April 6, 1999
1) Outdoor Writer Mike Bolton Hands Out Enviro. Grades
2) Alabamian E.O. Wilson To Be Honored In Tuscaloosa
3) "The Future of Alabama Woodlands" Featuring Wilson
4) Little River Canyon NP Comments Extended
5) Check Out "Weeks Bay Day"
6. Profile: Sierra Club's Inner City Outings Program
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"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will
love only what we
understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
- Baba Didum
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1. B'ham News Writer Mike Bolton Hands Out Enviro Grades
- Birmingham News
Outdoor writer Mike Bolton has written a special report called
"A Legacy of
Neglect" which includes a "report card" on state
and federal environmental
agencies (he also included Alabama Power because of their management
of water
resources). It is a very thoughtful and powerful report, with
some frank
talk about the serious lack of environmental funding and enforcement
of
Alabama laws. Mike concludes his series with a list of "actions"
that can be
taken to improve Alabama's environmental agencies.
Here are the grades:
Alabama Department of Environmental Management - D
Forever Wild - B+
Non-Game Wildlife Program - F
Alabama Power - B
Tenneseee Valley Authority (TVA) - C
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - C
Wildlife Section of Game and Fish - C+
Conservation Law Enforcement - C
Marine Resources - B-
Marine Police - C-
Check out the stories behind the grades at :
http://www.al.com/sports/outdoors/outindex.html
2. Alabama's E.O. Wilson Coming Home To Be Honored -
Alabama native and one
of "Time" magazine's 25 Most Influential Americans of
Our Era," E.O. Wilson,
will receive the Clarence Cason Writing Award from the University
of
Alabama's department of journalism on Wednesday, April 21.
Seeing and meeting E.O Wilson is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
A
graduate of the University of Alabama, Wilson is currently a Harvard
professor, one of the founders of the science of sociobiology,
two time
winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author or co-author of 23 books
and 350
scholarly articles and a recipient of the Medal of Science and
24 honorary
degrees from colleges and universities from the US and abroad.
The University of Alabama is honoring Dr. Wilson, with their
prestigious
Clarence Cason award. The award honors individuals with ties to
the state of
Alabama and journalistic and writing achievement. The public is
invited to
attend the award presentation and banquet at the Sheraton Four
Points Hotel
in Tuscaloosa 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 21st. The tickets are
$50. You
may purchase tickets from Dr. Bailey Thomson, Box 870172, Tuscaloosa,
Al.
35487-0172. Please make checks payable to the University of Alabama.
If you
have any questions call 205-348-8617.
3. Alabama Woodlands Symposium With E.O Wilson - After
spending an evening
with E.O. Wilson, you can spend the following day, Earth Day,
with him by
attending a symposium on "The Future of Alabama's Woodlands".
Wilson's
Alabama Woodlands panel, will begin at 2:00 o'clock at the Bryant
Confernce
Center on April 22nd. Participants include Bill Finch environmental
reporter
at the Mobile Register (one of the authors of the Register's "Wilderness
Despite Us" series) and Whit Gibbons of the Savanna River
Ecology Lab. Along
with with the "Woodlands" panel, an impresive list of
national writers,
publishers and advocates will be giving presentations throughout
the day.
The symposium will run from 8 until 3:30. Tickets are $25 each
or $10 if you
purchased a banquet ticket. For more info please call Bailey Thomson
at
205-348-8617.
4. Little River Canyon Comment Period Extended - Two
weeks ago, BEN reported
on the National Parks and Conservation Association's (NPCA) concerns
over the
newly proposed management rules for the Little River Canyon National
Preserve. On April 1, the National Parks Service announced that
they will be
extending their comment period an additional 45 days to May 15th.
Several
environmental groups are very grateful for the extension.
Copies of the plan can be obtained by calling 256-845-9605.
For more
information about NPCA's concerns please call them at 423-457-7775.
5. Check Out: Weeks Bay Day - This Saturday on April
10th the Weeks Bay
Reserve Foundation will be holding "Weeks Bay Day".
Events and tours will
flow from the Weeks Bay Interpretive Center's main desk at 9:00
a.m. Some of
the events include, the grand opening of a Pitcher Plant Bog Nature
Trail/Boardwalk, guided tours and guest lectures on bees and butterflies.
For more information about this event on Alabama's Eastern Shore
call the
Weeks Bay Foundation at 334-990-5004 or the Weeks Bay Reserve
at
334-928-9792.
6. Sierra Club's Inner City Outings Program - In the
spring of1997 the Cahaba
Group of the Sierra Club established Inner City Outings (ICO),
a community
outreach program of the Sierra Club. Joined by 40 groups across
the US, ICO
provides a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience for Inner City
children, the
elderly and people with special needs who might not otherwise
have that
opportunity.
The Birmingham program provides outings for over 40 children
and includes a
roster of more than 40 volunteers. Currently ICO is working with
two
agencies, the Gateway Program, Ministerial Brotherhood Community
Connection
Program that provides after school programs for children of the
Tuxedo
Housing Project in Bessemer and the Interfaith Hospitality House,
which
provides housing and assistance to homeless families in the Birmingham
area.
This is an outstanding program that enriches not only the lives
of the
children but also the volunteers and community. For more infomation
on how to
volunteer or donate to ICO contact Paul Perret at 205-444-5593
or write Inner
City Outings C/O Joni Barnett, 2120 Kelly Lane, Hoover, Al. 35216.
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
