The Winston County Natural Resources Council met on July 16, 2026, at the U. S. Forest Service office in Double Springs. Present were: Jamie Segroves, Casey Hammack, Ron Scalf, Mike Henshaw, Paul Green, Lauranne James, Kerry Clark, Allison Cochran, Andrea Glenn, Matt Hannah, and Mark Finley. Photo by Rita Patterson.
Jamie called the meeting to order and the following items were discussed:
- Reviewing the minutes some old business items were discussed.
- The Landowner Field Day Agenda for October 29, 2026.
- No updates at this time on Stream Hydrology Trailer, but Jamie will check on it soon.
- FAWN October 14-15 at Houston Recreation Area.
- Andrea said Free State Beekeepers would conduct the forest pollinators station again this year.
- Ideas for portable sawmill station at FAWN, the Alabama A&M sawmill, and possibly another private sawmill owner.
- NW Alabama RC&D Council grant was submitted, and Lauranne said it had been received.
- Grayson Lumber Mill is running again after a fire damaged some equipment. Kerry said this has allowed the Forest Service to proceed with a timber sale near the mill.
- Jamie and Allison passed around a map showing the recent advance of the Emerald Ash Borer in Alabama.
- There is some early indications that southern pine beetles may be active in the area.
- There are still concerns with pine needle blight which might be worse due to wet weather this year.
- Jamie and Casey gave an update on the Alabama Forestry Commission Flights to monitor for pine beetle activity and wildfire. The program is transitioning due to a change in pilots and aircraft.
- Allison told us about Emma Wilson, a private lands biologist, with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy. We hope to meet her at a future council meeting and hear more about her work in the area.
- Paul gave an update on the EQIP and CSP programs. He also told us about a fast moving NRCS program to address urgent poultry mortality disposal problems on poultry farms. The problem stemmed from a poultry mortality freezer company notifying growers it was leaving the area. Eleven poultry producers have been approved for poultry incinerators to manage the mortality on these operations.
- Lauranne said that the NW Alabama RC&D Council had received 248 grant applications. She also noted that the NW RC&D has been allocated about $170,000 for each of its northwest Alabama counties this year by the Alabama Legislature. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for July 23rd in Florence, and the Annual Meeting will be held in Russellville on October 16th. She said that RC&D will have a special event in each county focusing on the importance of Agriculture and Forestry. Jamie pledged support from the WCNRC in hosting the Winston County event.
- Allison asked if anyone was familiar with Conservation Alabama. She saw where they were having an event in Huntsville, but no one was familiar with them.
- Kerry said two firefighting units from the Bankhead District have been deployed to the National Firefighting Task Force due to fire conditions in the Western U. S.
- Allison said that the Forest Service was working on plans to replace the damaged bridges at Thompson Creek and the Sipsey Picnic Area. They are also working to remove hazardous trees and reducing hazardous fuels. There are some forest health projects related to pine beetle areas and the upper Capsey Watershed. Comments are welcome on the Forest Service webpage about Forest Projects.
- Kerry gave an update on two fatal accidents that occurred on the Bankhead recently. One was a drowning at Clear Creek Recreation Area, and the other was a hiker that passed away suddenly, possibly from a heat related illness, in the Sipsey Wilderness Area.
- Mark gave an update on a TREASURE Forest Directors meeting in Atlanta.
- Andrea shared concerns about moving firewood and how that might be related to the Emerald Ash Borer spread in Alabama.
Jamie adjourned the meeting after a group photo.
Submitted by Mike Henshaw, Treasurer
