1) Sea Turtle "Baby Boom" Predicted On the Coast
2) Hog Hearing In Montgomery Draws Dozens of Activists
3) Longleaf Pine Finds Allies In Alabama
4) Cathedral Caverns To Begin Regular Tours
5) Alabama Wildlife Federation Honors Top Conservationists
6) BEN Notes

1. Sea Turtle "Baby Boom" Predicted On the Coast - According to recent data acquired by the Mobile Register, this year is turning out to be a "banner year' for nesting loggerhead turtles, a threatened species.

Along the 14 mile stretch of beach from Fort Morgan to Gulf Shores' West Beach, within the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, up to 68 nests have been marked this summer. That is a "26 nests" increase from last year's total of 42 nests. Within the 2 mile stretch of beach along Gulf State Park, three sea turtle nests have been found this summer.

The sea turtle "baby boom" has sparked a debate in Alabama: Does identifying the egg sites protect them or make them an easier target for vandals? Today's (August 13) Mobile Register ( http://www.al.com/news/mobile/Aug2000/13-a211140a.html ) examines in detail that question. The mere fact that we are having to debate how to handle the proliferation of sea turtle markings in Alabama is a good sign for turtle recovery efforts. It means they are coming back!

2. Hog Hearing In Montgomery Draws Dozens of Activists - "Come smell for yourself." That was the message more than two dozen rural community activists, mostly from Sand Mountain in northeast Alabama, tried to impress upon the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) at a recent public hearing on new hog factory farm regulations.

On August 11th, ADEM held a public hearing on Alabama's newly revised Confined Animal and Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations for hogs. Critics of the new rules charged that the proposed revisions did not go far enough. They called for greater setback limits between waste lagoons and nearby homes, and limitations against pressurized spray liquid on fields. They also
called for air quality monitoring to control the smells.

Environmental groups, such as the Alabama Environmental Council and the Alabama Rivers Alliance, argued for greater setback limits fearing the current proposal will not do enough to protect groundwater sources. The groups also cited medical studies showing a direct link between odors from CAFO's and adverse health problems it may cause for nearby residents. ADEM stated that they had consulted with the Public Health Department in the development of the new CAFO rules.

Brian Hardin, director of the Alabama Pork Producers, urged ADEM to adopt the new rules despite his organization's dislike for government regulations.

To learn more about the new CAFO rules visit the ADEM website at: http://www.adem.state.al.us

3.Longleaf Pine Finds Allies In Alabama - Longleaf pine forests. They once covered an estimated 90 million acres in the south, from Virginia to Texas. Today, longleaf pine forests can be found on only 3 million acres in the
south.

One of longleaf's biggest allies is Rhett Johnson, director of Auburn University's Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center and co-director of the Longleaf Alliance, a nonprofit group advocating for longleaf pine. According to Johnson, longleaf forests tend to have two or three times more types of wildlife than Southern forests of hardwoods or other pines. "Tropical rain forests and coral reefs are about the only ecosystems that are more biodiverse." stated Johnson in a recent Birmingham News interview.

To learn more about the Longleaf Alliance and the movement to bring back longleaf forests in the south - read the August 10th Birmingham News story "Longleaf Alliance pines over loss of longleaf forests" ( http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/Aug2000/10-e420329b.html ).

The article which was written by News staff reporter David White provides valuable information about longleaf forests and the people who are dedicated to save it. For additional information about longleaf, contact your local Alabama Forestry Commission office or the Solon Dixon Center at 1-334-222-7779.

4. Cathedral Caverns To Begin Regular Tours - Cathedral Caverns, Alabama's newest State Park, is now open for tours Wednesday through Sunday, with tours starting at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. General admission for entrance
and a tour is $8 for adults and $5 for children 5 and under.

Cathedral Caverns which is located in Grant, Alabama near Guntersville State Park, drew thousands of people earlier this summer at the Park's official grand opening. It is truly one of Alabama's most exciting natural attractions. For more information about Cathedral Caverns call 256-728-8193.

5. Alabama Wildlife Federation Honors Top Conservationists - The Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) held its 65th Annual meeting on August 11th and 12th. As usual the highlight of the meeting was the Governor's Conservation
Award Banquet. The following is a list of this year's notable award recipients.

Conservationist of the Year - Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust
Wildlife Conservationist of the Year - Ducks Unlimited
Forest Conservationist of the Year - The Longleaf Alliance
Water Conservationist of the Year - Alabama Coastal Foundation
Soil Conservationist of the Year - Jerry Johnson, Auburn
Conservation Organization of the Year - Nature Conservancy of Alabama
Legislative Conservationist of the Year - Rep. J.E. Turner

Outgoing AWF President Bo Starke was also honored for helping double AWF's membership and finances during his 3 year term. Congrats to AWF for another very successful year. For more information about AWF contact them at: 1-334-832-WILD.

6. BEN Notes:

B'ham City Council Creates Task Force - Last week, the Birmingham City Council voted to table a proposal by Masada Oxynol to build a waste to energy facility for the city. The Masada $250 million proposal to turn garbage and sewage into ethanol had been questioned by the Alabama Environmental Council (AEC). After tabling the Masada proposal, the city council voted unanimously to create a solid waste task force to study Birmingham's solid waste disposal needs. The task force was requested by the AEC, the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, and Region 2020. The Birmingham News also editorialized in favor of a task force.

6th Annual Water Resources Conference - Students interested in the 6th Annual Alabama Student Conference on Water Resources should make plans to attend the conference on Sept. 6th in Gulf Shores. Along with the morning student conference, the AWRA Annual Water Resources Symposium will be held in the afternoon. For more info about these events, please call Dennis Block at 334-844-5075 or Mindy Lalor at 205-934-8438.

The Natural Step Annual Conference - Here is a national conference on sustainability right in our backyard. The Natural Step US will be holding its 5th Annual conference on sustainability at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia from October 5th - 7th. World renowned leaders on sustainability will be attending and providing valuable information. Full and partial scholarships on conference fees are available. Applications are due August 15th. For more information visit the Natural Step website at:
http://www.naturalstep.org

Mothers and Others For A Livable Planet - Concerned about toxics in the home? Want to know the latest info on organic foods and foods that "trend lightly on the earth"? Visit the Mothers and Others website for answers at: http://www.mothers.org

Political Season Beginning - Learn about environmental champions and who has made the "dirty dozen list" by clicking on the League of Conservation Voters website. Their website is http://www.lcv.org. Also try out the Republicans for Environmental Protection website at: http://www.repamerica.org

ADEM Website Update - The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has updated its website. The site is very "public" friendly and informative. A "must" bookmark site - http://www.adem.state.al.us

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