Correction - Bankhead Liaison Panel to Meet in Moulton

Correction - Please Note!
The Bankhead Liaison Panel will meet in Moulton (not Double Springs) at 6 PM on January 22. The meeting will be held at the Moulton Rec Center (Alexander Park).
Everyone is welcome to attend this public meeting.

January Council Meeting

The Winston County Natural Resources Council will meet on Thursday, January 15th, at 9:00 a.m. at the Bankhead National Forest District Office in Double Springs.

Tom Grubbs and Johnna Franks have some good news about FAWN funding.

Plans are falling into place for the Landowner Field Day at Bill and Jeanie Snoddy's Loblolly Farm on Friday, May 1st, but we still have a few gaps in the agenda. We'll have draft programs at the meeting.

Bankhead Liaison Panel Meeting

The Bankhead Liaison Panel will meet on Thursday, January 22 at 6 PM. The meeting will be held at the Bankhead National Forest office on Highway 33 North. The meeting is open to the public. Agenda topics include updates on the Grindstone-Mill-Inman and Corinth Watershed Restoration Projects & Environmental Assessments; an upcoming stewardship project in the Upper Brushy Watershed; an update from Alabama A&M's Center for Forest Ecosystem Assessment; and on-going projects in the Bankhead's Quail Emphasis Areas.

Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club Trailblazer Award

The Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club recently selected Larry Barkey as its Trailblazer of the Year.  Pictured from left is, Gary White-Chairman, Larry Barkey-Vice Chairman and Trailblazer of the Year, and his wife, Mimi Barkey, Secretary/Treasurer.  The award is given to the club member with the most hours of volunteer service.  In the past year, Larry Barkey volunteered 62 hours of service.  In 2008, the Sipsey Wilderness Hiking Club volunteered 349 hours work toward public service projects, such as clearing trails in the Sipsey Wilderness Area of the Bankhead National Forest.  Since the club's inception in 2000, the club has spent 3,728 hours in volunteer service.

Article about Quail Habitat Restoration on Public Lands by Tom Counts

The Winter 2009 issue of Alabama Wildlife, features an article by Tom Counts, the District Wildlife Biologist for the Bankhead National Forest. The article reports on bobwhite quail habitat restoration on the National Forests in Alabama, as well as, the Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge. Alabama Wildlife is a publication of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

USGS Real-Time Stream Levels in Winston County

The U. S. Geological Survey has real-time water data for many streams in Alabama.  Links to the two stations in Winston County have been added to the links section on this blog.  One station is located near on the Sipsey Fork near the Sipsey Picnic Area, and the other is located on Clear Creek near Poplar Springs.  As I write this, heavy rain is causing the Sipsey Fork stream gage to report rising water levels.  When you click on the links for the real-time stream data, there are two main sections, the discharge flow and the gage height.  The webpage provides a graph for the past seven days, but this can be changed to any time frame from 1 to 60 days, if you desire.   

Look up for Whooping Cranes!

The endangered whooping crane migration may fly over Winston County in the next few days!
Check http://www.operationmigration.org/ for more information, but the ultra-lights with cranes in tow should be stopping over in Franklin County today en route to Walker County as the next stop over site.