February 12, 2002

#170

1) Attorney General Pryor Issues Opinion On Campaign Sign Litter
2) Anniston Lead Testing Findings Released
3) Hurricane Creek Spill Investigated
4) Forever Wild Decides Not To Move Forward On Jefferson Reserve
5) BEN Notes: SELC Deep South Office Seeking Director, Black Warrior-Cahaba
Rivers Land Trust Seeking Land Specialist, Legacy Releases New Enviro.
Directory, Cahaba River Society's CLEAN Program, "Reclaiming the Dream"
Alabama Transit Policy, Opponents To Shoals RSA Golf Course Launch Website
6.) Websites Featured in BEN #170

It is with great sadness that I announce that Robert (Bob) McCollum, 38, Coordinator of the Nongame Wildlife Program of the Department of Conservation's Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, passed away January 22nd. Bob was a great champion for Alabama's Biodiversity.

Bob is survived by his wife Deborah Ann (Debbi) McCollum, Education Director of the Montgomery Zoo, and his son, Miles Thomas McCollum. A memorial fund, in the form of a scholarship trust for Miles has been established. Donations may be sent c/o Ms. Angelique Suzanne, Education Department, Montgomery Zoo, 329 Vandiver Blvd., Montgomery, Alabama 36110. Checks should be made out to Miles McCollum.

In honor and memory of Bob's effort's on behalf of Alabama's environment, BEN is publishing the latest figures from the Nature Conservancy's Alabama Natural Heritage Program on the importance of Alabama's biodiversity. Bob's work lives on.

* Alabama has more species of mussels, snails and crayfish than any other state.

* Alabama ranks second in the nation in number of fish species.

* Alabama waters contain:
- 61% of nation's mussels, 7 found only in Alabama
- 38% of the nation's fish, 11 found only in Alabama
- 49% of the nation's turtles, 1 found only in Alabama
- 43% of the nation's aquatic snails, 106 found only in Alabama
* More than 4000 vascular plant species, 4th most diverse in nation
* 20 plant species are found only in Alabama

1. Attorney General Pryor Issues Opinion On Campaign Sign Litter - In a press conference last week, Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, through a legal opinion released by his office, condemned the practice of posting political campaign signs on public rights of way.

Pryor said he announced his opinion after state Sen. Albert Lipscomb asked the attorney general's office for an advisory opinion on the legality of the signs and to comment on how offenders may be punished. Sen. Lipscomb, a candidate for Agriculture commissioner, promised to hand deliver the attorney general's opinion to each major party.

The opinion confirms that it is illegal to place political signs on federal highways, interstates and state highways, all of which are controlled by the state. It also states that anyone placing a political sign on public property may be charged with and prosecuted for violations of the criminal littering statute.

Attorney General Pryor has directed his own supporters to stay clear of posting signs on public rights of way.

2. Anniston Lead Testing Findings Released - A recently released report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that more than 25% of the children tested in an Anniston community had been exposed to lead. Exposure to lead in children under the age of 6 years can lower intelligence and cause aggressive behavior.

ATSDR agreed to perform blood tests after a local community group, Community Against Pollution, expressed concerns about the high levels of lead the EPA detected in residential soil in Western Anniston. The study tested 410 children.

For more information about the Anniston lead screening program, call ATSDR's Perstephanie Thompson at 888-422-8737. For more info on the health impacts of lead visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov and click on ToxFAQs.

3. Hurricane Creek Spill Investigated - According to the Tuscaloosa News, state mining officials say coal company Black Warrior Minerals will be fined up to $5,000 for damage caused when sediment flooded Hurricane Creek on January 11th.

The notice of violation issued to Black Warrior Minerals by the Alabama Office of Surface Mining cites the company for "failure to maintain sediment basins" and "failure to construct basins according to appropriate plans." The spillway, which was over a dam, developed a crack in its concrete lining last month. Water seeped through the lining, collapsing the spillway and washing large amounts of sediment into Hurricane Creek. The waters of the creek, which flows into the Black Warrior River, were red and orange for days after the spill.

The Friends of Hurricane Creek have been actively following this problem for the past month. For more information please call Amy Sides at 205-322-6395.

4. Forever Wild Decides Not To Move Forward On Jefferson Reserve - In a 4 to 9 vote, the Forever Wild Board of Trustees, rejected a motion to perform an appraisal on a 6000 acre parcel of land in North Jefferson County near the city of Gardendale. The defeat of the motion will make it very difficult for the proponents of the project to pull together the necessary funding for the project.

Despite the loss, Gardendale Mayor Kenny Clemons and the local citizen advisory committee will continue to seek other sources of funding, including the possibility of making another proposal to Forever Wild.

5. BEN Notes: SELC Deep South Office Seeking Director, Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust Seeking Land Specialist, Legacy Releases New Enviro. Directory, Cahaba River Society's CLEAN Program, "Reclaiming the Dream" Alabama Transit Policy, Opponents To Shoals RSA Golf Course Launch Website

SELC Deep South Office Seeking Director - The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking a director for their Deep South office located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Deep South office directly serves the states of Georgia and Alabama. The ideal candidate would be an excellent lawyer with 10 or more years experience, with significant environmental advocacy and litigation experience. Salary ranges between $85-115,000, commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits.

All applications must be in writing. Send resume and at least three references as soon as possible to Hayley Parrish, Southern Environmental Law Center, 201 W. Main Street, Suite 14, Charlottesville, Va. 22902-5065. SELC intends to fill this position by April 30th or sooner. For additional information about SELC visit their website at http://www.southernenvironment.org

Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust Seeking Land Specialist - The Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust is seeking a Land Specialist to be responsible for land acquisition and management oversight for Jefferson County Greenways program. Organizational skills, strategic thinking and the ability to work effectively with a broad range of people is a must. Working knowledge of water quality issues is a plus. Three years experience in real estate, natural resource management, or business is required. Send resumes to: Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust, 2121 8th Avenue North Ste. 802, Birmingham, Alabama 35203.

Legacy Releases New Enviro. Directory - Legacy, Inc., Partners in Environmental Education has just completed the revision of the Environmental Centers and Organizations Resource Guide. This publication is a comprehensive listing of the environmental centers and organizations found within Alabama. With more than 200 groups listed, the guide is a must for anyone planning environmental excursions and field trips or wanting to become more involved in local environmental organizations. To request a copy of the guide, contact Brian Key in the Legacy office at 334-270-5921 or brian@legacyenved.com . To find out more about Legacy and its environmental education programs and materials, visit http://www.legacyenved.org

Cahaba River Society's CLEAN Program - Here is a fantastic number that was reported at the Cahaba River Society's (CRS) Annual Meeting. In 2001, CRS's CLEAN environmental education program served 1580 students and teachers with hands-on river field trips. Twenty-eight different schools in Birmingham, Vestavia, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Homewood, and Bibb, Shelby, Dallas, St. Clair and Jefferson counties were served. For more information about the Cahaba River Society's CLEAN program visit their website at http://www.cahabariversociety.org or call them at 205-32-CLEAN.

"Reclaiming the Dream" Alabama Transit Policy - The Montgomery Transportation Coalition will be holding "Reclaiming the Dream" a program focused on providing reliable transportation in Alabama. The meetings will be held on February 15th and 16th, starting at the Dexter Ave. King Memorial Baptist Church on Friday. Please visit the Montgomery Transportation Coalition's website http://www.motranco.org or call 334-717-5464 for registration and program details.

Opponents To Shoals RSA Golf Course Launch Website - Citizens for Saving the TVA Walking Trail and Nature Area have created a website to help educate citizens about their opposition to the proposed 36 hole Robert Trent Jones Golf Course at the Muscle Shoals Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Reservation. You can check out the site and its many links at http://www.dreamwater.net/edu/trailsavers

6. Websites Featured in BEN #170

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov and click on ToxFAQs

Southern Environmental Law Center
http://www.southernenvironment.org

Legacy
http://www.legacyenved.org

Cahaba River Society
http://www.cahabariversociety.org

Montgomery Transportation Coalition
http://www.motranco.org

Citizens for Saving the TVA Walking Trail and Nature Area
http://www.dreamwater.net/edu/trailsavers

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Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication or would like your address to be removed from the BEN e-mail list, contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com.