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CONSERVATION REPORT - 2000

Your Conservation Committee has not submitted a report this year, so set forth below are the principal matters in which AOS has been engaged. The most pressing one, at this turn of the year, however, is the need of designation of National Monuments for the North Bankhead and North Talladega National Forests. We had commented on the Roadless Areas Initiative for the National Forests. However, Alabama has little inventoried roadless areas to be set aside (less than 3% of the forests). Thus, this is our last hope to preserve more of their Appalachian hardwoods that were so beautiful this fall and are needed by migratory songbirds, more of the rare Mountain Longleaf Pine habitat in the Talladega, and the homes of many wild creatures and wild plants.

The petitions have been filed and are well prepared, but Alabama needs action soon. Please call President Clinton toll-free at 1-888/737-4897 (e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov); Gov. Don Siegelman toll-free at 1-800/591-4217 (e-mail: dsiegel-man@governor.state.al.us), asking him to call the President in support of these designations; and/or Chief-of-Staff John Podesta at 1-202/456-6797 (not toll-free) (e-mail: john_podesta@who.eop.gov).

I. Environmental Quality.

(1) CAFOs:  AOS has continued to urge stronger regulations in Alabama governing CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations, such as hog farms). We wrote to the Environmental Management Commission of ADEM, during a recent public comment period, urging strengthening of those regulations and later to the Governor to urge him and his office to take needed action to assure that strengthening. ADEM did increase setbacks from property lines for residences, schools, churches and the like, but did hardly anything for setbacks from water sources and has taken no action on groundwater monitoring or controlling air pollution, which involves hydrogen sulfide gas that produces an extremely noxious order, causes respiratory health problems, reduces property values and adds to air pollution that ADEM is supposed to be regulating.

(2) TMDLs: We wrote to endorse strongly and recommend adoption of the proposed phosphorus total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulation for Lake Weiss. ADEM is far behind in establishing TMDLs. While this is a start, they sorely need one for nitrogen and TMDLs for all the other lakes in the Coosa, Upper Tallapoosa, Warrior and Tombigbee River Basins. This was the subject of an extensive news article in July, 1997 (3 years ago), so it can easily be seen how much more ADEM needs to do.

(3) Pesticides:  We commented to urge EPA to cancel all general uses of the organophosphate pesticide, Diazinon, and make it restricted-use only for remaining uses. Diazinon is very similar to Chlorpyrifos (Dursban) for which EPA recently banned most household uses. Both are biocides and are highly toxic to birds, fish, amphibians, crustaceans, bees and aquatic insects. Diazinon is a fetotoxin and immunotoxin and is neurotoxic in that it is a cholinesterase inhibitor, interfering with the nerve impulses across the synapses in the brain! Consequently, it would appear that it and its allied pesticides should be heavily restricted. In submitting our comments, we were guided strongly by the analyses of the Rachael Carson Council, which investigates the effects of pesticides on humans and wildlife.

II. Preservation of Habitat In addition to the Roadless Areas initiative,

(1) Fort McClellan:  We have continued to write to urge the preservation of the forested part of Fort McClellan in Calhoun County as a national wildlife refuge. The area contains much habitat for Mountain Longleaf Pine and Eastern Deciduous Hardwoods, both of which would be very helpful for preservation of species inhabiting those ecosystems. Use as a wildlife refuge would also be of economic benefit to the region and an educational and scientific resource available to secondary schools and institutions of higher learning. We urged adoption of Alternative 2 in the Draft Environmental Assessment of the Fish & Wildlife Service that would set aside up to 15,000 acres of the forested part of the fort as a national wildlife refuge. This action has also been supported by Senator Jeff Sessions.

(2) Mobile-Tensaw Delta:  We submitted comments on the proposed wildlife management plan for the 47,000-acre Clearwater-Delta tracts in the Mobile/Tensaw delta that are now owed by the Forever Wild Land Trust and addressed, specifically, protection of sensitive and endangered species like the Swallow-tailed Kite, Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Alabama Red-bellied Turtle as well as migratory songbirds and urged management for multiple natural uses.

(3) Wheeler NWR:  AOS joined with the Alabama Audubon Council in opposing the cutting of a barge canal across the eastern end of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge for a proposed industrial park and urged that the integrity of the refuge be preserved and that an alternate location, which is available, be used for any industrial park.

(4) Highway Rights-of-Way:  We have objected to the State Highway Dept. and the Governor's Office -- and written in behalf of conservationists generally -- about timbering along the interstate highways in Alabama, principally I-65 in Chilton and Shelby Counties, but some on I-20/59. This practice has several adverse effects, including causing bank erosion, impact on wetlands, defacing the highways and waste of public funds. It is not employed in other states, so we question, "Why in Alabama?"

III. Endangered Species.

(1) Piping and Snowy Plovers:  We commented on the Fish & Wildlife Service's rule to designate critical habitat for the threatened and endangered Piping Plover, urging inclusion of additional areas of critical habitat and designation of the Gulf Coast wintering populations as endangered instead of not merely threatened. As is obvious, there is great loss of that habitat on the Gulf Coast. In our comments, we also proposed listing of the Snowy Plover as threatened or endangered and designating the same critical habitat as its critical habitat for both breeding and wintering. Both plovers occupy the same beaches, except that the Piping Plover is also found on the Atlantic Coast. Studies show that the Piping has around 2800 breeding pairs and that the Snowy Plover has only a little over 300 breeding pairs. Thus, by comparison, it should be listed at least as threatened and probably endangered. There are common threats to both species and a definite need to facilitate consultation among the several federal agencies and others who are involved in actions affecting the beaches and dune systems along the Gulf Coast.

(2) Vermilion Darter:  We also submitted comments on the listing as endangered of this lovely little fish, found only in 4 pools in Turkey Creek in Northeast Jefferson County and, when Fish & Wildlife declared a moratorium of listing actions, sought an emergency listing (the emergency is excessive nonpoint source siltation) and an exemption from the moratorium.

(3) Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW):  We commented just recently on the new Recovery Plan for this endangered woodpecker, noting that management for the RCW is also management for good merchantable timber and management against the Southern Pine Beetle!

We always appreciate your support on these issues and will appreciate whatever efforts you can take for the National Forests.