BEN - Bama Environmental News: September 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bama Environmental News Sept. 27, 2011 #365

Special in this Edition: Gadsden Times Editorial- Plan B Needed on Water, Oil Spill Fine Legislation Passes Senate Committee Thanks to Bi-Partisan Support, US Fish and Wildlife Service Finds 374 Aquatic Species May Warrant Endangered Species Protection, After 8 years All Chemical Weapons in Anniston Destroyed, John Borom Alabama Coastal Birdfest - October 6-8

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Southern Environmental Center's Ecofest 13 @Harbert Center in Birmingham - October 6th

http://www.bsc.edu/sec/ecofest/efest13/index.cfm

Freshwater Land Trust Name Our Greenway System

http://www.freshwaterlandtrust.org/coming-soon-name-our-greenway-system

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Keystone Grants - Oct. 1 Deadline

http://www.nfwf.org/Content/NavigationMenu/GrantPrograms/ProgramsOverview/Keystones/default.htm

Alabama Power's Five Star Proposal Writing Workshop

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AlabamaPower

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Op-eds, Links, Audio and Videos

Gadsden Times Editorial- Plan B Needed on Water

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20110920/NEWS/110929983

Birmingham and Environmental Protection - Bham News Op-ed by Keith Johnston and David Pope from SELC

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/09/viewpoints_for_birmingham_to_r.html

News Across Alabama

Oil Spill Fine Legislation Passes Senate Committee Thanks to Bi-Partisan Support

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/09/scientists_and_environmentalis.html

US Fish and Wildlife Service Finds 374 Aquatic Species May Warrant Endangered Species Protection

http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2011/11-063.html

Gov. Bentley to Ask Supreme Court to Decide Water War with Georgia

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20110919/WIRE/110919715

Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico at Record Levels

http://www.emagazine.com/magazine/dead-in-the-gulf

After 8 years All Chemical Weapons in Anniston Destroyed

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/09/last_pile_of_chemical_weapons.html

Report: Other Uses Studied for Anniston Chemical Weapons Incinerator

http://www.annistonstar.com/view/full_story/15697315/article-Army-report-looks-at-possible-new-uses-for-incinerator?instance=news_right

University of South Alabama Starts On Campus Bike Program

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/09/university_of_south_alabama_ja_1.html

http://www.southalabama.edu/jagsmart/jagbikes.shtml

Red Mountain Park Opening to the Public

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/09/alabamas_red_mountain_park_pla.html

The "Numbers" from the 24th Annual Coastal Cleanup

http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2011/09/27/local_news/doc4e775f94267eb009512973.txt

New Alabama Species of Dragonfly Found on Ruffner Mountain

http://bamanews2.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-dragonfly-found-on-ruffner-mountain.html

Events & Job Openings

Alabama Coastal Foundation Seeking Executive Director

http://joinacf.org/blog/view/alabama-coastal-foundation-seeking-executive-director

Environmental Health Manager - Birmingham

Contact Info -careers@breathehealthy.org (email for job description)

Fresh Air Family Calendar

http://www.freshairfamily.org/calendarandevents.html

Alabama Hiking Trail Society - Calendar

http://www.hikealabama.org/calendar

Alabama Wildlife Federation Calendar

http://www.alabamawildlife.org/events/

5 Rivers- Alabama's Delta Resource Center Events

http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/outdoor-adventures/5rivers/events/

Renew Our Rivers 2011 Calendar

http://www.alabamapower.com/lakes/schedule.asp

Friends of Shades Creek Calender

http://www.shadescreek.org/

Alabama Wildlife Federation's Wild Game Cook-off Calendar

http://www.alabamawildlife.org/hunting/?pageID=58

Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama's Rock the Trails Series

http://landtrustnal.org/wzyp-mountain-high-outfitters-and-sierra-mist-rock-the-trails-series/

Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation - Sept. 28-29, 5 Rivers

http://www.weeksbay.org/lta.html

John Borom Alabama Coastal Birdfest - October 6-8

http://www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com

Southern Environmental Center Ecofest - October 6th @The Harbert Center in Birmingham, Alabama

http://www.bsc.edu/sec/ecofest/efest13/index.cfm

Freshwater Land Trust Darter Dash - October 8th

http://www.active.com/running/pinson-al/freshwater-land-trust-darter-dash-5k-2011-ne831

Take Pride Statewide Annual Conference - October 11-12

http://www.auntielitter.org/takepridestatewide.html

Bartram Trail Conference - October 21-23 in Macon, Georgia

http://bartramtrail.org/PDF%20files/2011regis.pdf

Coosa River State of Our Watershed Conference

http://cleanwaterpartnership.org/events/?eventID=188&date=10/13/2011

Moss Rock Festival 2011 - November 5-6

http://mossrockfestival.com/

Sierra Club Annual Retreat November 18-20 at Camp McDowell

http://alabama.sierraclub.org/2011-conference/conference2011.html

Monday, September 26, 2011

New Dragonfly Found on Ruffner Mountain

From my good friend Michelle Reynolds, Ruffner Mountain Board Member:

Springwater Dancer, Argia plana- a new Alabama record found at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve's wetland. This new damselfly was found by Steve Krotzer.

On September 9th, the Friday morning before Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve's Flutter Fest, Steve Krotzer (a dragonfly/damselfly specialist) met Michelle Reynolds and Cindy Pinger and drove over to the preserve's wetlands. It was cool that morning and Steve did not expect to find many dragonflies flying around. He had never been to the wetlands before and wanted to scout out the location for a future class field trip.

As the group stepped onto the boardwalk, Steve spotted something very unusual for Alabama and asked for someone to go get the net and the camera from the car. He explained what it was he was excited about. It was a bright blue male Springwater Dancer. He photographed it and stated the female should be around somewhere close by.

The female is a drab grey and more camouflaged than the brightly colored male. The area where the damselflies were found were in the artesian well stream -- a very cool, shallow and constant water source.

The artesian well once served as the water source for the iron ore mining camps on the mountain. In 2009 the 3 ponds that make up the wetlands and the boardwalk were completed in Phase 1 of the Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve's master expansion plan.

Information on the known range of the species: "... mostly east of New Mexico and south into northeastern Mexico, east to Wisconsin, Missouri, and Arkansas." Finding them in ALABAMA is a significant range extension to the east!

Habitat is "small to medium shallow streams, rocky and sandy, in or out of woodland; may be on quite small spring runs and hillside trickles, often at tiny seeps with no other species of Dancers. Considered indicative of springs in some parts of their range"--found in Dennis Paulson's "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West"

Flutter Fest hikers on Saturday looked for the new damselfly with Dr. Mike Howell and Vitaly Charny. They indeed got to see the Springwater Dancer! Mike Howell is a former board member and helped in the planning of the wetlands. Charny and Howell are authors of Butterflies of Alabama and were the Flutter Fest field trip leaders to the wetlands to see butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies.

Steve Krotzer works as an Aquatic Biologist for Alabama Power Company and has been studying and photographing dragonflies and damselflies for 20 years. He is a member and past president of Dragonfly Society of the Americas. He is married to Mary Jane who works at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa. She also likes dragonflies!

I checked with the landscape architects to see if any of the plant material came from the west -- just in case the nymphs hitchhiked over here in the soil. This is why the delay in announcing the find. The plant material came from Alabama and Florida and most likely are not the source of the damselflies being here.

The first annual Flutter Fest was held on September 10. The festival celebrated all insects that flutter -- kids crafts, nature art, a caterpillar hunt, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, and moths all in one day of great fun for all ages.

Paulette Haywood Ogard and Sara Cunningham Bright (authors of Butterflies of Alabama: Glimpses into Their Lives), Mike Howell and Vitaly Charny (authors of Butterflies of Alabama), BSC professors Dr. Andy Gannon, Dr. Peter Van Zandt, Samford professor Dr. Grant Gentry, UAB professor Dr. Malia Fincher, Stoneshovel's Arnie Rutkis, and zookeeper Jamie Nobles all took part in the festival by leading field trips, talks and demonstrations.

More photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150297552496898.343268.300739511897&l=6bba029264

Monday, September 05, 2011

BEN - September 5, 2011 #364

Special in this Edition: Alabama's Own Magician Steve Trash, Alabama Coastal Foundation Blogpost - "Meg Ryan and Climate Change," Earthquake Risk to Nuclear Power Plants - Alabama Plant Makes List , Tennessee Riverkeepers Cite Water Pollution Violations on Lake Guntersville, Fresh Air Family Calendar

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Sequatchie Cove Farm in Birmingham - September 10th (Orders due Thursday the 8th)

http://sequatchiecovefarm.com/community-supported-agriculture-program/meat-csa/

Mobile Native Vince Dooley and the Delta

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/08/pigskin_latin_vince_dooley_mob.html

Alabama Environmental Council Featured

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2011/08/alabama_environmental_council.html

Alabama Power Sponsoring Tree Grant Program (Deadline - Sept. 19th)

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110830/news/110829666

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Op-eds, Links, Audio and Videos

Alabama's Own Magician Steve Trash (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPn2gluW5qY&feature=share

Bill Finch's Gardening Columns in the Mobile Register

http://topics.al.com/tag/Bill%20Finch/index.html

Harvey Cotten's Gardening Columns in the Huntsville Times

http://topics.al.com/tag/Harvey%20Cotten/index.html

Glynn Wilson's "It's the environment stupid"

http://blog.locustfork.net/2011/08/republican-michele-bachmann-suggests-drilling-for-oil-in-the-everglades/

Alabama Coastal Foundation Blogpost - "Meg Ryan and Climate Change"

http://joinacf.org/blog/view/in-which-i-compare-meg-ryan-and-climate-change

Atty General Luther Strange's Op-ed on the Tri-State Water War

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/08/viewpoints_feeding_atlanta_at.html

Deadly Deception in Birmingham CBS 42 (videos)

http://www.cbs42.com/content/special/pollution/deadly/default.aspx

News Across Alabama

Alabama's Reaction to Obama's Ozone Rule Decision - Senator Sessions, Alabama Power and Environmental Community

http://blog.al.com/wire/2011/09/jeff_sessions_pleased_others_c.html

Oil Spill Into Mobile River

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/09/mobile_river_closed_after_comp.html

Earthquake Risk to Nuclear Power Plants - Alabama Plant Makes List

http://blog.al.com/wire/2011/09/earthquake_risks_to_nuclear_re.html

Tennessee Riverkeepers Cite Water Pollution Violations on Lake Guntersville

http://www2.alabamas13.com/news/2011/sep/01/watchdog-group-says-alabama-firm-polluting-lake-gu-ar-2350823/

Wild Pigs Problem Destroying the Wiregrass in Southeast Alabama

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2011/sep/01/wild-pigs-growing-problem-wiregrass-ar-2351929/

Events & Job Openings

Alabama Coastal Foundation Seeking Executive Director

http://joinacf.org/blog/view/alabama-coastal-foundation-seeking-executive-director

Fresh Air Family Calendar

http://www.freshairfamily.org/calendarandevents.html

Alabama Hiking Trail Society - Calendar

http://www.hikealabama.org/calendar

Alabama Wildlife Federation Calendar

http://www.alabamawildlife.org/events/

5 Rivers- Alabama's Delta Resource Center Events

http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/outdoor-adventures/5rivers/events/

Renew Our Rivers 2011 Calendar

http://www.alabamapower.com/lakes/schedule.asp

Friends of Shades Creek Calender

http://www.shadescreek.org/

Alabama Wildlife Federation's Wild Game Cook-off Calendar

http://www.alabamawildlife.org/hunting/?pageID=58

Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama's Rock the Trails Series

http://landtrustnal.org/wzyp-mountain-high-outfitters-and-sierra-mist-rock-the-trails-series/

Green Building Focus Events - Sept. 15-16 (Birmingham)

http://www.greenbuildingfocus.com/

Wild & Scenic Film Festival - Sept. 8th in Birmingham

http://www.alabamarivers.org/events/wild-and-scenic-film-festival

Landmark Park Low Country Boil Fundraiser - September 15th

http://landmarkpark.com/events.html#current

Moon Dance at Three Caves - Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama - September 17th

http://landtrustnal.org/moon-over-three-caves-dance/

Cocktails for the Coast - September 22th

http://joinacf.org/index.php?/what-we-do/cocktails-for-the-coast

Cahaba River Society's "Fry Down" Sept. 25th in Trussville

http://www.frydown.com/