February 28, 1999
1) Sierra Club Hires Lobbyist For '99 Session
2) 370,000 Acres of Timberland Up for Sale?
3) Mobile Bay Estuary Plan Almost Complete
4) ABBA - A 70's Swedish Band or Ala. Black Bears?
5) Learn More About Alabama's Natural Resources - the Geological
Survey of
Alabama
6) February BEN Back Copies Offer
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1. Sierra Club Hires Lobbyist - Tha Alabama Chapter
of the Sierra Club has
hired Liz Foster of Birmingham to lobby and promote the Club's
legislative
agenda down at the statehouse in Montgomery.
Ms. Foster's has extensive environmental policy experience
which includes a
law degree from Cumberland, a masters degree in Enivronmental
Law from the
Vermont School of Law and work with the Tennessee Environmental
Council,
Environmental Action Fund and the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra
Club.
I have known Liz for several years, and she will be a strong
and effective
advocate for Alabama's environment in the statehouse. People can
welcome Liz
to her new position by sending an e-mail to : Lizfoster@bellsouth.net
2. 370,000 Acres For Sale? - According to a published
report in the Anniston
Star, Alliance Forest Products, which operates the Coosa Pines
paper mill
near Childersburg, stated last week that it is considering selling
the
company's 370,000 acres of timberland in Alabama. The forests
are scattered
in parcels throughout 14 counties around the Coosa Pines mill.
If Alliance goes through with the sale, it would be the 2nd
timber company
within the past year to divest of it's timber holdings, totaling
nearly a
million acres. Last year Kimberly- Clark sold off more than 500,000
acres of
forests and it's pulp mill operations.
3. Mobile Estuary Plan Almost Ready - After a three
year effort led by the
Mobile Bay Estuary Program (NEP), the public will get its first
look at the
"Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan" in about
8 weeks.
The members of the NEP's leadership conference gave final approval
last week
of the plan's general objectives and action items. Termed the
"most
ambitious environmental document ever drafted on Mobile Bay"
the plan will
tackle issues rangings from wetlands loss and water pollution
to declining
fisheries. Program leaders expect the plan to be made available
for public
review by May.
4. ABBA - A Swedish Rock Band or Ala. Black Bears? -
If you guessed both you
were correct, but obviously we are going to be writing about the
Alabama
Black Bear Alliance (ABBA). In the Spring of 1997, the Alabama
Wildlife
Federation (AWF) and the Nature Conservancy of Alabama (TNC) joined
forces to
organize ABBA. Nearly 30 representatives including landowners,
biologists,
resource managers, conservationists and governmental officials
met to seek
ways to promote the conservation of the black bear in Alabama
through
education, research and habitat management.
Currently, there are several ongoing research and education
projects. One
the most important projects is getting a handle on the actual
"number" of
black bears in South Alabama. If you believe you have seen a black
bear,
please report your sighting to Daniel Powell ABBA's Coordinator
at
334-246-2288. To learn more about Alabama's black bear population
and what
you can do to help ABBA please call AWF at 1-800-822-9453 or TNC
at
205-251-1155.
5. Geological Survey of Alabama's Website - Alabama
is blessed with an
abundance of natural resources. If you want to find information
about
aquatic biodiversity, water, biological, mineral, coastal and
energy
resources and geologic mapping - the Geological Survey of Alabama's
(GSA)
website contains a wealth of data. The staff of the GSA is also
very
supportive of Alabama's environment, helpful and creative. To
learn more
about the GSA and Alabama's natural heritage, visit their website
at:
http://www.gsa.tuscaloosa.al.us/
or call them at 205-349-2852.
6. Jan/Feb BEN Back Copies - For BEN readers interested
in receiving back
copies of BEN, we will send copies to you dating as far back as
January 4th
(14 editions). We have added over 300 readers since January 1,
so some BEN
readers may have missed a few copies. Please make clear in your
request, if
you want editions from February, January or both . Just e-mail
your request
to pkbyington@aol.com
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
