BEN - December 13, 2006 #275

1) Congress Passes Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Revenue Sharing Bill
2) TVA New Land Policy Protects Public Land
3) Alabama Scientist Calls For Immediate Global Protection of Seagrasses
4) Sen. Jeff Sessions Named to Senate Environment and Resources Committee
5) BEN Notes: Cahaba River Society Education Director Job Opening, Dept. of Conservation Holiday Gift Ideas, Alabama Rivers Alliance & Sojourns Team Up, 25x25 Bioenergy Goals, Funny Environmental Website/Message
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BEN Charities
Don't forget to make a contribution to one of BEN's charities before the end of the year. Visit the BEN "Make a Donation Website," to view profiles at:
http://www.BamaNews.com/donation.html

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1. Congress Passes Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Revenue Sharing Bill - On December 9th, right before the 109th Congress adjourned, the "Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act" passed by the U.S. Senate in August was included in a massive tax and trade package that is now on its way to the White House, where President Bush is expected to sign it.

The bill will open energy production in about 8 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico that lie to the south and east of the Alabama coast. The drilling would occur in Gulf waters at least 125 miles off the Alabama shoreline. For the first time, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas will share 37.5 percent of the federal revenues generated by the lease sale and production royalties of oil and natural gas outside state waters. The states presently receive less than 2 percent.

Under the legislation, the new revenue, which could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in future years, is required to be spent on coastal restoration and conservation.The legislation was championed by Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby, along with Mobile Rep. Jo Bonner and the entire Alabama delegation. For additional information about the legislation go to: http://sessions.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=266843

2. TVA New Land Policy Protects Public Land - Last month, the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Board approved a new land policy that protects and preserves undeveloped public lands managed by TVA along reservoirs throughout the Tennessee Valley.

The final policy was recommended by the Board's Community Relations Committee after receiving more than 5000 comments from the public. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the comments supported the draft policy which proposed no residential or retail development on TVA managed land. To view the elements of the plan and obtain a copy of the final plan document, go to:http://www.tva.gov/news/releases/octdec06/landpolicy2.htm

3. Alabama Scientist Calls For Immediate Global Protection of Seagrasses - According to the Mobile Register, a scientist from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is "making waves internationally" with the recent publication of an article in Bioscience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Ken Heck, senior marine scientist at the Sea Lab worked with a team of 12 other scientists to present the findings in the publication. The paper calls for an immediate global conservation effort to protect the world's diminishing meadows of undersea grasses and the ecosystems they support. Their loss may be greater than the decline of coral reefs according to the scientists.

Locally, seagrass beds in Alabama and Mobile Bay have declined dramatically over the last 50 years. Heck speculates that Mobile Bay has lost 50 percent of the grass beds that were present in 1950. A 1998 Gulf Coast Research Laboratory study concluded that Mississippi had lost half of its seagrass beds since 1968. Along with their biological significance, seagrasses are also important to commercial fishing interests and the ecosystem. "You can literally see 100 times more animals in grass beds than you'll see in a sandy or mud bottom area. They really are the nursery habitat." Heck stated in the Register article.

4. Sen. Jeff Sessions Named to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - Sen. Jeff Sessions has been tapped to serve on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

This important environmental committee develops national energy policy and has jurisdiction over public lands, forests and the National Park Service. For more information on this important appointment visit: http://sessions.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=266930

5. BEN Notes: Cahaba River Society Education Director Job Opening, Dept. of Conservation Holiday Gift Ideas, Alabama Rivers Alliance & Sojourns Team Up, 25x25 Bioenergy Goals, Funny Environmental Website/Message

Cahaba River Society (CRS) Education Director Job Opening - CRS is seeking an education director to plan, coordinate and implement its education programs, including the Shane Hulsey CLEAN Program. To learn more about this innovative educational program and the position available, visit http://www.cahabariversociety.org/EDjob1.htm

Dept. of Conservation Holiday Gift Ideas - The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has available several new holiday gift ideas including a State Park Gift Card, subscriptions to Outdoor Alabama magazine (or call 877-339-0508) and outdoor gifts located on the Department's new Nature Shop website - http://www.outdooralabama.com/outdoor-alabama/shop.cfm.

Alabama Rivers Alliance & Sojourns Team Up - On Thursday, December 14th, Sojourns, a free trade store located in Birmingham downtown at 1910 3rd Ave. North (205-323-5680) will be dedicating 10% of all purchases that day to the Alabama Rivers Alliance. Sojourns is open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. For more info contact the Alliance at 205-322-6395 or visit http://www.adventureartpeace.com25x25

Bioenergy Goals - Two new economic studies released in November confirm that it is feasible for America's farms, forests and ranches to provide 25% of the total energy consumed in the United States by the year 2025. To download the full reports go to http://www.25x25.org/ .

Funny Environmental Website/Message - My good friend John Noel of Tennessee sent me this blunt, funny website that drives home the importance of protecting the environment. Check it out - http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml

BEN - December 4, 2006 #274

1) "Sitting in Our Cars" A New Study About Traffic In Bham
2) Southern Company/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant Announcements
3) Reclamation of Abandoned Mine Sites
4) BEN Notes: Little River Canyon Public Meetings, River Guardians Needed, Educational/Sustainability Websites, Animal Sounds from the MacCaulay Library

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1. "Sitting in Our Cars" A New Study About Traffic In Bham - According to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute, commuters in the Birmingham area can expect to spend 27 hours stuck in traffic a year.

The 2005 Urban Mobility Report ranked Birmingham 43rd out of 85 urban areas for the annual number of hours delay a typical motorist will experience. The 27 hours of sitting in traffic is almost a quadruple increase from the 6 hours motorist in Birmingham were delayed in 1982. To learn more about this study view the report at http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

2. Southern Company/National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Grant Announcements - Southern Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently awarded two major grants to Alabama groups within their Power of Flight and Longleaf Legacy programs. Here are descriptions for two of the Alabama grantees:

* Quail Unlimited, Inc. - to support the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative by restoring the habitat of the Bankhead and Talladega National Forests in Alabama.

* Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences - to pilot methods to reintroduce fire among longleaf pine in mountainous areas with excessive undergrowth. This project aims to restore longleaf pine in Alabama with the goal of creating methods that can be used throughout longleaf's range.

Since 2002, Southern Company and NFWF have contributed more than $4.7 million through 61 grants to the Power of Flight and Longleaf Legacy programs. In addition, grant recipients have contributed nearly $6.7 million in matching funds, resulting in an on-the-ground conservation impact of more than $11.4 million.

3. Reclamation of Abandoned Mine Sites - Some interesting figures from two Sunday Birmingham News articles on abandoned mine reclamation in Alabama written by News reporter Kent Faulk. They include:

* For nearly 30 years, Alabama's Abandoned Mine Land Program has reclaimed more than 35 square miles. It is estimated 112 square miles of Alabama landscape remain scarred by mining operations abandoned before 1977.

* According to the Birmingham News, environmentalists and regulators agree - at the current pace of funding it could take 200 years and an estimated $402 million to reclaim the land remaining on the Alabama Abandoned Mine Land Program's list of abandoned mines.

For more information about abandoned mines in Alabama go to the Surface Mining Commission website at http://www.surface-mining.state.al.us/ To learn more about the Federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation program, visit http://www.osmre.gov/fundstat.htm

The Birmingham News articles can be found at http://al.com .

BEN Notes: Little River Canyon Public Meetings, River Guardians Needed, Educational/Sustainability Websites, Animal Sounds from the MacCaulay Library

Little River Canyon Public Meetings - The National Park Service is seeking ideas for improving Little River Canyon National Preserve. Three open houses will be held this week to allow the public to make recommendations. Open house meetings are scheduled for:

December 5th - 5 to 8pm at the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, 256-927-8455
December 6th - 2 to 4pm at the DeKalb County Tourist Association, 256-845-3947
December 7th - 5 to 8pm at the DeKalb County Tourist Association, 256-845-3947

For more info about park planning, call John Bundy at 256-845-9605 or visit http://parkplanning.nps.gov

River Guardians Needed - The Flint River Conservation Association is planning a workshop next year to train people to find signs of nonpoint source pollution and report violations. The workshop is scheduled for February 24th in Huntsville. For more detailed information call Soos Weber at 256-427-5116 or visit http://www.huntsvillepreserves.com

Educational/Sustainability Websites - Check out these websites that provide new educational tools and info on sustainability.

http://www.nrel.gov/learning - Learning about Renewable Energy - Website provides basic info about solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen and geothermal power.

http://oceanslive.org/ - OceansLive.org aims to bring the ocean world to communities worldwide and make oceans accessible and local through a multimedia system approach.

http://www.populationeducation.org/index.jsp - Population Connection's education program is a national population education program with a strong emphasis on teacher training for educators of grades pre-K through 12.

http://theevergladesstory.org/ - Water's Journey Everglades, this website offers a wealth of information about the history and contemporary situation in and around the Everglades.

http://www.sustainlane.us/home.jsp - SustainLane is a website designed for state and local government officials to exchange best practices in sustainability and network among peers.

Animal Sounds from the MacCaulay Library - Here is a really neat site. The Macaulay Library (formerly the Library of Natural Sounds) is the world's largest archive of animal sounds. They have more than 160,000 recordings of 67 percent of the world's birds, and rapidly increasing holdings of insects, fish, frogs and mammals. Visit - http://www.birds.cornell.edu/MacaulayLibrary/About/

BEN - November 28, 2006 #273

1) Freshwater Land Trust To Inherit 4500 Acres
2) Chief Ladiga Trail Nears Completion
3) State Poised To Hire 1st Deep South State Forester
4) Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee Calls For Mercury Reductions
5) BEN Notes: Dogwood Alliance Internship Program, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Green Power Program, Climate Change Organizer to Speak at Auburn, The Gulf Restoration Network Wetlands Guide, Nature Conservancy's "Gift of Nature", Perry Lakes Website

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Dear BEN Reader:Maxie Bryant, a longtime leader in the Audubon Society and the environmental community died this weekend.

When I served on the Forever Wild board of trustees, every meeting opened with comments from the public. It never failed. At every meeting, Maxie Bryant, smiling from ear to ear would stand and greet us "you know why I'm here!" she would always say. Then with boastful enthusiasm she would passionately tell the trustees how important the Sipsey River Swamp is to Alabama.

I can't remember a Forever Wild meeting without Maxie. Encouraging us. Prodding us. Even after the board, bought over 2000 acres on the Sipsey River, she still attended the meetings graciously thanking us at every turn. She loved Forever Wild. She loved preserving our rivers, swamps and land. She loved nature and her family. I can still see her smiling. Maxie - Well Done.

Best Wishes,

Pat Byington
BEN Publisher

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Visitation for Maxie Bryant will be Wednesday, November 29, 5-7pm at the Tuscaloosa Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be on Thursday, November 30 (her birthday) at Tuscaloosa Memorial Chapel - 2pm. At Maxie's request, in lieu of flowers, she asked memorial contributions be made to Forever Wild Land Trust, 64 North Union Street, Suite 464, Montgomery, Alabama 36104 or Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries, P. O. Box 1295, Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528.

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Last night, I received an email from Kirsten Bryant, Maxie's granddaughter in-law, relaying the following special story Maxie told the Forever Wild Board last March in Montgomery."75 years ago our vacation was to throw two bushels of corn into the back of a wagon and to go overnight to the Sipsey Swamp. We put out the set hooks and trout lines. It was so exciting. We made a check of them on the hour to take off the fish and put new bait on them. Everyone fought to get to go but they felt like that was not proper for a girl to go. Girls were left out when it came to putting out the trout lines and changing the bait. That was not something the girls did. I pushed the button. I always wanted to go and I would put a pitiful face up to Dad. And, I convinced him that I could hold the lantern. I never dropped it."

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1. Freshwater Land Trust To Inherit 4500 Acres - According to the Birmingham News, the Freshwater Land Trust has agreed to take responsibility for 4,500 acres from Jefferson County.

Since 1996, the county has been under a federal decree when a federal judge found that it repeatedly had violated the Clean Water Act . Under the decree, the county bought 4,500 acres protecting headwaters of creeks and pathways along the Cahaba and Black Warrior river basins instead of paying fines to the federal government. Up to $30 million was spent on the 10 year program.Jefferson County will convey to the land trust, after the approval of EPA, the rights to the 4,500 acres in December. An additional $4.2 million will also be placed in a maintenance fund.

For more information about the Freshwater Land Trust visit http://www.freshwaterlandtrust.org

2. Chief Ladiga Trail Nears Completion - Last week, the Clebourne County Commission accepted a $460,000 bid to finish a 4.2 mile section of the Chief Ladiga Trail. This action, along with several projects in progress will enable the Chief Ladiga Trail to connect with Georgia's Silver Comet Trail by mid 2007.

To learn more about this project that links Alabama and Georgia visit http://epic.jsu.edu

3. State Poised To Hire 1st Deep South State Forester - According to the Decatur Daily, the state of Alabama is poised to appoint the first female state forester in the Deep South after the Alabama Forestry Commission accepted a search committee's recommendation.Linda Casey of South Carolina was selected from a field of 26 applicants and must now be approved by Governor Bob Riley.

Casey presently oversees the procurement of 26.8 million tons of fiber, manages 138 employees and a budget of nearly a $1 billion for International Paper in Georgetown, South Carolina. Alabama's state forester oversees the day to day work of 337 employees across the state and an annual budget of $35 million. Commission chairman Don Heath said Riley will be asked to appoint Casey contingent upon her becoming a licensed forester in Alabama. She could begin work in January.

4. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee Calls For Mercury Reductions - Last week, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander said the federal government's current rule on mercury emissions may not be strong enough to protect Tennessee and urged Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to continue his investigation into the extent coal fired power plants in Tennessee and neighboring states are contributing to the problem of mercury deposits in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Sen. Alexander has introduced bipartisan legislation called the Clean Air Planning Act, that goes 'farther and faster" than Bush administration proposals to clean up coal burning plants by removing sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury from the air. The bill would cut mercury emissions by 90 percent in 2015 according to an Alexander press release.View Sen. Alexander's clean air positions by visiting his website at: http://alexander.senate.gov/

5. BEN Notes: Dogwood Alliance Internship Program, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Green Power Program, Climate Change Organizer to Speak at Auburn, The Gulf Restoration Network Wetlands Guide, Nature Conservancy's "Gift of Nature", Perry Lakes Website

Dogwood Alliance Internship Program - Students interested in working an internship for a regional grassroots forestry protection group may contact the Dogwood Alliance's Eva Hernandez at eva@dogwoodalliance.org or visit http://pressroomda.greenmediatoolshed.org/folders/index.tcl?folder_id=1431

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Green Power Program - The Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is offering "Green Power Choice" to it's customers. Check it out by visiting their website at http://www.wiregrass.coop/greenpower.html or call 800-239-4602.

Climate Change Organizer to Speak at Auburn - Dr. Eban Goodstein, an economics professor at Lewis and Clark College and an organizer of a major initiative that is engaging over a thousand educational institutions around the country on climate change will speak on Tuesday, November 28th, Noon at 208 Foy Union at Auburn University. His topic - "Seen Inconvenient Truth: Now What? Focus the Nation on Solutions to Global Warming." For additional info call Lindy Biggs or Matt Williams at 334-844-7777.

The Gulf Restoration Network Wetlands Guide - The Gulf Restoration Network has a downloadable "wetlands guide" for people interested in protecting wetlands. Go to http://www.healthygulf.org/wetlands/Wetlands%20Manual.htm

Nature Conservancy's "Gift of Nature" - The Nature Conservancy has a great stocking stuffer for the holiday season. The conservation group is selling "gift of nature" certificates that show recipients have contributed to nature projects throughout Alabama. For example: a gift of "pearls" goes toward oyster reef restoration, a gift of "flowers" supports preservation of central Alabama's Cahaba River and its lilies. Donations for the certificates start at $50. For more information call Linda Mayson at 251-433-1150.

Perry Lakes Website - Check out a great website providing information about all the many activities occurring at Perry Lake. Visit http://www.perrylakes.org/