Bama Environmental News
May 28, 2004
# 225
1) Dept. of Interior and IP Sign Landmark Enviro Agreement
2) "Save Orphaned Wildlife" Campaign Launched
3) Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day Results
4) Alabama to Receive Beach Protection Monies
5) BEN Notes: Nature's Lens Opening, 15th Annual Cahaba Lily Festival, Alabama Annual Groundwater Conference, National Trails Day in the Shoals, In Memory of Ken Dillon
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BEN Special Appeal
As of today, the 2004 special appeal for BEN charities have garnered only 2 contributions since May 17th. In lieu of a subscription, please consider contributing to one of the BEN charities. Information on the organizations and where to give can be found at :
http://www.bamanews.com/donation.html
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In Celebration of Rachel Carson's Birthday
"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder.... he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." - from Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder
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1. Dept. of Interior and IP Sign Landmark Enviro Agreement - Earlier this week, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and International Paper signed the first ever Aquatic Resources Conservation and Management Partnership Agreement, a landmark environmental partnership that is expected to improve freshwater ecosystems across the Southeastern United States.
The 10 year agreement covers 5.5 million acres (an area larger than the state of Massachusetts) of International Paper forestlands in nine Southern states, including Alabama. The cooperative conservation actions called for in the agreement include:
* Identifying areas on International Paper land to survey for presence of imperiled aquatic species where they might occur but have yet been detected
* Implementing and measuring the effectiveness of Best Management Practices to protect water quality during forest operations
* Supporting propagation programs for imperiled aquatic species
* Re-introducing imperiled aquatic species within International Paper forestlands where there is suitable habitat
* Publicly promoting awareness of the needs of these species
Nearly one-third of the 500 native fishes in the Southern states are considered imperiled. There are about 270 species of mussels in the Southeast, and about 75% of those species are in need of some form of conservation.
To learn more about this historic agreement, contact Tom MacKenzie, FWS at 404-679-7291 or Rick Ouellette, IP at 912-238-6399.
2. "Save Orphaned Wildlife" Campaign Launched - The Wildlife Center, Alabama's oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation and education center located at Oak Mountain State Park, is facing economic hardship that may lead to the closing of the baby animal program for the summer. In response to the funding crisis, the Center has launched the "Save Orphaned Wildlife" campaign.
The Center helps thousands of orphaned wildlife during the summer months and the shortage of funding is taking its toll. Songbirds, small mammals and baby raptors are being born all over the state this time of year and are often separated from their parents for one reason or another. A service the Center provides, the Wildlife Hotline, receives over 1000 calls during the baby season. Orphaned babies are also the most labor intensive patients the Wildlife Center receives. For example, baby song birds require feeding every half hour for 12 hours a day. These programs will be eliminated if the Center cannot raise enough fund in the next month.
If you are interested in supporting the "Save Orphaned Wildlife" campaign or becoming a volunteer, contact The Wildlife Center at 205-663-7930 or visit their website at http://awrc.org
3. Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day Results - Jefferson County just completed their annual household hazardous waste day for 2004. Here on some of the results from this "one day" event.
Amounts collected (in pounds) : Paints - 159,079 Automotive Batteries - 41,323 Household Batteries - 365 Motor Oil - 25,482 Pesticides Liquids - 7,523 Pesticides Solids - 4,782 Antifreeze - 4,813 Flammable Liquids - 7,490 Aerosols - 4,570
All total (with some of the items missing from this list ... tires, mercury, light bulbs, etc..) Jefferson County collected 259,654 pounds of household hazardous waste on just one day. This begs the following question - Considering that there are very few household hazardous waste programs in the state of Alabama (Project ROSE with motor oil is an exception), can one imagine the amount of hazardous wastes we are putting in our approximately 25 plus municipal solid waste landfills in Alabama?
For more information about the Jefferson County program contact Mike Higginbotham at 205-325-8712.
4. Alabama to Receive Beach Protection Monies - With the Memorial Day holiday starting this weekend it is good to know that last month the Bush Administration announced that $10 million in grants are available for beach monitoring and notification programs.
Alabama's 2004 allocation is $262,810. To learn more about the this very important grant program and EPA's Clean Beaches Plan, go to http://www.epa.gov/beaches
5. BEN Notes: Nature's Lens Opening, 15th Annual Cahaba Lily Festival, Alabama Annual Groundwater Conference, National Trails Day in the Shoals, In Memory of Ken Dillon
Nature's Lens Opening - Come celebrate the nature photography of Anne DelBene on May 29th 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library & Hall. The show is called "Spring: It's About Bloomin' Time!" and it will be on display at the gardens from May 29th to July 29th. To learn and more importantly see Anne's work - go to her website at http://www.natureslens.org
15th Annual Cahaba Lily Festival - Come celebrate one of Alabama's most precious treasures, the Cahaba lily, on May 29th in West Blocton, Alabama at the Cahaba Lily Activities Center on Main Street. The event starts at 8:45 in the morning and it will include the annual update on the lily from Dr. Larry Davenport of Samford University, a report on the new Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge and of course a brunch and trips to see the lilies. For more information about this wonderful event, contact Myrtle Jones, 205-938-7304 or Charles Adams, 205-553-5926.
Alabama Annual Groundwater Conference - The Alabama Department of Environmental Management will be hosting the 4th Annual Alabama Groundwater Conference on June 3rd at the Gordon Persons Building in Montgomery, Alabama. If you care about groundwater protection and resources, this is the place to be. No registration is required - just call 334-270-5655 for additional information.
National Trail Day in the Shoals - National Trails Day will be celebrated on June 5th at the TVA Reservation in the Shoals. The Shoals Environmental Alliance will be hosting three events at TVA's Muscle Shoals Reservation, starting with a trail clearing event between 8:00 to 11:00, a noon picnic at the CCC Picnic Pavilion and a family bike ride at 1:30. For more information about these events, contact Charles Rose at 256-381-2826 or email chuckrivers@aol.com .
In Memory of Ken Dillon
Earlier this month, Dr. Ken Dillon from the UAB School of Public Health died in a tragic accident in Atlanta. Ken was a passionate advocate for children and made many great contributions toward enriching their lives. He was head of the Healthy Homes Initiative and a supporter of the Community Lead Education Poison Prevention Foundation. He will be missed.
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The Bama Environmental News is edited and published by Pat Byington.