Bama Environmental News

#229

1) Forever Wild Surpasses 100,000 Acres Mark
2) Toxic Release Inventory Numbers Available
3) Big Escambia Creek Restoration Underway
4) BEN Notes : Farm Fresh Meat Festival/Grow Alabama, Smart Growth Act II , TNC Honored By Fish And Wildlife Service, Alabama Power Foundation Tree Grants, Grassroots Inc. Offers Statewide Program, Farming in the Urban Fringe

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Americans Saving American Places Summit Registration Deadline Today

The deadline to register for the Americans Saving American Places Summit is today July 23rd. This regional summit, which includes prominent speakers such as National Wildlife Federation Chair-elect Jerome Ringo, The Nature Conservancy's Senior Vice President Bob Bendick and Alabama Episcopal Bishop Mark Andrus, will bring together activists throughout the southeast to fight for America's special places and conservation funding.

The event is scheduled for July 29-30 in Birmingham at the Raddison Hotel. To view the agenda and download a registration form please go to :

http://www.bamanews.com/summit.html

Please fax the registration forms to 205-226-3046. If you have any questions about the event contact Pat Byington at 205-999-4390. Late registrations WILL be accepted, but please help the organizers by registering today!

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1. Forever Wild Surpasses 100,000 Acres Mark - In November 1992, the people of Alabama overwhelmingly voted (84% voted YES) to create through a constitutional amendment the Forever Wild Land Acquisition Program. This year, after 11 years, the Forever Wild Program has surpassed another milestone - the acquisition of more than 100,000 acres.

The numbers are quite impressive. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation website:

36 - Tracts have been acquired (in 17 different counties)
102,650 - Acres have been acquired
$66,150,243 -Total of Tract Property Values (at the time of the purchase)

The smallest purchase is "The Eagle Roost View" 17 acres in Marshall County while the largest acquisition has been "The Mobile Delta Tract" in Baldwin and Mobile counties which is comprised of 35,795 acres.

Other notable acquisitions: Ruffner Mountain Addition, "Walls of Jericho" in Jackson County, Sipsey River Tract in Tuscaloosa, Coldwater Mountain in Calhoun County, and the Shoal Creek Preserve in Lauderdale County.

Forever Wild has not only purchased over 100,000 acres, but they have also leveraged millions of additional dollars from federal, state, local and private sources to fund the program. To learn more about the 36 Forever Wild tracts and their locations and importance to the state go http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/public-lands/forever-wild.cfm

2. Toxic Release Inventory Numbers Available - As part of the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community "Right to Know" Act, industries that meet certain requirements must report to the states and EPA specific information about certain "reportable" chemicals that they release into the environment, treat, transfer or recycle. This information is called the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Alabama's 2002 TRI data is now available and accessible on the EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer

According to an Alabama Department of Environmental Management press release, the latest report was derived from 554 Alabama facilities. When compared from the previous year's data 2002 TRI data documented several reductions in the "Onsite" Releases category including an 87% decrease in the pounds of materials disposed of via underground injection wells and a 14% reduction in total air emissions.

3. Big Escambia Creek Restoration Underway - According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, cooperation among public officials and environmentalists in Florida and Alabama aided in the funding of a project to "unclog" Big Escambia Creek.

The $7.7 million effort to restore the creek, which has been backed up for years by more than a mile of logs and debris, will take about two years to complete. Once completed, the work will rehydrate about 1000 acres of surrounding wetlands and reduce the hundreds of tons of sediment washing into Escambia River each year. The effort will also reduce the periodic flooding that has occurred in Flomaton, Alabama as a result of the problem.

4. BEN Notes : Farm Fresh Meat Festival/Grow Alabama, Smart Growth Act II , TNC Honored By Fish And Wildlife Service, Alabama Power Foundation Tree Grants, Grassroots Inc. Offers Statewide Program, Farming in the Urban Fringe

Farm Fresh Meat Festival/Grow Alabama - Grow Alabama will be holding a "Farm Fresh Meat Festival" on Saturday, July 24th, 12:00 to 4:00 pm at the Mt Laurel Farms near Birmingham. To learn more about this event and the many program of Grow Alabama, go to http://www.growalabama.org or call 205-991-0042.

Smart Growth Act II - The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce is holding a follow-up mini-conference to recent Smart Growth Conferences in Mobile and Baldwin counties. With a regional focus on local initiatives in mind, the mini-conference is seeking input to define what smart growth should be in coastal Alabama. The Smart Growth II is set for July 27th, 8:00 to noon at the city of Daphne Civic Center. To register, go to http://www.eschamber.com/sg or call 2510621-8222.

TNC Honored By Fish And Wildlife Service - Last week, The Nature Conservancy of Alabama was honored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Atlanta. The organization was given the Regional Director's Award for its efforts on the "Walls of Jericho" purchase and the creation of the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge.

Alabama Power Foundation Tree Grants - The Alabama Power Foundation, in partnership with the Alabama Urban Forestry Association, is now accepting applications for the 2004 Urban and Community Tree Assistance Program. Over the past three years, more than $241,000 in grants have been distributed to more than 246 cities, counties, schools and community groups. The grants have been used to buy and plant thousands of trees in community parks, along roadways and on school grounds, among other sites. For more information about the grant program, or to obtain an application via mail, please call the Alabama Power Foundation at 205-257-2508 or go online at http://www.alabamapowerfoundation.com The grant deadline is August 31st.

Grassroots Inc. Offers Statewide Program - Grassroots Inc., an organization co-founded by Dauphin Island Sea Lab Director Dr. George Crozier, is offering several innovative environmental education/land use seminars concerning development and the environment, wetlands, watersheds and pollution solutions. These programs have been nationally recognized, and now the organization is ready to make presentations to organizations statewide. You can check out these programs at http://www.grassrootsinc.org

Farming in the Urban Fringe - Farmers, landowners and public officials are invited to attend meetings in Baldwin County about Farming in fast growing urban areas. The meetings will be held August 5th, 5:00pm for farmers and landowners and August 6th at 1:00pm for the general public at the Gulf Coast Experimental Station on Hwy 104 in Fairhope, Alabama. For more info call 251-709-0109 or go to http://www.weeksbay.com