1) National Monument Designation Receiving Editorial Support
2) Senator Richard Shelby Declares Opposition to CARA
3) Sierra Club Sues Forest Service Over Wildlife Concerns
4) Environmental Groups File Suit Against EPA Over Water Standards
5) Welcome to Birmingham! An Environmental Dry Cleaner
6) Check Out the Green Scene on Radio and on the Web

BEN Notes:

Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama's Madison Campaign met and exceeded their goals for the summer. The final numbers: The Land Trust preserved more than 236 acres and raised $145,200. For more info on the Land Trust visit them on the web at: http://www.landtrust-hsv.org

Despite 60 mile per hour winds and a torrential downpour, the "Seeing the Light - A Celebration of Rivers" fundraiser netted approximately $16,000 last Thursday (July 20). If you missed the event, you can still purchase copies of Beth Maynor Young's first limited edition Southern Rivers Portfolio, by visiting her website at http://www.cahabariverpublishing.com or call
205-969-1800.

Learn how to buy a block of "Green Power" from your local utility in the TVA region. Huntsville Utilities is currently the only Alabama company offering this program. For more information about Green Power visit http://www.TnGreen.com/greenpower or contact the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy at : 865-637-6055.

New! Calling all environmental organizations who would like to get their scheduled events and activities published in BEN. We are asking groups to send us information on their scheduled events by August 10th, so we can publish a Fall Calendar. Submit events and activities to pkbyington@aol.com. Do not send files. If you have any questions, call 205-226-7739. - PB.

1. National Monument Designation Receiving Editorial Support - The movement to designate portions of the Bankhead and Talladega National Forests as National Monuments has garnered almost universal support from one constituent
- the editorial pages of local newspapers.

The Monument proposal has been endorsed by the Times Daily (Florence), Cullman Times, Decatur Daily, Daily Mountain Eagle (Jasper), Birmingham News and the Anniston Star. The Moulton Advertiser favors designation if protections outlined in the proposal are included in the president's proclamation. You can read several of the endorsements online by visiting the following websites:

Anniston Star - "National Forests and Monuments"

Decatur Daily - National Monument Status for Bankhead and Talladega

Along with the endorsements, the "Our Green is Gold" coalition released a poll conducted by Southeast Research showing 78% of the respondents favored President Clinton declaring the two forests as monuments. To learn more about the National Monument Campaign contact Ken Wills at 205-322-3126.

2. Senator Richard Shelby Declares Opposition to CARA - Alabama's senior senator Richard Shelby stated last week in the Mobile Register that he expects to vote against the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), a major conservation bill that is supported by environmentalists and sportsmen. If passed the legislation would bring $75 million annually to Alabama for
conservation programs. CARA is strongly supported by Sen. Jeff Sessions.

Sen. Shelby identified private property rights and - Alabama not getting its "rightful share (of monies)" under the bill's formula, as the main reasons for his objections. Sen. Sessions stated in the July 17th Mobile Register article that he is convinced the bill offers landowners plenty of protection.

On the issue of the bill's allocation formula, the Senate version has increased Alabama's share from $53 million in the House to $75 million in the Senate. Funds for CARA will support the Land Water And Conservation Fund (LWCF), nongame wildlife programs, coastal programs, historic preservation and full funding of the payment in lieu of taxes program (a program that will
provide monies in lieu of taxes (local property taxes) to county's with National Forest and Federal lands).

Supporters of CARA, including the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Alabama Recreation and Park Association and the Nature Conservancy of Alabama are hoping to reverse Sen. Shelby's position before CARA reaches the Senate floor.

For more information about CARA and LWCF visit the following websites: http://www.ahrinfo.org and http://www.teaming.com. If you care about land conservation, parks and wildlife contact Senator Shelby and tell him how you
feel about CARA and the environment. Call or write Sen. Shelby at: 202-224-5744 (ph), 202-224-3416 (fax), and senator@shelby.senate.gov. Senator Sessions can be reached at: 202-224-4124 (ph) or 202-224-3149 (fax).

3. Sierra Club Sues Forest Service Over Wildlife Concerns - Last week (July 13), According to a joint Sierra Club and EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund press release, the two groups have filed suit in Federal Court to stop logging in National Forests from wiping out rare birds and fish in the Southeastern United States. The groups further contend that despite a
previous court ruling that the U.S. Forest Service must examine the ways logging will harm endangered species, the Forest Service has continued to allow logging that destroys sensitive animal habitat.

The suit, which impacts the Southern Region of the Forest Service includes 31 National Forests. Three of Alabama's National Forests are listed in the suit. They are the Bankhead, Talladega and Conecuh Forests. Joining the Sierra Club in Alabama as plaintiffs in the suit is Wild Alabama. WildLaw will be representing Wild Alabama and Wild South on the case. For more
information about this lawsuit, contact WildLaw's Ray Vaughan at 334-265-6529.

4. Environmental Groups File Suit Against EPA Over Water Standards - On July 17th, the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF) and the Alabama Rivers Alliance filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to compel the agency to take action to improve water quality in 17 rivers and streams in Alabama.

The suit alleges that EPA disapproved the water quality standards established by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) for these waters (17 rivers) in 1986 and again in 1991. Under settlement of a 1996 LEAF lawsuit, EPA agreed to reclassify nine river and creek segments in Alabama. Instead, LEAF alleges that EPA missed all its deadlines to make the rule changes. On another eight creeks, EPA officials have been saying for four years that they needed time to gather more data.

The 17 river and creek segments are located in the Mobile Bay, Tennessee, Cahaba, Warrior, Coosa and Tallapoosa river basins. For more information about this effort to improve the water quality in rivers across Alabama, contact the Alabama Rivers Alliance at: 205-322-6395.

5. Welcome to Birmingham! An Environmental Dry Cleaner - At last, there is a new dry cleaner with a commitment to keeping both clothes and the environment clean. Hunter's Cleaners located at 1915 Oxmoor Road in Homewood, uses non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable cleaning fluids that are EPA and OSHA approved. The chemicals are not only safe, but are recycled to keep down usage. Environmentally friendly equipment has also been installed.

Try out this new innovative business. For information about Hunter's Cleaners environmental dry cleaning contact Hunter Payne at: 205-871-6131.

6. Check Out the Green Scene on Radio and on the Web - Recently, I was made aware of a new one minute radio program called The GreenScene. This radio program is a resource for consumers who have questions and concerns about basic environmental issues. The show offers provide helpful tips and information on environmental products. Check The GreenScene out on the web (the site has great links) - and ask your local radio station to pick up this program. The GreenScene website is: http://www.thegreenscene.com

Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication, contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com To receive back issues of BEN, please go to our website at: http://www.BamaNews.com