Black Bears in Northeast Alabama

Interesting article in the Anniston Star states that there is now a breeding population of black bears in the Little River Canyon Preserve in northeast Alabama.  One expert predicts there will be a breeding population in or near the Talladega National Forest within 10 years. 

November Council Meeting

The November meeting of the WCNRC was held at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs.  Present were Elrand Denson, Mike Henshaw, Chris Wright, Johnna Franks, Wade Hill, John Creed, James Burnett, Andy Baril, and Tripp Gaskins.  The council discussed the following topics:

• The meteorite that fell near Addison caused a loud boom that alarmed residents over a large portion of North Alabama.  James said the EMA had received calls about the boom.  Elrand said that NASA was searching an area in the forest for fragments.  Anyone searching for fragments would have to have a special use permit.  There are also safety concerns with the beginning of gun deer season set to start on November 17.
• Johnna stated that the treasury balance was $3,360.45.
• Blaze II bloodhound.  WCNRC made a $500 donation toward the purchase and training of the dog.
• The $1,000 award from the Natural Resource Council of the Year designation should arrive soon.
• Hendrix Longleaf Pine meeting with Tim Albritton is set for Tuesday, November 20.
• Tree Recovery Campaign for Haleyville set for Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at the Neighborhood Facilities Building, from 9 a.m to 12 Noon.  The purpose of this tree give-away is to help areas affected by the tornadoes re-establish trees damaged by the storms.  All council member are encouraged to attend to assist with the distribution of the trees. 
• Cogongrass locations in Winston County.
• Feral hog brochure available from the Bankhead National Forest
• Elrand gave an update on the Thinning and Harvesting Monitoring Committee's field visits.  He also stated that improvements to parking areas for two trailheads are underway.
• FAWN program evaluation and discussion.
• Winston County Commission Grants are pending.  

There will not be a council meeting scheduled for December, so the next meeting will be Thursday, January 17, 2013.

Mike Henshaw,
WCNRC Secretary

Whooping Crane Migration Lands in Walker County

An update on the Operation Migration blog show the Whooping Cranes have landed in Walker County.

http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/2012/11/13/a-two-fer-or-is-it-a-three-fer/

Departure from Columbia Co., WI Photo: Bev Paulan, http://operationmigration.org/InTheField/

"The Dust Bowl" Series on PBS

Katherine Patton, writing on the Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District Blog, mentions the "The Dust Bowl" PBS series.  Sounds like an interesting program:

Mark your calender to watch "The Dust Bowl", a two-part, four-hour documentary series premiering  November 18th and November 19th, 2012, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on PBS. Ken Burns, the film maker says, "Nothing was more important than the Soil Conservation Service, headed by Hugh Hammond Bennett, who came in at the local level to re-educate farmers. More info on the show can be found at http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/. Below is a quote from Hugh Hammond Bennett. "This particular dust storm blotted out the sun over the nations capital, drove grit between the teeth of New Yorkers, and scattered dust on the decks of ships 200 miles out to sea. I suspect that when people along the seaboard of the eastern United States began to taste fresh soil from the plains 2,000 miles away, many of them realized for the first time that somewhere something had gone wrong with the land. It seems to take something like a disaster to awaken people who have been accustomed to great national prosperity, such as ours, to the presence of a national menace. Although we were slowly coming to realize that soil erosion was a major national problem, even before that great dust storm, it took that storm to awaken the nation as a whole to some realization of the menace of erosion."

November WCNRC Council Meeting

The November meeting of the Winston County Natural Resources Council will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 15, 2012, at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs.

Feral Hog Management Seminar

Feral hog damage.  From: Billy Higginbotham, Bugwood.org

The Alabama Forestry Commission and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System will host a Feral Hog Management Seminar on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at Oh Bryan’s Restaurant on Highway 17 in Hamilton Alabama at 6:00 p.m.

The speaker will be Andrew J. “Andy” Baril Regional Extension Agent in Forestry, Wildlife & Natural Resources.  Andy graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Management. He also has a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. 

The meal will be Dutch treat. In order to insure quick service we need to know the number that plans to attend.  If you plan to attend, please call the Alabama Cooperative Extension System office at 205-921-3551 on or before November 8, 2012. Space is limited so call early.

Hope to see you there!