June 15, 2004
#227
1) State Beaches Score Well According to Watchdog Group
2) Magazine: Alabama Cities Graded For Toxicity
3) Sen. Sessions Requested Mercury Report Released
4) BEN Notes: Weeks Bay Photo Contest, New Science Education Game, Watershed and Nonpoint Source Workshop 2004
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BEN Special Appeal
As of June 14th, the 2004 special appeal for BEN charities have garnered a handful contributions since May 17th. In lieu of a subscription, please consider contributing to one of the BEN charities. Contributions can be sent directly to organizations at the following addresses:
Southern Environmental Center
Birmingham Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Road
Birmingham, Alabama 35254
http://www.bsc.edu/sec
Camp McDowell Episcopal Church Camp
Attn: BEN Donation
105 Delong Road
Nauvoo, Alabama 35578
http://www.campmcdowell.org
Sheffield High School
Attn: Environmental Public Service Scholarship
c/o Dr. Richard Gardner, Superintendent Sheffield City Schools
300 West Sixth Street
Sheffield, Alabama 35660
256-383-0400
For additional info, go to - http://www.bamanews.com/donation.html
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1. State Beaches Score Well According to Watchdog Group - The Natural Resources Defense Council has praised Alabama for surpassing federal standards protecting our beaches.
Over 38 days last year, the state had 23 advisories for bacteria in the water, but for 99 percent of the time there was no advisory according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Fourteen of the 25 Gulf beaches never had an advisory issued. The near perfect record in Alabama goes against a national trend which has seen an increase in beach closings
June 1st through September 30th is Alabama's peak swimming season. Alabama has 50 miles of Gulf beaches and almost 70 miles of bay beaches.
2. Magazine: Alabama Cities Graded For Toxicity - Men's Health Magazine recently graded 101 U.S. cities for toxicity. The magazine's sources for the grades were EPA's most recent tally of facilities creating hazardous waste, the EPA's Total Environmental Release data and the number of Superfund sites in the area. Here is how Alabama's two cities in the survey graded out:
Birmingham C+
Montgomery B+
Other southern cities of interest - Nashville C , Atlanta C , Memphis D - . The city considered the most toxic is Houston, Texas.
For more information about the source of the magazines grades, go to http://www.scorecard.org .
3. Sen. Sessions Requested Mercury Report Released - According to a new report issued by a White House Working Group on Methylmercury, more broad sampling is needed to determine mercury levels in Gulf of Mexico fish and in people throughout the Gulf region.
The Interagency working group consisting of EPA, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Commerce was organized in May 2002 at the request of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Sen. Sessions said he hoped the task force would allow the government to "move from research to action much more quickly."
To read the White House Working Group's finding, go to http://www.ostp.gov/html/methylmercuryGulfMexicoNSTC04.pdf
A detailed series of articles on the mercury issue in Alabama can be found at Mobile Register website - http://www.al.com/specialreport/?mobileregister/mercuryinthewater.html
4. BEN Notes: Weeks Bay Photo Contest, New Science Education Game, Watershed and Nonpoint Source Workshop 2004
Weeks Bay Photo Contest - The Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation will hold their 5th Annual Photography Contest. There are adult and youth divisions. The categories are flora, fauna and open habitat. There will also be a best of show. This year's winning photos will be displayed during the month of July at the Eastern Shore Art Center. There is no charge to enter the contest. Entry forms can be downloaded at http://www.weeksbay.org . All entries must be delivered to the Weeks Bay Reserve Interpretive Center by 5:00 on Monday, June 21. For more info call Walter Ernest at 251-990-5004.
New Science Education Game - Alabama Water Watch Director Dr. Bill Deutsch has developed an environmental classroom game called Macro Mania. The game which is aimed at middle school students is billed as an exciting classroom adventure that teaches kids the connection between aquatic macroinvertebrates - tiny bugs that live in streams and are visible with the naked eye - and water quality.
To order Macro Mania directly call the LaMotte Company at 1-800-344-3100 or go to their website at http://www.lamotte.com
Watershed and Nonpoint Source Workshop 2004 - The 2004 Watershed Management, Nonpoint Source Pollution and Stormwater Workshop will be held June 22-24 at the Weeks Bay Reserve in Fairhope, Alabama. For people interested in water quality, this is a first class workshop. For more information and to register, call Mike Shelton 251-928-9792 or email mshelton@dcnr.state.al.us
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The Bama Environmental News is edited and published by Pat Byington.