1. Birmingham Area Ranks 18th In Ozone Report - Earlier this month, according to the American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report, the Birmingham area was ranked 18th in a listing of the most ozone-polluted cities in the nation. Two years ago, the two county metro area of Jefferson and Shelby was ranked 33rd in the nation and last year 21st.

Seven counties in Alabama received failing grades from the Lung Association for their ozone pollution problems. Those counties included: Clay, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery and Shelby. The report also gave Elmore County a C and Sumter County a B.

The Lung Association bases the rankings on the number of days the area violated ozone rules and on the severity of the pollution. More than 2.3 million Alabamians are at risk from ozone pollution, according to the report.

To access a copy of the "State of the Air" report go to http://www.lungusa.org.

2. Sloss Industries Agrees To Environmental Enforcement Package - According to the Birmingham News, Sloss Industries of Tarrant has agreed to the largest restitution package in the history of Alabama environmental enforcement, by promising to pay fines and conserve land on Five Mile Creek.

Under the agreement, Sloss will pay a penalty of $675,000 and donate land appraised at $2.6 million. The land includes 34 acres at the headwaters of Shades Creek, to be donated to the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, and 326 acres along Five Mile Creek that would protect three stream miles. Sloss Industries will also get no tax benefits under the consent order and is required to plant 25,000 trees along Five Mile Creek.

3. Birmingham's First "Lead Free" Safe House - Last week, the Citizens' Lead Education and Poison Prevention (CLEPP) program opened Birmingham's first "safe house" for families whose houses are being cleaned of lead.

Named the "Maurci's House" after a pioneer in childhood lead poisoning prevention, the house already has its first occupants, the Moore family of West End. Currently there is a waiting list of 35 families seeking temporary housing while their homes are cleaned of lead. Almost all of Birmingham's houses were built before 1978, the year lead was removed from paint. Jefferson County leads the state in lead poisoning cases.

Groups who contributed to "Maurci's House" included the Jefferson County Commission, the city of Birmingham, the federal government, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama Power and Century Plaza. Baptist Medical Center-Princeton is providing the house for the next three years.

4. Jefferson County's Household Hazardous Waste Day Numbers - Last month, the Jefferson County Commission held its first Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. The preliminary collection numbers were quite impressive. Here they are:

Batteries - 31,000 pounds
Motor Oil - 12,458 pounds
Paint - 130,000 pounds
Pesticides, antifreeze, aerosols, flammable liquids and other wastes - 1000's of pounds.

5. BEN Notes - 4-H Center Environmental Education Position Open, Adam Snyder Named Rivers Alliance Director, Neil Johnston Receives National Wetlands Award, Baldwin County Household Haz Waste Day, Bike to Work Day, Urban Forestry Class Offered

4-H Center Environmental Education Position Open - The 4-H Center is seeking an environmental education program coordinator at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana. For specifics about job duties contact Sandra Spencer, Manager, 4-H Youth Development Center at 205-669-4241. For an application, please visit their website at http://www.aces.edu/hr. The closing date on this position is May 30th.

Adam Snyder Named Rivers Alliance Director - After a national search that resulted in more than 100 people applying for the position, the Alabama Rivers Alliance (ARA) announced last month that they have hired Adam Snyder as their new director.

Mr. Snyder who currently serves as ARA's Watershed Leadership Director will replace founding executive director Brad McLane in June.

Neil Johnston Receives National Wetlands Award - Neil Johnston, President of the Alabama Coastal Foundation has been selected by the Environmental Law Institute as the recipient of the 2003 National Wetlands Award for his contributions in education and outreach regarding conservation and restoration of the nation's wetlands. He will be honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C. on May 20th.

Along with his efforts as President of the Coastal Foundation, Mr. Johnston has been director of the Project CATE (Conservation Action Through Education) Foundation. Through his involvement in Project CATE, Mr. Johnston helped produce an award winning interactive CD-Rom, "Ribbit's Big Splash," a creative educational program about the gulf, wetlands and rivers.

Baldwin County Household Haz Waste Day - Residents of Baldwin County will get their opportunity to rid their homes of household hazardous waste on Saturday, May 17th from 9:00 to 1:00 at the following sites:

Daphne - Thomas Medical Center on Hwy 98 in the old Wal Mart
Bay Minette - Old Kmart Shopping Center across from Halliday Ball Park
Gulf Shores - North Bound Hwy 59 just north of The Track Across of Kirk Kirkland's
Magnolia Landfill - CR 24 West of Summerdale

Questions about the event? Call the Alabama Coastal Foundation at 990-6002.

Bike to Work Day - Tomorrow, May 16th, join cyclists throughout Birmingham as they "Bike to Work." The event starts at 7:30 at The Mill's Five Points South location. Participants will "bike" to the bus station on Morris Avenue where they can also ride the bus to work. Want to participate? Call Tom Maxwell at 205-251-8139 for inquiries.

Urban Forestry Class Offered - Jefferson State Community College will be offering a three credit AGR 287 class on Urban Forestry beginning June 3 and ending August 7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:50 p.m. The class will be taught at the Scrushy Campus on Valleydale Road. The class will be taught in three parts: 1) Introduction, overview and principles of urban forestry 2) Arboriculture, and 3) Urban Forest Management. Space for the class is limited, so sign up for the class at the Jeff. State website The site is http://www.jeffstateonline.com.