Update on Alabama State Park Funding
Background on Alabama State Parks:
- Created in 1939, the first parks were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
- Last year, 5 parks closed, leaving 17 open. Some closed parks went to municipal management.
- The 17 parks collectively have about 45,000 Acres
- 5 resort parks with lodge, restaurant, and meeting facilities.
- 10 Parks wth modern cottages and campgrounds.
- 2 parks with cave tours.
ADCNR Cash Transfer History
- In the 2011 session, the Legislature passed a law un-earmarking earmarked agency funds.
- Law was passed as a temporary measure, for two years.
- In 2013, a new law was passed allowing for transfers from any agency fund to General Fund via the annual Budget Act.
- Since 2012, $30 million has been transferred from the DCNR, $15 million came directly from the State Parks budget.
Why are the State Parks receiving the cuts?
- Prior to 2014 the Marine Police department received much of the brunt of these transfers.
- Marine Police have been transferred to the Alabama Law enforcement Agency (ALEA), and is no longer a transfer option for ADCNR.
- Other DCNR departments receive Federally matched dollars at a 3-1 ratio.
- If the state accesses Federal funds, they must repay the federal government tens of millions of dollars.
The Present Problem:
- The transfer of park funds to the General Fund depleted the park system’s cash reserves. These reserves are necessary to get through slower winter months.
- The parks do not receive any appropriations from the State General Fund.
- The parks make most of their funds in guest fees; much of the funds transferred from the parks were these guest fees.
- When the parks do not know their budget in the next year, let alone for a decade in the future, the parks cannot properly plan maintenance, new developments or plan for the short & long term.
Download a PDF with these facts and more and share it with your friends and family.
Make Your Voice Heard: Protect Alabama State Parks
Our voices are being heard. Sen. Clay Scofield (R-Arab) and Rep. Kerry Rich (R-Guntersville) introduced a bill to the state legislature that calls for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment. The amendment would specify that any funding earned by or designated for Alabama’s state parks can only be spent on parks and block attempts to move them into the state general fund. Thanks to people like you who voiced their concern about our parks' future, the legislature will now debate a bill to protect them. Your voice can make a difference. If you are concerned about funding for Alabama's state parks, please take a few minutes to contact your legislators and let them know.
If you do not know who your state legislators are or how to contact them, use the following link. http://www.conservationalabama.org/action/#/legislators
You can also use this handy link, also provided by Conservation Alabama, to send a message! http://www.conservationalabama.org/action/#/8
You can find lots of additional background information about Alabama State Parks here.
Legislative Round-up February 29, 2016 from Conservation Alabama
Welcome to this week's Hot List. We're happy to inform you that the bills to call for a constitutional amendment to protect state parks' funding, SB 260 and its companion HB 249, both passed out of their respective committees this week. Since the bills were introduced last week, almost 900 messages have been sent to our elected officials in support of our parks. See more of the Hot List, including the bills below here.
- State Parks Fund and the Parks Revolving Fund, transfer to other public accounts prohibited, const. amend.
- Boats and vessels, registration, Law Enforcement Agency., number sticker provided by dept., distinctive registration decals, distinctive letters authorized in lieu of numbers, fees, distrib. of part of fees to State Parks
- Taxation, income tax refund check-off, contribution to Alabama State Parks, Mental Health Department, or Alabama Medicaid Agency
Alabama Water Rally - 2016
The Alabama Sierra Club encourages its members to attend the Alabama Water Rally, being held in Mobile the weekend of May 20-23, in conjunction with the national River Network River Rally 2016 (see alabamarivers.org for more information and to register). Attending the Alabama Water Rally on May 20 is free but registration is required. If you plan to attend the entire River Rally, registration and payment of fees is required. Your Sierra Club Chapter has voted to provide funds to assist Sierra Club members who plan to attend. To apply for this funding, you must register prior to April 22, but immediate application will increase your chances of receiving funding.
To reduce expenses, we encourage shared lodging and car-pooling.
To request funding, register for the River Rally, and then send the following to Robert W. Hastings, 141 N Northington Street, Prattville, AL 36067 or bhastings@knology.net:
- Copy of your registration receipt
- Projected lodging expense, including location and names of shared lodgers (Receipt to verify this expense will be required after the conference)
- Travel expense (mileage to and from Mobile -- specify locations), including names of others riding with you
- Other possible expenses (Parking, etc.)
- Total amount requested
Hike Leader Training
The North Alabama Sierra Club needs new hike leaders at all skill levels. Most of our new members come from our outings. You must be a Sierra Club member to lead hikes and membership will be verified prior to the training. Your help would be appreciated in introducing people to hiking. This is an opportunity to share your favorite hike with others. Hike Leader Training will be held Saturday March 19th at 8:30am in Huntsville at the Huntsville/Madison county public library to certify new hike leaders to lead dayhikes. Basic Red Cross First Aid certification will be covered in the morning. Hike leadership, hike planning, and hiking etiquette will be covered during the remainder of the day. We have to pay a certification fee to the Red Cross so please do not sign up if you do not plan on leading outings. You will be asked at the training to sign up as an assistant leader on one of the upcoming outings for your provisional hike. Bring your lunch but drinks will be provided. For more information contact Tom Burley at tdburleyhiker@bellsouth.net or 256 883-4267.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! ALABAMA SIERRA CLUB FALL RETREAT
Living Lightly on the Earth At Beautiful Camp McDowell, Nauvoo, Alabama
October 28 – 30, 2016
Sponsored by the Coosa Valley Sierra Club
National Sierra Club Elections are Underway - VOTE!
A Democratic Sierra Club Demands Grassroots Participation
The annual election for the Club's Board of Directors is now underway.
Those eligible to vote in the national Sierra Club election will receive in the mail (or by Internet if you chose the electronic delivery option) your national Sierra Club ballot in early March. This will include information on the candidates and where you can find additional information on the Club's web site.Your participation is critical for a Strong Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club is a democratically structured organization at all levels. The Club requires the regular flow of views on policy and priorities from its grassroots membership in order to function well. Yearly participation in elections at all Club levels is a major membership obligation.
In a typical year less than 10% of eligible members vote in the Board elections. A minimum of 5% is required for the elections to be valid. Our grassroots structure is strengthened when our participation is high. Therefore your participation is needed in the voting process.
How can I learn about the candidates?
Members frequently state that they don't know the candidates and find it difficult to vote without learning more.
Each candidate provides a statement about themselves and their views on the issues on the official election ballot. You can learn more by asking questions of your group and chapter leadership and other experienced members you know. You can also visit the Club's election web site for additional information about candidates:
http://www.sierraclub.org/board/election
Then make your choice and cast your vote!
Voting Online is Quick and Easy!
Even if you receive your election materials in the mail, we encourage you to use the user-friendly Internet voting site to save time and postage. If sending via ground mail, please note your ballots must be received by no later than Election Day, April 27, 2016.
More Monuments Please
By Joan Taylor. President Obama recently declared three vast new national monuments in the California desert: Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains. As I relish this victory, my thoughts whirl around the places, faces, and events that have marked great successes during my 45 years as a Sierra Club desert activist.
Standing at the podium at Wildlands Conservancy’s gorgeous Whitewater Preserve this past November, Senator Feinstein was the same gracious and vibrant leader that she was in 1993 as a junior U.S. senator when I first met with her in Los Angeles on the California Desert Protection Act, more popularly called “the Desert Bill.” At that meeting were the great leaders of the Desert Bill: Jim Dodson, Judy Anderson, and Vicky Hoover of the Sierra Club, and Nobby Reidy of Wilderness Society. But most of all, there was Elden Hughes.
Read more about them here.
Action Alert: EPA to Live-Stream Civil Rights Public Meeting
From G.A.S.P. Group. The EPA Office of Civil Rights is hosting a public meeting on proposed changes to its nondiscrimination regulations this Tuesday, March 1 from 4–7 p.m. in Washington, D.C. The good news is that this meeting will be live-streamed by teleconference and webcast for those of us unable to attend in person. You can read more about it on our website.
This is a unique opportunity to participate in a public process to improve the way the EPA handles discrimination complaints. Environmental justice is a core value of Gasp. We believe that everyone deserves clean air to breathe. If you can't attend the meeting online or in person, you can still weigh in. Click here to submit comments on the proposals. Comments are due March 14.
Sincerely, Michael Hansen
Court Rules in Favor of Flawed Northern Beltline Project
Birmingham, AL – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama issued a ruling late yesterday that responsible agencies met threshold legal requirements for a review of environmental impacts and alternative transportation investments for the Northern Beltline.
“We are deeply disappointed in the decision allowing this project’s first phase to move forward without further review, as the Northern Beltline continues to be a bad investment for the Birmingham region,” said Gil Rogers, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “We stand by our position that these agencies have continuously cut corners for the monetary gain of a few wealthy landowners and corporations to move the project forward without fully analyzing the environmental and economic costs, impacts, or alternatives.”
As the most expensive road project in the history of Alabama and one of the costliest per mile in the nation, the 52-mile, six-lane highway is projected to cost taxpayers $5.3 billion, or $102 million per mile, while it is only expected to relieve 1-3% of traffic if ever completed. The Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2040 Regional Transportation Plan shows that only 19 miles (36%) of the Northern Beltline is projected to be complete by 2040, pushing the estimated completion date to approximately 75 years from now.
The long range plan also shows that the project’s unparalleled cost will drain 55% of the capacity money for building or widening roads in Jefferson, Shelby, Chilton, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties for the next 25 years.
“The short-circuited permitting process allowed in this case sets a poor precedent for future transportation projects and could potentially shelve those projects indefinitely,” said Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper. “In choosing the longest and most environmentally destructive of all seven routes considered, ALDOT failed to thoroughly account for the Northern Beltline’s impacts to water resources throughout Jefferson County, including drinking water sources, neglecting its duty to serve the public interest.”
Read the full press release on the Black Warrior Riverkeeper website here.
March's Fight for Environmental Justice in Alabama and the Southeast
3/22-Mobile/Africatown
Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition and Mobile Bay Sierra Club invite you to join the next public hearing in efforts to keep the tanks off the banks during the 3/22 Mobile City Council Meeting from 10:30 - 12:00 at Government Plaza. Find more information about MEJAC here, https://mejac.wordpress.com/
3/23- New Orleans
Join the action, New Lease on Life: Historic Call for an End to New Drilling Leases in the Gulf of Mexico, with Gulf and National leaders at the Louisiana Superdome as we put forward our vision for a Gulf region powered by solar and wind energy, a phase out of fossil fuels, and an immediate hiring of 1,000 workers to repair aging oil industry infrastructure. We will encircle the Superdome and call for an end to new drilling and new leases. Find more information about this event here, http://www.nonewleases.org/
3/25-27-Tuscaloosa
Calling all students to the first-ever Southeastern Student Summit for Justice, SSSJ is hosted in collaboration with the Alabama Sierra Student Coalition, University of Montevallo Green Club, and the UA Environmental Council. This is a student-led, student-planned conference that aims to gather youth from around the state and southeastern US to learn about the current struggles for social justice on campus and how they intersect with environmental racism and justice issues. Find more information here, http://goo.gl/forms/IsvKroiYtl !
3/31-Uniontown
Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice to host the US Commission on Civil Rights and other national guests for another Building Bridges for Justice program. Commissioners plan to tour Uniontown, hold a community listening session, and learn of the environmental injustices occurring in preparation of their report highlighting coal ash, EPA's enforcement of civil rights, and the solutions needed to create effective change. More details will be available soon, for more information please contact Adam Johnston at bbcfhj.aj@gmail.com
PROCEDURE FOR SENDING MATERIAL TO THE ALABAMA SIERRAN
Many thanks to Roe Hyche, Bob Hastings, Lucina Horner, and Peggie Griffin for agreeing to be the new newsletter committee.
The newsletter is put together monthly, and material for the newsletter should be sent to plgriffin@comcast.net, with a subject line of "For the Editorial Board" no later than the 15th of the month.
Group newsletter editors may continue sending group meeting information and calendars of events to Joe Watts at joe@joewatts.com, no later than the 25th of each month.
Guidelines for Material:
- The newsletter committee is seeking articles about Alabama environmental issues, articles highlighting Alabama’s special beautiful places, and engaging write-ups about group and chapter activities.
- Articles should be originally written for the Alabama Sierran, factual, and timely.
- A link to another publication should only be used rarely, but if a link is to be used, a full summary of the information (at least a paragraph long) should be written, with the link provided for more detailed information.
- The newsletter committee has the right to make any changes, so that material will meet these guidelines.