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e-River Ties, April 2008--Earth Day Edition!
A special Earth Day edition of E-River Ties
Happy Earth Day, everyone!
It's an especially happy Earth Day for us at the Alabama Rivers Alliance because there have been three important victories for Alabama's rivers this month! Scroll down to read more about them.
- Victory against cancer! Panel ups the standards for carcinogens in water
- Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) adopts Blueprint reform proposed by ADEM Reform Coalition
- Alabama Legislature votes for water management committee
- Raindrop Festival, April 25
- April is Earth Month! See a comprehensive directory of Earth Month Events on the Rivers Alliance website.
- Alabama Rivers Alliance Event Calendar
- Participate in Whole Foods Earth Month Event
- Three different styles of Alabama Rivers Alliance t-shirts now available online!
- Shop to support the Rivers Alliance
- Donate to the Alabama Rivers Alliance
Victories
Victory against cancer! Panel ups the standards for carcinogens in water
On Friday, April 18, the Environmental Management Commission passed a rule change that will reduce the allowable cancer risk levels in Alabama’s waterways from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 1 million! This initiative was first brought to the Commission’s attention by the Alabama Rivers Alliance and 17 other environmental organizations in the spring of 2007. After almost of year of hard work by the citizens and the Commission, the right decision was made today! We commend the Environmental Management Commission for making this decision and all of the citizens and organizations who worked so hard to keep it moving forward.
The Alabama Rivers Alliance would especially like to thank attorney, David Ludder, who has been a steadfast source of leadership, knowledge, and hard work on all of these initiatives.
See more articles on this subject:
"ADEM toughens carcinogenic regulations"
"Panel ups the standards for carcinogens in water"
Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) adopts Blueprint reform proposed by ADEM Reform Coalition
Another important step was made at the April 18 meeting of the Environmental Management Commission was a vote to hold two of their meetings outside of Montgomery in other parts of the state to encourage more attendance by the public.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Reform Coalition, a coalition of 41 member organizations from across the state including the Alabama Rivers Alliance, recommended this idea in our original Blueprint for ADEM Reform published in 2002.
The idea of moving the meeting locations and times to accommodate working citizens is Blueprint recommendation #20. We commend the Commission for recognizing the importance of fostering more public participation and awareness in the important work of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
The Commission also passed several other important water quality rule-making changes that will help improve the standards under which Alabama’s waterways are protected. Citizen advocacy and participation does work and today we saw results of those efforts!
Alabama Legislature votes for water management committee
The Alabama Legislature passed a resolution Thursday to develop something the state doesn't have — a statewide water management plan, despite a severe drought and years of tri-state water talks.
SJR 28, sponsored by Sen. Kim Benefield, D-Woodland, has passed both the House and Senate. This bill creates the Alabama Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management.
The purpose is to develop the Alabama Water Management Plan to recommend to the governor and the Legislature courses of action to address the state's long-term and short-term water resource challenges.
The committee would be composed of the chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry; the chair of the House Commerce Committee; the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Transportation and Utilities; the chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; five members of the House appointed by the speaker; two members of the Senate appointed by the lieutenant governor; and two members of the Senate appointed by the president pro tem of the Senate.
Read more about this subject:
"Alabama Legislature votes for water management committee"
Read the SJR28 Water Resolution
In the News for April:
Going Green's in the Bag
Whole Foods announced this year that it plans to eliminate plastic shopping bags by Earth Day, April 22. The store has asked customers to bring their plastic bags from home to be recycled, offering 10 cents for each bag; customers who bring in 10 plastic bags receive the 99-cent reusable Whole Foods Better Bag. (Through the end of April, the Whole Foods at Cahaba Village is asking customers to donate the 10 cents they receive back from their plastic bags to the Alabama Rivers Alliance.)
Click here to read the full article, "Going green's in the bag"
Earth Day Celebrations
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"Earth day is great it increases awareness about social responsibility for the environment and it teaches the kids to have more responsibility," said visitor Shunna Cannon. But there's an educational aspect to all this fun, too. |
Click here to read the full article, Earth Day Celebrations
"Let's Play," Birmingham News Earth Day commentary
My four-year-old daughter is a princess. No really, she wears crowns and tiaras most of the day, flowing dresses and silver sparkling shoes. One of her most prized possessions is a Canadian coin with Queen Elizabeth on it.
A few weeks ago, my princess had a transformative experience.
She and I went out to see the Dick’s Sporting Goods Outdoor Adventure Road Tour, where there was a paddle/canoe demonstration and a huge fish tank, with professional fishermen showing folks how to fish. It was the fish that got her, literally “hooked.”
Grassroots Highlights
Protected species found in Shades Creek
The University of Alabama Department of Biological Sciences led a speological survey of Shades Creek this month, and the group collected a total of 20 different species of fishes and found shells of 6 species of mussels, including several endangered Goldline Darters and what may be the first native mussels ever identified on Shades Creek!
Click the "Play" button to see video of the sampling
The group included Bernie Kuhajda of the University of Alabama Department of Biological Sciences, Heath Howell and Brook Fluker from the University of ALabama, James Lowery from Friends of Shades Creek, Randy Haddock from the Cahaba River Society, and April Hall and Liz Salter of the Alabama Rivers Alliance. They sampled four riffles upstream of the railcars and two riffles downstream.
They found what may be the first native mussel shells ever recovered
in Shades Creek, which David Campbell (UA) identified as Quadrula asperata (Alabama Orb) and Q. verrucosa (Pistolgrip).
Among the species collected were:
- Goldline Darters (endangered)
- Fineline Pocketbook mussels (federally threatened)
- Gulf Pigtoe mussels
- Coal Darters
Send in your Grassroots Highlights and Events!
Part of our job is to keep you connected and informed, so if you have something going on, let’s celebrate…
Email Liz to get it on our calendar so we can let others in your area know about it.
Events
Raindrop Festival, April 25
Music and art festival benefiting Hulsey Little River Land Trust
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What |
Benefit |
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When |
April 25, 2008 11:00 AM to |
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Where |
Bottle Tree, Birmingham, AL |
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Add event to calendar |
You can now buy Raindrop Festival tickets online!!! Just click here.
One-day admission to the festival is $20, a weekend pass is $35. All ticket holders will receive a complimentary souvenir pint glass with unlimited refills from the keg during the festival and 1-year membership to the Hulsey Little River Trust.
Band lineup:
April 25 & 26
Regia
Arkadelphia
Sworn Enemies
The Triceratops
The Broken Letters
Duquette Johnston
T-Minus Band
Twinside
Monarchs
Kate Taylor
Wiseblood
The White Oaks
Lonesome Spirit Device
Chad Fisher Group
Sunny So Brite
Through the Sparks
Vulture Whale
Here are the bands that will be playing the 2008 Raindrop Festival at Bottletree. A schedule with show times will be posted soon.
One-day admission to the festival is $20, a weekend pass is $35. All ticket holders will receive a complimentary souvenir pint glass with unlimited refills from the keg during the festival and 1-year membership to the Hulsey Little River Trust.
More information about this event…
April is Earth Month! See a comprehensive directory of Earth Month Events on the Rivers Alliance website.
Click here to see a complete listing of Earth Day events in Alabama. If you know of an event that’s not included on our list, email Katie Shaddix and let us know.
Alabama Rivers Alliance Event Calendar
Click here for a comprehensive list of events involving Alabama’s Rivers.
How can I support the Alabama Rivers Alliance?
Participate in Whole Foods Earth Month Event
Foods Markets nationwide have pledged to stop using plastic bags by Earth Day! Shoppers who bring their own bags are rewarded with a ten-cent refund for each bag that they bring!
As a special Earth Month promotion, shoppers can choose to donate their refund to the Alabama Rivers Alliance! Next time you go to Whole Foods, bring your own bag, and protect our planet in more ways than one!
Any bag that you bring in will result in a discount, whether it's plastic, paper, canvas, or an old banjo case, but we think that environmentally-friendly, durable canvas totes are the best.
Need to buy one of your own? Click here to get one from us!
Click here to read about the bag refund program in the news!
Three different styles of Alabama Rivers Alliance t-shirts now available online!
Click here to check out the designs and order yours today!
Shop to support the Rivers Alliance
We are proud to announce our guide to Eco-friendly, Socially-Conscious retailers. Do you know of a business that you'd like to see included on the list? Email us and let us know.
Did you know that you can support the Rivers Alliance just by purchasing Higher Ground Roaster's delicious River Blend Coffee? Or that 25% of purchases from www.LetsGoGreen.biz will benefit the Rivers Alliance when you travel to the store through the links on our website?
To shop with our fundraising partners and other Eco-friendly, fair trade retailers, click here.
Donate to the Alabama Rivers Alliance
None of the Rivers Alliance's good work would be possible without the support of our members and donors. The Rivers Alliance is now accepting donations online through Paypal for those of you with Paypal accounts and also through www.Groundspring.org. Visit our Donate page to contribute or to renew your membership today!
For more information about current happenings with the Alabama Rivers Alliance, read our print newsletter online in a pdf format by clicking here.
To subscribe to our e-newsletter, email Katie Shaddix.
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ARTWORKS by Melanie Townsend Colvin