March 30, 1999
1) Wild Alabama Honored By Outside Magazine
2) Take the B'Ham Post-Herald Clean Air Poll
3) Endangered Species $$ Facts and New Website
4) Profile: Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
5) Worlds Apart Launches New Catalog on the Net
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"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an
animal or plant: What
good is it?.... if biotic, in the course of aeons has built something
that we
like but do not understand, then but a fool would discard seemingly
useless
parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of
intelligent
tinkering. - Aldo Leopold
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1. Wild Alabama Honored By National Magazine - Popular
Outside Magazine,
with a circulation of over 550,000, features in it's April 1999
edition,
Wild Alabama, as one of the "local warriors who've got the
juice." In a
"environmental groups primer", Outside Magazine lists
eight local/regional
groups across the country that are making a difference protecting
the
environment. Lamar Marshall, Wild Alabama's founder and executive
director
is profiled along with groups such as the Vermont Land Trust,
Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance, Mississippi River Basin Alliance and EcoTrust.
The
article on Wild Alabama and environmental groups in general is
a "must read"
for folks interested in perspectives and views on the state of
the
environmental movement. For more info about Wild Alabama, check
out their
website at http://www.wildalabama.com
and to read Outside Magazine online
visit - http://outside.starwave.com
2. B'ham Post Herald's Clean Air Series Enters 3rd Day
- Everything you ever
wanted to know about ground-level ozone air pollution is at your
fingertips
this week in the Birmingham Post-Herald. Steve Joynt's long awaited
special
described the "problem" on Saturday, the role autos
play in causing the
problem on Monday and today he will be examining power plants.
The Post-Herald is also running alongside their articles a
daily "Ozone
Poll". People can access the poll via the internet or by
phone to express
their views on the ozone air pollution problem, and possible solutions
such
as auto emissions testing. You can voice your thoughts at 205-715-6700
ext.
3500 or read the articles (go under "recycled papers to read
Sat/Mon.
editions) at http://www.postherald.com
Once you have read the info, you can
take the polls online.
3. Endangered Species $$ Facts and New Website - Last
week, the Endangered
Species Coalition announced their "Endangered Species Are
Worth More Than a
Postage Stamp" Campaign. When you are paying your taxes in
the next two
weeks, think about this: On average less than 32 cent of what
you pay to the
IRS goes to endangered species conservation in the U.S. Annually,
Congress
spends only about $200 million on endangered species programs
for over 1100
listed species. This sounds like a lot of money, but put it into
perspective:
$160 Million..... Air Force request for each of its 438 F-22s
(Think about it
- When "one" of the Stealth Bombers got shot down last
week in Yugoslavia -
it cost the equivalent or more than the ESA budget)
$4 billion.... DOT request for highway demonstration projects
over 5 years.
$16.5 million.... Total amount given to Congress by 177 anti-wildlife
political action funds.
How much is biodiversity really worth?
According to U.S. News and World Report, nature provides us
with a staggering
$33 trillion in services each year including: crop pollination
from insects,
bats and birds, recreational fishing, wildlife and bird watching,
animals and
insects controlling crop pests, medicinal derivatives from rare
plants and
insects, and commercial uses of wild fish and plants.
To learn more about the Endangered Species Coalition, visit
their website at
http://www.stopextinction.org
or on a more local level contact Erin
Englebrecht, the Southeast Organizer for GREEN (Grassroots Environmental
Effectiveness Network) at 404-685-0771.
4. Profile: Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program -
The state of Alabama has
more than 214,000 non-industrial private forest owners who own
approximately
75% of Alabama's forests (the remaining 25% breakdown: timber
companies own
about 20% and 5% is public land). Private forestowners are "the
key" to
protecting, restoring and preserving Alabama's natural heritage.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's "Partners for Fish
and Wildlife Program"
is a program that can help forest owners succeed through a voluntary
program
that emphasizes the reestablishment of native vegetation and ecological
communities for the benefit of fish and wildlife while meeting
the needs of
private landowners. The program offers technical and financial
assistance to
private landowners. Since 1987, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife
has
worked with over 19,000 landowners to restore 409,174 acres of
wetlands,
333,165 acres of native prarie grassland and 2030 miles of riparian
and
in-stream aquatic habitat.
Alabama's Partners for Fish and Wildlife state coordinators
are Larry Goldman
and Randy Roach. They can be reached at 334-441-6222. To also
learn more
about this Program, visit their website at:
http://www.fws.gov/r9dhcpfw/ACCOMPS/Accomps.htm
5. Worlds Apart Launches Online Catalog - Several months
ago I profiled in
BEN a local Birmingham company called the Worlds Apart Trading
Company. This
remarkable enterprise is a member of the Free Trade Federation,
and has on
hand, wonderful gifts and ornamental pieces from 30 countries.
This month, Worlds Apart has launched an online catalog. Now,
you don't have
to travel to Birmingham to see the furniture, jewery, toys, accessories
and
much much more at Worlds Apart. Please visit their website at
http://www.WorldsApartTrading.com
and check out their catalog.
If you like the site, contact my good friends and longtime
Alabama
environmentalists Beverly and Kyle Crider. Their company, Sustainable
Systems, designs websites and can help you with any of your computer
needs
(Kyle has been the environmental community's "computer guru"
for years).
Check them out at their website at: http://www.sustainablepc.com
or call
them at 205-664-9455.
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
