Free Web Hosting by Netfirms
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms

The WEB SEA

SEA Logo
Shoals Environmental Alliance


 SEA is an environmental activities and watch-dog alliance established to promote the preservation of the natural resources, scenic  beauty, and recreational opportunities of the Shoals area of northwest Alabama. .Our mailing address is:

                               Shoals Environmental Alliance
                               P.O. Box 699
                               Sheffield, AL 35660

SEA meets monthly on the last Tuesday of each month at Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, 350 N. Wood Ave., Florence, AL.  5:30-7:00pm preceded by a social at 5:00pm.


TVA Reservation Redevelopment Click here for more information.
River Front Development - Elk River Click here for more information.

Shoals Environmental Alliance (SEA) discussion group. Click here for more news and information about SEA and the projects we are working on. To subscribe to email updates send an email to   S-E-A-subscribe@yahoogroups.com   with "subscribe" as the subject and an empty body.


Selected TVA News Items

Rep. Schuler's TVA land swap deal eyed by Ethics committee
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103001399.html

TVA lacks funds to restore historic building
TVA is financially stressed - the $1 billion cleanup of the coal ash pond at Kingston and the $1 billion payment to the retirement system are among other bills to be paid.
http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091009/ARTICLES/910095040/1011/NEWS?Title=Animal-house 
And lets not forget the tens of millions of dollars in executive bonuses paid to TVA "management" annually.

 TEPPCO to re-file fuel depot plan
Rep. Griffith against project, says proposed facility could pose danger to Decatur’s drinking water
http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/43280.html

Lakefront land missing from Shuler report
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20090921/SERVICES03/909211023/1042/NEWS?Title=Shuler-under-scrutiny

Editorial: Data on ash bolsters environmentalists' case
Knoxville News Sentinel
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/sep/10/data-on-ash-bolsters-environmentalists-case

TVA Turns Perry County, Ala. into an "Ash Hole"
http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2009/09/tva_turns_perry_county_ala_int.php

Agency withholds report on deal with ties to Shuler
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/aug/19/agency-withholds-report-on-deal-with-ties-to/ 

Report: TVA gave preferential treatment to [REDACTED]
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/aug/19/no-headline---081909tva/
 


Future SEA events, activities and items of interest:
 

Nov. 19 --- Shoals Environmental Alliance (SEA) today formally announced its opposition to the proposed expansion of the Florence Landfill.

On Tuesday, November 24, SEA will host a public meeting to inform the public about some of the issues involved and to discuss strategies for stopping the proposed expansion.

The meeting will be at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library , in the conference room.

5:00pm : refreshments, informal discussion & informational tables.
5:30-7:00pm : meeting, including a presentation and a group discussion for formulating an action plan.

For more details about the meeting, call Charles Rose at (256) 366-1937.

SEA members were among the many who protested the landfill expansion at the Nov. 17 Florence City Council meeting. Despite the large turnout in opposition, the council approved the city's purchase of the Florence Golf & Country Club property for the proposed expansion.

Florence Golf & Country Club is situated on 157 rolling acres along Cypress Creek, a popular destination for canoeing, kayaking, tube floating, swimming, birding and fly fishing. The Florence landfill lies just to the south of the country club property.

David Cope, a University of North Alabama math professor, Charles Rose , president of Shoals Environmental Alliance, and John Crowder , an environmental consultant, have recently called attention to what they think are serious problems with both the present landfill and the old landfill in West Florence.

They say the limestone karst terrain in this area is a poor choice for a landfill site.

Storm water runoff from the landfill has silted Cypress Creek, creating a large gravel bar.

Cope and Rose have evidence that leachate from the landfill is entering the groundwater and polluting seven springs along a 1,000 ft. stretch of Cypress Creek.

Cope, Rose and Crowder say that expanding the landfill will just compound these already existing problems. They fear that pollution from the landfill could despoil the creek and harm aquatic species.

There is another polluted spring flowing into Cypress Creek at the site of the old West Florence landfill.

Residents along the creek are concerned that property values will decline if the landfill expansion takes place.

Scott Ruffrage and other residents near the present landfill already complain about offensive smells and noise.

A grassroots group, Save Cypress Creek , was formed Nov. 15 when about 80 people, mostly Florence residents, met to organize opposition to the landfill expansion. The meeting, organized by Scott Ruffrage and Adrienne Freebairn, was also attended by Elizabeth Salter , Watershed Organizer with Alabama Rivers Alliance, and Barbara Evans , Organizing Coordinator with Wild Law, an environmental law firm in Montgomery .

Save Cypress Creek members, who made up the majority of the landfill opponents at Tuesday’s council meeting, are currently circulating petitions in opposition to the landfill expansion. They will be in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting. They say they are determined to put a stop to what they think is a disaster in the making.

On August 11 of this year runoff from the landfill created a huge silt plume in Cypress Creek. The runoff also created a huge unnatural-looking gravel and silt bar in the creek.

Excessive silting means death for many aquatic species, including snails and mussels.

A species of special concern, the Warty Rocksnail, is known to inhabit Cypress Creek and has been found right at the point of the landfill runoff.

The state has given this snail its highest rating of “S-1”, meaning “Critically imperiled in Alabama because of extreme rarity…….especially vulnerable to extirpation from Alabama .”

There are also reports that the Eastern Hellbender salamander has been observed in the creek. It is a species of high conservation concern, listed as “Endangered” in many states, and “Threatened” in many other states.

Landfill expansion opponents are hopeful that Cypress Creek can be protected, for the conservation of these species and for the enjoyment of Shoals area residents, their children and grandchildren.
 


Wild South Hikes

The last Saturday of every month, Wild South staff and volunteers lead hikes in the Bankhead National Forest in addition to other hikes throughout the month. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the incredibly beautiful places and important cultural heritage sites on our public lands, and why Wild South is dedicated to their protection. We are pleased to offer our hikes for no charge. To become a Wild South member (free) sign up at www.wildsouth.org . Wild South is a non-profit organization that operates on the generosity of donors, for whom we are sincerely grateful. Getting on our e-mail list for hikers is the best way to stay informed about our hikes and other events. Just e-mail  janice@wildsouth.org  and ask to be added to our list.

Note from Charles Rose: Call me at 366-1937 if you're interested in carpooling down for this from the Shoals. 

Janice Barrett
Outreach Coordinator
Wild South
11312 Alabama Highway 33, Suite 1
Moulton, Alabama 35650
256-974-6166
janice@wildsouth.org
 


SEA is partnering with TVA and other local groups to enhance the recreational and educational values of TVA’s Muscle Shoals Reservation. Our first major project is the establishment of a Native Plant Garden, located by the handicap-accessible trail in the TVA Nature Trails Area.  The Native Plant Garden is a cooperative effort by TVA, Shoals Environmental Alliance, Alabama Wildflower Society of the Shoals, Shoals Master Gardeners and Men's Garden Club of the Shoals.

Other goals of the SEA partnership with TVA include removing invasive pest species such as privet and kudzu that crowd out native plants, sowing wildflower seed, picking up litter, helping maintain walking trails and producing trail maps and brochures.
 
SEA also works to encourage responsible economic growth that preserves the public green spaces, recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat of the Shoals area. Other SEA programs will include the monitoring of water quality in local waterways, historic preservation, and group outings such as bird watching, camping, canoeing, and hiking


OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Alabama Hiking Trails Society http://hikealabama.org/
Audubon Society - Shoals http://www.shoalsaudubon.com/
Fresh Air Family http://www.freshairfamily.org/home.html
Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama http://landtrust-hsv.org
Wildflower Society - Shoals  http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/shoalswildflowersociety.htm
Wild South http://www.wildsouth.org/


Charles L. Rose
President
Shoals Environmental Alliance
1206 N. Montgomery Ave.
Sheffield, AL 35660
H. (256) 381-2826
C. (256) 366-1937
chuckrivers@comcast.net



Click here for a Acrobat .pfd map of the TVA walking trails from the Scenic Shoals page on TheCatfishWrapper website. The page also contains photos of the Hall Memorial Native Plant Garden at TVA, Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, and wildflowers at Whippoorwill Hollow in Sheffield.

Click here to visit the  Shoals Chapter of the Alabama Wildflower Society. They have some great photos of local wildflowers.




We are currently attempting to schedule our speakers and programs for next year's SEA meetings. If you have any suggestions for speakers or topics, or any ideas about outings or other events, please contact me.

Charles Rose
(256) 366-1937 cell
(256) 381-2826 home
(256) 381-0801 fax
  
WildSouth.org  Click the logo at left to visit WildSouth.org  If you are not on WildSouth’s e-mail list to receive information about their September through May monthly hikes and would like to be, contact Janice at janice@wildsouth.org  or 256-974-6166.  For additional information about WildSouth, please visit us at www.wildsouth.org 

Hikes:  Warrior Mountains Trading Company  in Wren, Alabama is an excellent source of information about trails in the Bankhead Forest and Sipsey Wilderness. If you prefer to hike with a group,  we suggest you connect with  The Nature Wanderers, another local group. Call Ted Kuzma at 256-974-7771.

 

SEA Literature:   SEA Membership Form   Native Plant Garden   General Information Brochure    



If you have any questions, wish to receive e-mail notification of SEA activities and environmental issues, or if you would like a membership form mailed to you, contact Charles L. Rose at chuckrivers@comcast.net or (256) 381-2826.    

             Irfanview Image viewer      Visits to this page: