1) Mobile River Basin and Cahaba River's Fragile Ecosystem Profiled
2) Two Rivers Added to Fish Advisory List
3) Clean Air "Top Concern" According to Poll
4) Gov. Siegelman Asks Bush's Help With Incinerator
5) BEN Notes: Nominations Needed for AWF's Governor Awards, SELC Receives National Award, Faulkner State Community College Lunchtime Lectures, Transitions

1. Mobile River Basin and Cahaba River Fragile Ecosystem Profiled - Nearly half of all U.S extinctions since European settlement have occurred in the Mobile River Basin.

The Cahaba River has 131 species of fish, more than any river its size in North America.

In Alabama, 10 percent of fish, 65% of snails, 69% of mussels and 43% of turtles are extinct, endangered, threatened or of special concern.

These are just a few of the astonishing scientific statistics published in the Sunday, May 13th edition of the Birmingham News. The front page article written by environmental reporter Katherine Bouma titled "Cahaba cradles diversity of life at risk," profiles Alabama's rich natural history and its regional and national significance.

For example, according to the University of Alabama there are 342 species of snails in the U.S. and Canada. Of that total 147 snail species are found in Alabama, and 96 snails species are found "only" in Alabama. The numbers are similar for mussels, fishes and turtles. There are 283 species of mussels in North America. More than half of the species (171) can be found in Alabama. Similarly, there are 792 species of fish in North America. Nearly half of them, 340 species, live in Alabama's waters. The same is true with turtles. There are 44 turtle species nationally and in Canada. Twenty-three (23) turtle species reside in Alabama.

To read Katherine Bouma's article and the Birmingham News editorial on biodiversity visit their website at:

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/?May2001/13-e255342b.html (the article)
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/?May2001/15-e421487b.html (the editorial)

2. Two Rivers Added to Fish Advisory List - According to the Alabama Department of Health's recently released 2001 fish consumption advisory warnings report, two more rivers have been added to the state "no consumption" and "limited consumption" list. The waterways include the Croft Ferry area of Neely Henry Reservoir, north of Gadsden on the Coosa River and upper Lay Reservoir, which is two miles south of Logan Martin Dam near Birmingham. This new listing increases the number of fish advisories on Coosa River from five to six.

"No consumption" advisories mean no one should eat fish of the affected species in the particular area. "Limited consumption" means women of childbearing age and children less than 15 years old should not consume the specified fish, and other people should not eat no more than one fish meal per month containing that species. A full list of all state fish consumption advisories can be obtained by visiting http://www.alapubhealth.org or by calling 334-206-5300.

3. Clean Air "Top Concern" According to Poll - According to a October 2000, New South Research Poll presented to the Jefferson County Health Department, nearly half (49%) of the participants polled identified air pollution as the main environmental concern for the Birmingham area. Water pollution ranked second in the poll pulling in 22% of the people surveyed.
Other findings from the New South Research poll:

* Over the past 5 surveys, total preference toward tougher air quality laws has steadily increased from 77% in 1997 to 89% in 2000.

* 86% of respondents rated air quality in the Birmingham area as either "fair or "poor." This negative perception of air quality has increased 24 percentage points since 1997's 62%.

* Overall, 48% rated public transportation as "poor." Only 12% rated it as "good" and no one - 0% rated it as "very good."

The New South Research poll on "Ozone Attitude and Awareness Survey" has seen a steady increase in environmental/air pollution awareness over the 5 surveys spanning 4 years worth of data.

4. Gov. Siegelman Asks Bush's Help With Incinerator - Governor Don Siegelman has delivered a letter to President George Bush, Jr., demanding the Defense Department to put in place safety measures, before it fires up its $1 billion chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston. The governor's letter to the President comes a month after sending Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld a letter warning that he would use his authority to block the incinerator if safety issues were not settled.

In the April 12th letter to Rumsfeld, Gov. Siegelman listed 12 areas the Pentagon must address. Siegelman called on Bush as a former governor to understand his position. While saying the 2250 tons of nerve agents at the Anniston Army Depot must be destroyed, Siegelman repeated his vow to oppose the plant's operation until safety concerns are settled.

"I stand on my pledge to use the full power and authority of my office to prevent operation of the incinerator until we are satisfied that my safety concerns are appropriately addressed and that the safety of every Alabamian is protected." Siegelman wrote.

The Governor's position/letter has received considerable praise from the editorial pages of the Birmingham News and Anniston Star. Here are their reactions.

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/?May2001/18-e487904a.html (B'ham News)
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/opinion_20010518_5074.html (Anniston Star)

5. BEN Notes: Nominations Needed for AWF's Governor Awards, SELC Receives National Award, Faulkner State Community College Lunchtime Lectures, Transitions

Nominations Needed for AWF's Governor Awards - The Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) is seeking nominations for their prestigious Governor's Conservation Achievement Awards. Some of the award categories include: Conservationist of the Year, Conservation Organization of the Year and Legislative Conservationist of the Year. To learn more about AWF's Governor's Awards and to access nomination forms, visit their website at http://www.alawild.org/gov_con_nom.html

SELC Receives National Award - The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), an environmental public interest law firm, that does legal work from Virginia to Alabama, was recently honored by the National Wildlife Federation. The SELC was presented the National Conservation Achievement Award in recognition of their leadership and effectiveness in protecting the South's natural resources.

Founded and directed by Alabama native Rick Middleton, the center has grown to include 3 offices and 49 staff, including 20 attorneys, many of whom are recognized as national experts in their fields. The SELC works with more than 100 partner groups throughout the South and is a leading advocate in forest and wetland protection, land use policy reform, and transportation, clean water and clean air advocacy. To learn more about the SELC go visit their website at http://www.southernenvironment.org

Faulkner State Community College Lunchtime Lectures - Faulkner State Community College on Fairhope campus will be holding environmental "lunchtime lectures" throughout the summer. Some of the topics range from "Oyster Gardening" to "Watershed Dynamics." To learn more about this exciting lecture series and receive a schedule, contact Lisa Adams at 334-990-0444 or e-mail her at LAdams@Faulkner.cc.al.us

Transitions - In the past month, there have been some significant changes - "transitions" - within the environmental community.

For nearly seven years, Ken Wills at the Alabama Environmental Council has been one of Alabama's most passionate forest protection advocates. He has served as the AEC's Natural Wonders Coordinator and Public Lands Advocate. This month, Ken left his position at the AEC to work for the Jefferson County Department of Health.

In just a few short years, Justin Ellis, helped pull together one of the nation's largest state grassroots river networks through his work at the Alabama Rivers Alliance. Justin has recently joined the Peace Corps and will be working for the next two years in Central America.

In a different kind of "transition," Wendy Allen, the Nature Conservancy of Alabama's director of Land Protection for past 8 years is taking on a new position with the Cahaba Land Trust in Birmingham as director of Land Acquisitions, focused upon the Black Warrior and Cahaba River watersheds. Wendy Allen's transition to the Cahaba Land Trust is great news for folks who care about preserving land in Jefferson County.

Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication, 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