Storm Recovery Efforts

Several members of the Winston County Natural Resources Council are involved in storm recovery efforts;  James Burnett, Chris Wright, Johnna Franks, and Tony Avery are some that I am aware of.

I visited the Neighborhood Facilities Building yesterday to help for a couple of hours.  Here's a photo of volunteers that were sorting through donated clothing on Sunday afternoon.

Tips about cleanup, storm damaged trees, food and water safety, and other subjects that could be helpful to those dealing with storm damage is located here:

http://www.aces.edu/eden/

Also, the City of Haleyville has a Facebook page that gives information about the recovery efforts:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Haleyville/221331997882681?sk=wall

Bankhead Liaison Panel Quarterly Meeting Set for May 5

The quarterly meeting of the Bankhead Liaison Panel is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, 2011. The meeting will be held at the First National Bank in Double Springs and starts at 6 p.m. This meeting is open to the public. Please contact the District Ranger Station for more information at (205) 489-5111.

April Council Minutes

The Winston County Natural Resources Council met at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs on April 21st, 2011.  The following members were present:
John Creed, Mike Henshaw, LaVerne Matheson, James Burnett, Tom Counts, Allen Varner, Tony Avery, Chris Wright, Johnna Franks, Jim Hughes, and Ray Norris.

Johnna Franks reported that the balance in the treasury was $8,118.57.

Allen Varner with the Alabama Forestry Commission gave a program about the Landowner Conference that would include a Helene Mosley Award presentation.  He detailed the planning, implementation, evaluation and followup involved in a successful landowner program.  He said that the State Natural Resources Council would provide $3,000 for the program, and that there was an additional $650 dollars that had been applied for to support the program.  Registration for the program, marketing, organization, safety, logistics, food, and transportation were outlined, and later Council meetings will work out details of the landowner conference.  The site of the North Alabama Landowner Conference will be Bill and Jeanie Snoddy's TREASURE Forest, and it will be held on Friday, October 7, 2011.  Chris Wright is the chairman of the conference.

Other issues discussed include:

• FFA Forestry Judging Contest Sponsorship-$100 for awards and up to $100 for other expenses such as food.
• The Council will support the Youth Fishing Derby to be held on Saturday, June 11th, 2011, at the Black Warrior Work Center.  Youth aged 5-12 are invited to fish for channel catfish stocked especially for the derby.
• Winston County Commission Grant preparation was discussed, and it was suggested that Mike Henshaw work on combining proposals to a single request to the county commission.
• The Sign up for the Prescribed Burning Program and the Mulching Program will begin in May.
• James Burnett reported that he was working on Homeland Security Projects.
• LaVerne Matheson reported that the Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy Inc. is sponsoring a Lake Cleanup on April 30th.  An additional lake cleanup will be held later in the summer.
• The WCSLAI will have its annual meeting and the kick off for the Rock Creek Watershed Grant on May 13th. 
• A hardwood tour will be held in the Bankhead National Forest on April 30th.   Four distinguished experts will be on hand to lead the tour:  Dr. J. Steven Brewer, Dr. Luben Dimov, Dr. Callie Schweitzer, and Dr. Ed Loewenstein.  The tour will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Black Warrior Work Center.
• Industrial Board Announcement about the location of Hathaway Renewable Energy at the Winston County Industrial Park.

Mike Henshaw
Secretary, WCNRC

April Council Meeting

Photo from the Youth Fishing Derby

The monthly meeting of the Winston County Natural Resources Council will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 21st, 2011, at the
U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Mike Henshaw

Secretary, WCNRC

http://wcnrc.blogspot.com/

Youth Fishing Derby at Black Warrior Work Center

The Youth Fishing Derby will be held at the Black Warrior Work Center in the Bankhead National Forest on Saturday, June 11, 2011.  Youth ages 5 to 12 are invited to attend with a parent or guardian.  The pond will be stocked with hungry channel catfish, and there will be other youth oriented activities for the families.  Participants will need to bring their own bait and tackle for catfish.  This activity is part of the National Get Outdoors Day.  A printable flier is available at this link:

http://www.aces.edu/~henshmd/temp/Fishing Derby Flyer for districtsUpdated2011.pdf

For more information, call Allison Cochran at the Bankhead Ranger District at (205) 489-5111.

Bankhead National Forest Liaison Panel Hosts Hardwood Restoration Workshop & Tour

The public is invited to a free workshop and field tour hosted by the Bankhead National Forest Liaison Panel on Saturday, April 30th. The Hardwood Restoration Workshop and Field Tour will highlight the hardwood restoration goals and management techniques for Bankhead National Forest.

Research scientists and professors specializing in silviculture and forest management will be guest speakers at the workshop beginning at 9 a.m. A field tour of the Bankhead National Forest will immediately follow the presentations. A follow-up Question & Answer session will conclude the workshop by 5 p.m.

The workshop will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and participants are encouraged to arrive early to sign-in and receive printed materials. Participants are asked to dress appropriately to walk in the forest and to bring lunch and drinking water.

The workshop will begin at the U.S. Forest Service Black Warrior Work Center (Central Fire Lookout Tower) located on Highway 33 about 7 miles south of Wren and 15 miles north of Double Springs.

Interested participants are encouraged to register by calling the Bankhead Ranger District office at (205) 489-5111.

New Publication on Wild Pig Management

I recently received an e-mail from Extension Specialist Mark Smith about a new publication he co-authored on Wild Pig Management.  I have ordered some copies for our office.  Until then, you can access the publication by the on-line version below.  Here's the message from Mark:

Please see the link below to a joint ACES-MSU publication on Wild Pig Management.  This guide represents the combined knowledge and expertise from numerous wildlife researchers and managers from across the Southeast.  As wild pigs (i.e., feral hogs) are currently, and will continue to be, an issue throughout much of Alabama please distribute this comprehensive wild pig management guide to your clientele.  

ANR-1397, "A Landowner's Guide for Wild Pig Management"
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1397/ANR-1397.pdf

 

Many thanks!

 

Mark

 

______________________

Mark D. Smith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist

Update:
This will be an "web-only" publication for the time-being, due to cost.  I'll try to get some hard copies if they become available later.