Allison Cochran, Rollins Jolly and Mark Finley met briefly.
Zack dropped off some information and updates before running
to another commitment.
Mark shared highlights from the Treasure Forest/Alabama
Natural Resources Council meeting in Prattville. They toured some
interesting properties, including a longleaf straw raking operation. He
attended a session on how to have an active natural resources council at the
local level. He brought us back a guide with some great
information. It will be scanned to share with Council. Lot of good
ideas to grow and strengthen our organization and for workshop and field day
planning. Thanks to Mark for attending and sharing.
This information will be of great use for planning our 2020
Landowner Field Day, possibly at Bill Self’s and/or focusing on shortleaf
pine. Council needs to start planning that event before too long.
FAWN review – About 300 students attended FAWN and it was a
success. Zack shared thank you letters from the students. Council
can review and discuss ideas to improve FAWN in the future, if possible to meet
curriculum needs if teachers give some input. Additionally, would be good
for council to discuss how to tweak the Payne Outdoor Classroom event to teach
different material or target a different group of students. There is some
overlap noted between the two events.
Alabama Water Watch is hosting a training for citizens
interested in conducting chemical and bacteriological water testing in the
area, specifically in the Bankhead National Forest. The training will be
held at the Double Springs Municipal Building on January 22-23. Visit AWW
online for more information.
Deer season is open and surveillance for Chronic Wasting
Disease is on-going. There is a freezer at the Bankhead office in Double
Springs for people to place deer heads for testing. Instructions and
supplies are on site.
Zack shared several updates –
There is progress with Winston County Commission at the Mims
property at Sipsey Fork and Hwy 33. The county engineer is working on
surveys and drawings at the location to improve the parking lot and emergency
vehicle access and blocking the lower portion of the road to vehicular traffic
to the river. The County will include a project in their proposal to the
Alabama Resources Advisory Council for funding for this project. The
County will be working with the Freshwater Landtrust and Mims family on this potential
project for access to the river and for stabilizing and reducing erosion at the
site.
There may be some FireWise funding available to the
Cooperative Extension office for use in our county. Council members
should be thinking of ideas for FireWise projects, educational activities,
materials, etc.
We had discussion on the Rural Schools Act (in lieu of
taxes) program that allows money from National Forests timber revenue to be
accessed by Counties. FireWise is one title or funding mechanism of that
program. Projects funded under the other titles of that program are
approved by the Alabama Resources Advisory Committee. Council, Extension
and others will work with Winston and Lawrence Counties on ideas for
competitive proposals for those funds. Project proposals are due to the
Alabama Resources Advisory Committee in June this year.
We aren’t sure if the council usually meets in
December. Since there are no pressing agenda items for December, we might
skip meeting that month. But, we will send an email and blog post out on
whether or not there will be a December meeting.
-allison
