April 24, 2002 #176 1) Sen. Shelby Issues Strong Statement At Capitol PCB Hearing 2) Alabama Tops Biodiversity List 3) Mobile Register: Poll Conducted on Environment and Black Bears 4) Jefferson County Makes Major Turkey Creek Purchase 5) BEN Notes: Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Stewardship Winners, Audubon Mountain Workshop, Sierra Club's Support Small Farms Day, Jim Allison Day/Bibb County Glades 6) Websites Featured in BEN #176 ****************************************************** Please visit the BEN Spring Calendar at http://www.bamanews.com/calendar.html ******************************************************* 1. Sen. Shelby Issues Strong Statement At Capitol PCB Hearing - Last week, at a U.S. Senate subcommittee on PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama, Senator Richard Shelby issued a strong statement questioning work performed by federal and state environmental protection agencies and the recent consent decree concerning the PCB problems and cleanup in west Alabama. According to the Birmingham News, Sen. Shelby stated, "This is a failure of the system... I cannot believe that we would continue to work toward cleanup, monitor groundwater, surface water and soil composition and never once ask how all of this is affecting the health of the citizens that live there." Shelby was joined by Sen. Barbara Mikuski of Maryland, attacking several aspects of the proposed consent decree, from its reliance on the polluters to clean up their own mess to potential conflicts by former chemical industry attorneys now working for the EPA. Stan Meiburg, deputy regional administrator in EPA's Atlanta office defended the proposed decree and would not oppose an in-depth health study. To read Senator Shelby's entire written statement at the Senate Hearing visit his website at: http://shelby.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=182363 2. Alabama Tops Biodiversity List - When you think of biodiversity in the United States - the states Hawaii, California, Oregon or perhaps Florida come to mind. Add Alabama to the list. According to a study released this week by the biologists at NatureServe, who compiled data from all 50 state Natural Heritage programs, Alabama ranks 5th in the nation for biological diversity. Unfortunately, Alabama ranked 1st in the continental United States for extinctions of plant and animal species. In another category, Alabama ranked fourth in the nation for risk to its native species, with 15 percent of its species in danger of extinction. Scientists believe the single largest extinction event in modern North American history occurred when the Coosa River was dammed and its many fish, snail and mussel species were drowned, stranded and unable to reproduce. To read the NatureServe report, visit their website at http://www.NatureServe.org 3. Mobile Register: Poll Conducted on Environment and Black Bears - By nearly a two to one margin, Alabamians would approve of privately funded efforts to increase the state's black bear population, according to a new Mobile Register-Unviversity of South Alabama survey. Black bears have been found in North Mobile and Washington counties. They number no more than 50 and are threatened by inbreeding, poaching, road kills and habitat loss. The poll was conducted April 8-11. It was a telephone survey of 417 adult Alabama residents. It has a margin of error plus or minus 5%. Here are some of the results. When it comes to environmental conditions in Alabama, which would you say is of most concern: declining water quality; declining air quality; or the decline of animal species due to loss of habitat? Water Quality - 52%, Air Quality - 25%, Animal Species - 17%. Don't know/No Answer - 6% Generally speaking, do you approve or disapprove of private efforts to protect endangered species of animals? Approve - 75%, Disapprove - 16%, DK/NA - 9% Generally speaking, do you approve or disapprove of using tax dollars to protect endangered animals? Approve - 57%, Disapprove - 36%, DK/NA - 7% In recent years, the number of black bears in Alabama has declined to approximately 50. Would you approve or disapprove of privately funded efforts to bring in mother bears and cubs from other states to increase the population of black bears in Alabama? Approve - 61%, Disapprove - 32%, Neither/DK/NA - 7%. To learn more about statewide efforts to protect black bears in Alabama, visit the Alabama Black Bear Alliance website at http://www.alawild.org/abba.html 4. Jefferson County Makes Major Turkey Creek Purchase - Four year's ago property nearby Turkey Creek, a beautiful and biologically diverse stream in Jefferson County (and home to the endangered vermilion darter), was scheduled to have a new county jail built along it. This week, Jefferson County acquired the land to be used as a nature preserve. Led by Jefferson County Commissioner Bettye Fine Collins approximately 483 acres of land has been purchased. The project is the culmination of three years of hard work and cooperation between Jefferson County, the Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust, the Pinson, Alabama community and private landowners. The purchase of the land is just the first phase of a long range plan, which calls for additional land acquisition purchases, construction of hiking trails, parking areas, an outdoor classroom and nature center, creek bank stabilization and interpretive signage throughout the site. For more information about the Turkey Creek project, contact Commissioner Fine Collins office at 205-325-5070. 5. BEN Notes: Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Stewardship Winners, Audubon Mountain Workshop, Sierra Club's Support Small Farms Day, Jim Allison Day/Bibb County Glades Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Stewardship Winners - On April 21st, at the Bay Area Earth Day Celebration in Fairhope, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program announced their prestigious 6th Annual Stewardship Award winners. Here are the winners! Government Award - USDA-NRCS Baldwin County District Citizen Organization - Dog River Clearwater Revival Citizen Award - Richard Coram Business/Industry - J.S. Walton & Co., Inc Special Award - Teacher Recognition: Pam Henson For more information about the Mobile Bay NEP and the award winners visit the following website - http://www.mobilebaynep.com Audubon Mountain Workshop - Celebrating their 25th Annual workshop, The Audubon Mountain Workshop in Mentone, Alabama (to be held May 16-19) is one of the most impressive nature workshops in the Southeast. Truly a life changing event, interested participants can register by contacting Mary Waldrep at Maryhome@aol.com or call 205-969-1636. If you have got kids don't forget to register them for the Young Naturalist's Program (for ages 6-12) to be held at the Workshop. Sierra Club's Support Small Farms Day - On Saturday, May 4th, the Sierra Club will be holding their 2nd Annual "Support Small Farms Day. This year, the Alabama Sierra Club will be touring the two special West Alabama farms in Tuscaloosa and Perry counties. After the tours, the Club will be having lunch at The Globe restaurant in downtown Northport. Space is limited, so please register today by calling Peggie Griffin at 205-333-9153. Jim Allison Day/Bibb County Glades - The inaugural program for the "Bibb County Wildflower Day - Celebrating the Discovery of a Lost World by Jim Allison" or what many folks have been calling "Jim Allison Day" is scheduled for April 27th at the Cahaba Lily Center in West Blocton, Alabama. Featured speakers include Jim Allison, Joab Thomas, Doug Jones, Chris Oberholster and Pat Linton. To register, send $20 ($10 is for lunch) to the Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers, Box 101, Brierfield, Alabama 35035. To learn more about the Bibb County Glades, check out a recent story about the glades written by Jennifer Acosta at the Tuscaloosa News. http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/search/search.asp?action=found&id=18133 6. Websites Featured in BEN #176 U.S. Senator Richard Shelby http://shelby.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=182363 NatureServe http://www.NatureServe.org Alabama Black Bear Alliance http://www.alawild.org/abba.html Mobile Bay National Estuary Program http://www.mobilebaynep.com Tuscaloosa News http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/search/search.asp?action=found&id=18133 ********************************************** Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication or would like your address to be removed from the BEN e-mail list, 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