July 10, 2002
#180
1) Rep. Callahan Introduces Fort Morgan/Fort Gaines
National Park Study Bill
2) Mobile Tackles Smart Growth
3) Mercury Forum Releases Five Top Recommendations
4) Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation Adds 90+ Acres
5) ADEM Creates Brownfield Revolving Loan Program
6) BEN Notes : Southeastern Cave Conservancy Website,
Lead Screenings Offered, Ruffner Mountain Celebrates 25th Anniversary,
Alabama Power Foundation Tree Planting Grants, AEMC Commissioner
R.D. Hicks
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1. Rep. Callahan Introduces Fort Morgan/Fort
Gaines National Park Study Bill- U.S. Representative Sonny Callahan
introduced in May legislation requiring the federal government
to study the feasibility of adding Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines
to the national park system.
Located at the tip of a Baldwin County peninsula, Fort Morgan
is owned by the Alabama Historical Commission. Fort Gaines is
the property of the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board. Both
forts were built before the Civil War and remained active military
installations until after World War II. Environmentally, Fort
Morgan is an important resting area for birds flying to or from
the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, residential development has been
threatening the area, gobbling up precious habitat near the fort.
According to the Mobile Register, local environmentalists support
the possibility of the two forts being added to the national park
system. In1993, a congressionally chartered commission ranked
both forts as toppriority candidates for federal protection. The
Alabama Historical Commission, on the other hand vehemently opposes
ceding control of Fort Morgan to the national park system. Just
recently, the Historical Commission announced intentions to raise
$100 million to restore Fort Morgan and five other sites around
the state.
2. Mobile Tackles Smart Growth - In an effort to increase downtown
redevelopment and halt kudzu-like sprawl, the city of Mobile has
recently organized a "Smart Growth in Mobile Committee."
Supported by Mobile Mayor Mike Dow, the committee of two dozen
elected officials, planners, developers and environmentalists
will conduct a series of meetings to establish a smart growth
policy in Mobile. Potential smart growth initiatives that will
be considered include, providing a network of trails and greenways
for walking, jogging and biking to neighborhood stores and schools,
improving and expanding public mass transportation to reduce traffic
congestion and amending regulations to allow higher concentrations
of development on smaller parcels of land to save open space.
3. Mercury Forum Releases Five Top Recommendations - Approximately
40% of the attendees of The Mercury Forum held in Mobile last
May, remained for the final facilitated session, "Where We
Go From Here" - a needs analysis discussion of possible directions
and initiatives regarding methylmercury in the Northern Gulf environment.
At the end of the session each person was asked to submit his
or her top three recommendations so a list of 17 recommendations
could be tabulated to get a sense of priorities.
The top recommendation selected by the group was a call to expand
gulf-wide environmental monitoring programs (inland and coastal)
- fish, sediments, plants, aquatic organisms, water and air. This
recommendation received by far the greatest number (nearly double)
of votes. The following recommendations were considered the first
tier priorities.
* Health exposure study (include consumption)* Develop mercury
reduction plan* Investigate Hg pathways and risk in the ecosystem*
Adequate funding for involved entities* Develop a Gulf-wide risk
communications and outreach program
To learn more about the Mercury Forum and the group's other recommendations,visit
the Mississippi/Alabama Sea Grant website at http://www.masgc.org/mercury
.
4. Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation Adds 90+ Acres - The Weeks Bay
Reserve Foundation proudly announced this month in their newsletter
"The Pelican Post" the addition of 90+ acres.
Thanks to the generous donation of Barbara Pryor, this new acquisition
located north of Hwy. 33 on the west side of Fish River contains
2000 feet of frontage on Fish River. Purchases such as the Pryor
property and various other wetlands in the Weeks Bay watershed
is permanently protecting the region's natural habitat. For more
information about the Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation contact their
office at 251-990-5004 or visit their website at http://www.weeksbay.org
5. ADEM Creates Brownfield Revolving Loan Program - As a result
of a $1 million Brownfield grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)
will be able to provide low interest loans to remediate and redevelop
brownfield sites throughout Alabama.
The new Alabama Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund will help
identify and leverage public, private and municipal funding sources
in an effort to cleanup and redevelop abandoned industrial sites.
ADEM anticipates advertising and announcing the application process
for the Alabama Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund from September
to December of this year. Priority will be given to areas demonstrating
the most significant environmental impact and the greatest socioeconomic
need. In 2003, legislation creating the Brownfield Revolving Loan
Program is expected to be introduced in the Alabama legislature.
6. BEN Notes : Southeastern Cave Conservancy Website, Lead Screenings
Offered, Ruffner Mountain Celebrates 25th Anniversary, Alabama
Power Foundation Tree Planting Grants, AEMC Commissioner R.D.
Hicks
Southeastern Cave Conservancy Website - Last month, we were directed
to a new and exciting organization and website - the Southeastern
Cave Conservancy or http://www.scci.org
. Learn how to protect some of the South's most important and
delicate habitats by logging onto this site.
Lead Screenings Offered - The Citizen's Lead Education and Poisoning
Prevention (CLEPP) Organization will be providing free blood lead
screenings at their offices on Thursday, July 25th from 9:00 a.m.
until 5:00 p.m. The CLEPP offices are located at 420 10th Street
S.W. in Birmingham near Baptist Medical Center Princeton. The
test is offered free of charge to any child between 1 and 6 years
of age. Children living in housing built before 1978 should be
tested for lead poisoning. For more information contact Myioshi
Brooks or Lynn Battle at 205-780-8077.
Ruffner Mountain Celebrates 25th Anniversary - Ruffner Mountain
will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary with an Open House July
13th, 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Ruffner will be opening up a new trail,
holding a scavenger hunt for children, providing refreshments
and musical entertainment and exhibiting photos marking the history
of Ruffner. The Silver Anniversary celebration will continue July
16th 11:00 a.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, with a luncheon
and silent auction. All proceeds will benefit Ruffner Mountain.
Tickets are $40. Please call Julie Stone at 205-833-8264 or email
jstone@ruffnermountain.org
for more information.
Alabama Power Foundation Tree Planting Grants - Is your city looking
for money to plant trees?
The Alabama Power Foundation and the Alabama Urban Forestry Association
are proud to announce the "Plant a Tree in Alabama"
grant program for 2002. The overall goal of the program is to
provide funding to eligible communities across the state to plant
trees and thereby maintain the quality of life and improve the
environment in Alabama. "Plant a Tree" grants are awarded
to local governments, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations
based on environmental benefits, support from local community
leaders and volunteers and the needs of the local area.
Applications can be obtained in July by calling Liz McGill at
the Alabama Power Foundation, 205-257-2508 or Shelley Green at
the Alabama Urban Forestry Association, 205-226-7760 or 877-548-0440.
You can also send an e-mail to aufa@bsc.edu
.
AEMC Commissioner R.D. Hicks - It is with great sadness that I
have to report the sudden death of R.D. (Doris) Hicks, a member
of the Alabama Environmental Management Commission. Doris had
served on the Commission since 1994. He was recently reappointed
by Governor Siegelman last April.
A resident of Stevenson, Alabama in Northeast Alabama, Doris was
a true champion for education and athletics in that lovely community.
In honor of his lifelong commitment to the Stevenson community,
memorials can be sent to the Doris Hicks Scholarship Fund to benefit
North Jackson High School, First Southern National Bank, P.O.
Box 548, Stevenson, Alabama 35772.
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