies valuable undeveloped land in Madison County that the group will work to acquire and preserve in perpetuity.

To determine development growth patterns in Madison County, and to identify the types of land uses that are increasing or decreasing, The Land Trust solicited a research project from Dr. Charles Laymon at Universities Space Research Association with the National Space Science and Technology Center. Using and analyzing data from satellite images and maps, the research showed the changes in land cover and land use that have occurred from the mid-1980's through 2000, with projections to the year 2020. Here are some of their findings:

In 1984 13% of the total land area of Madison County was developed. In 1990, developed land was 21%. By 2000, 30% of the County was developed.
In 1984, the City of Huntsville had developed 40% of its land. In 1990, over 50% of its land was developed. In 2000, 56% of the city had been developed.
In 1984, the City of Madison, one of Alabama's fastest growing towns, had developed 17% of its land. By 1990 that figure had grown to 47%. In 2000, that figure was 65%.
For the rest of Madison County - In 1984, only 6% of Madison County excluding the City of Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal was developed. From 1984 to 1990, the area of developed land increased by an astounding 136% to 14.3%. By 2000, the area of developed land increased another 60% to nearly 25%.
Projected land development suggest that by 2010, 38% of Madison County will be developed. By 2020, up to 50% of the land in Madison County may be
developed
Within the Flint River Watershed, in 1984 only 5% of the watershed was developed. By 2000, 20% of the watershed had been developed - a four-fold increase in 16 years.

The Land Trust has responded to this rapid growth with the development of a Land Preservation Plan for Madison County. The plan includes adopting Huntsville's Greenway Trail System (1992) and Open Space Plan (2002), and the Greenways and Trails Plan for the City of Madison (2001). The plan will also cultivate community support for open space and natural areas.

For more information about the "Greenprints for Growth" visit the Land Trust website at http://www.landtrust-hsv.org or call 256-534-5263.

3. Alabama's Open Space Needs: $30 Million - In an effort to measure the current need for outdoor recreation facilities and open space acquisition at the state and local level, the National Park Service asked each state in November, 2002, to estimate their total request for Land and Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) for each of the past three fiscal years (2000-2002).

In Alabama, over $30 million in grant requests were submitted by local communities and the state since FY 2000. Meanwhile, only $4,447,334 in LWCF assistance grants were funded. That amounts to an unmet need of 85%. Nationally the unmet average during this time period was 92%.

Despite growing unmet needs, this year's funding for the state LWCF program for FY 2003 was reduced by Congress from $2.3 million in 2002 to $1.5 million in 2003. For more information about LWCF, visit Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation website at http://www.ahrinfo.org

4. Sierra Club Files Suit to Protect Chattahoochee and Coosa Rivers - To protect two of Alabama's most popular but endangered waterways, the Sierra Club and the American Canoe Association (ACA) announced last month two separate lawsuits aimed at halting illegal discharges of sewage into the Chattahoochee and Coosa Rivers.

In an effort to preclude the citizen suits, the state of Alabama filed at least one lawsuit under the Alabama Clean Water Act. Although it is unclear whether the Sierra Club and ACA lawsuits will be precluded by Alabama's action, sewage waste pollution in the Chattahoochee and Coosa Rivers will now undoubtedly be reduced, according to a Sierra Club of Alabama press release

The lawsuits allege that the Attalla and Lanett wastewater treatment plants have illegally discharged poorly treated sewage 355 times in the past five years. It also alleges that the two plants violated their discharge limits by up to 19,000% for the Chattahoochee River and 300% for the Coosa River.

For more information about these two lawsuits, contact Peggie Griffin, Sierra Club at 256-538-3885

5. BEN Notes: WildLaw Seeking Forests Coordinator, Okaaba Film Works Fundraiser, Robert Kennedy, Jr. to Speak at Birmingham-Southern College, Livable Cities Conference Slated for April, Alabamian to Head National Enviro Group

WildLaw Seeking Forests Coordinator - WildLaw, a non-profit environmental law firm is seeking a coordinator for its private lands sustainable forests program. The position will be housed in either WildLaw's Montgomery, Alabama headquarters or Asheville, North Carolina office. Work will include coordinating diverse people and organizations in working on promoting sustainable forestry practices and voluntary conservation measures for private landowners. A detailed job description is available upon request. For more information about the position contact Ray Vaughan at wildlaw@aol.com or 334-396-4729. Contact via e-mail is preferred.

Okaaba Film Works Fundraiser - Okaaba Film Works' documentary about Village Creek in Birmingham, Alabama will be featured as part of a fundraising event on behalf of the film company. The event will be held at Zydeco's in Birmingham, Wed. March 5th from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. The fundraiser is sponsored by Birmingham Weekly, a local city newspaper. For more information about the event, call 205-322-3126.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. to Speak at Birmingham-Southern College - Internationally renowned environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be the featured speaker for the 2003 Alex P. Stirling Lecture, to be held on March 12th, 7:00 p.m. at Munger Hall on the campus of Birmingham Southern College.

Kennedy is chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). For more information about this event, contact BSC at 205-226-4729.

Livable Cities Conference Slated for April - The Southern Environmental Center will host the 4th Annual Livable Cities Conference on April 11, 2003, at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). The main goal of the event is to raise awareness about sustainable lifestyle choices that we face in our urban environments. This year's keynote speakers include Michael Kinsley with the Rocky Mountain Institute, Fred Kent with People for Public Spaces, Andy Clarke with American Bicycle and Pedestrian Association, and Jim Charlier with Charlier Associates, a renowned transportation planning company in Boulder, Colorado

The conference is free and open to the public. For more information call the SEC at 205-226-4934.

Alabamian to Head National Enviro Group - Congrats to Don Elder, the Cahaba River Society's founder and first executive director for becoming the new chief executive at one of the nation's premier river protection organizations, River Network.