June 3, 1999
1) Millenium Trails Project: Nominations Needed
2) State Parks Funding Mechanism Nears Passage
3) What is AML Funding? And Why Should Bama Care
4) Alabama Heritage Magazine Enviro. Stories
5) Brief Announcements: Bicycle Day, Sierra Club etc...
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1. Millennium Trails Project: Nominations Needed - Earlier
this week a
"Green Ribbon" committee was convened at the Governor's
Mansion to launch
Alabama's efforts in the National Millennium Trails Project. First
Lady Lori
Siegelman is the committee's honorary chair and co-chair along
with co-chair
Pete Conroy, director of the Jacksonville State University Environmental
Policy and information Center.
The Millenium Trail Project is a national initiative designed
to spark the
creation or enhancement of trails across America and Alabama,
and bring
together diverse groups in support of trails and the shared experiences
they
represent. The "Alabama Green Ribbon" committee will
help select Alabama's
top trails for the national Millennium Project. The group will
also develop
a statewide recognition and promotion program for Alabama trails.
"A Call For Alabama Trail Nominations" - The Alabama
Millennium Trails
Project is seeking trail nominations. The deadline is June 15th.
For more
information about the nomination process (and a application form)
contact
Pete Conroy at 256-782-5681 or visit the Millennium Trails website
at
http://www.millenniumtrails.org
This is truly an exciting program for anyone
who cares about the outdoors and Alabama's trails.
2. State Parks Funding Mechanism Nears Passage - Like
lightning, HB 562 the
State Parks Bonding Authority Bill passed the Alabama House, a
Senate
Committee and is awaiting a full vote in the Alabama Senate. This
all
occurred in about a week's time. Despite the bill's movement last
week, it
still must face a "logjam" of legislation in the Senate,
with only two days
remaining in the session.
HB 562 is being supported by State Park and environmental advocates
because
it provides the state with the funding authority to carry out
the State Park
Bond Amendment that was approved by the voters last November.
This law is
important to have in place, because once the actual funding issue
(remember:
the funding issue "sales tax caps" is being held up
in court) is resolved we
will not have to wait for several months for a new legislative
session to
begin to start issuing the bonds.
If you care about Alabama State Parks, please call the Lt.
Governor's office
at 334-242-7900 and Sen. Lowell Barron's office at 242-7800 and
ask for this
bill to be "voted on" this week.
3. What is AML Funding? And Why Should Bama Care - John
Wathen, a Board
member of the Citizens Coal Council, and director of Friends of
Hurricane
Creek recently wrote me about the importance of the Abandoned
Mine Land (AML)
Trust Fund and the urgent need for Alabama to start using this
fund to clean
up 149 AML sites.
Here is the deal. In 1977 the AML fund was created by Congress
by levying a
surcharge on all coal mined at a rate of 35 cents a ton for all
surface mined
coal and 15 cents a ton for all underground coal. Because the
fund has not
been used much, the trust fund for cleanup now has a surplus of
$1.6 billion
nationally. Here is where Alabama comes in. Congress needs to
release AML
trust fund monies so we can cleanup and reclaim the state's abandoned
mines.
At the current pace of cleanup/reclamation it will take 114 years
to reclaim
all of Alabama's 149 sites. Instead of laying off coal miners
we could be
using the AML fund to help reclaim these sites.
If you are interested in helping "break loose" these
funds to cleanup
Alabama's environment contact John Wathen at: fohurricane@simplecom.net
4. Alabama Heritage Magazine Enviro. Stories - Here
is a highly recommended
publication... Alabama Heritage Magazine. The last two issues
of Alabama
Heritage contained two beautifully written articles on the Cahaba
River and
the Paint Rock Valley in Northeast Alabama. "Alabama's Heart
River - The
Cahaba" which is featured in the Fall 1998 issue is written
by Todd Keith and
has stunning photos by Beth Young. The Spring 1999 issue features
"Paint
Rock Valley" and is written by longtime environmental advocate
John B. Scott,
Jr, with the photographs coming from Anderson Scott. The article
and photos
are both breathtaking.
These features are not just articles in a publication, they
are keepsakes.
For more information about Alabama Heritage Magazine, please call
Sara Martin
at 205-348-7467.
5. Brief Announcements - Lot's of good events happening
across the state in
the next week and half to keep folks busy.
Don't forget the Cahaba River Society's Riverfest (205-32-CLEAN)
on June 5th
in Centereville; National Trails Day at the Land Trust in Huntsville
(256-534-5263), Sierra Club's Tablescapes/Auction (for details
-
205-680-9263).
On Sunday June 13th don't forget the "I Can See For Miles"
Family Bicycle Day
for Clean Air at the McWane Center in B'ham. Remember there will
be a free
showing of the IMAX film the "Blue Planet" (tickets
are first come first
serve).
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
