Designing Alabama's Future

Trails in Need of Help!

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:10:35 -0600

(from Rob Grant) Dear Members of the CRT Council of Advisors:

The Recreational Trails Program is in very deep trouble. The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved transportation reauthorization legislation known as MAP-21 that would effectively eliminate the RTP by stripping the program of its dedicated funding.

But all hope is not lost.

CRT and its member organizations have been working to identify key Champions in the Senate with the aim of having an amendment to restore dedicated funding for the RTP added to the bill before it is considered by the full Senate.

Reaching this goal will not be possible without your help.

Now is the time for all organizations and individuals who support RTP to tell their Senators to protect dedicated funding for this absolutely essential program.

The key messages are simple:
·        Unless the bill is changed, MAP-21 will effectively eliminate the Recreational Trails Program; and
·       Please amend MAP-21 to include dedicated funding for RTP.

Other helpful messages include:

·       For the last two decades, RTP has received a portion of the gas taxes paid by users of off-highway motorized vehicles to fund trail building, maintenance and other trail-related projects. More than 13,000 projects have been funded across the country for all kinds of trail uses. This is a very successful program.
·       At its current level of annual funding - $85 million - RTP receives less than 42% of the Federal Highway Administration's conservative estimate of the federal gas taxes paid by America's nonhighway recreationists. The Senate bill would reduce that percentage to zero and represents a substantial new tax on motorized recreation enthusiasts.
·       The return of gas taxes to trail users through the RTP is in keeping with the user-pay, user-benefit philosophy of the Highway Trust Fund. Ending dedicated funding for RTP takes these gas taxes away from the people who pay them. Ending dedicated funding for RTP is bad public policy and just plain wrong.
·        The RTP is the foundation of state trail programs. If the RTP loses its dedicated funding, organized trail planning and development will simply vanish in many areas of the country.

Now is the time to act. Write, email or call your two Senators. Here's a link if you need it: http://www.senate.gov/.   Make sure your entire grassroots organization is engaged as well.

We need to show the United States Senate just how many Americans are committed to the Recreational Trails Program. If we don't act, the very backbone of trails in America may be forever lost.

Please be sure to send us a copy of your message. Thank you for your help.

Marianne Fowler, Co-Chair, Coalition for Recreational Trails
Derrick Crandall, Co-Chair, Coalition for Recreational Trails

1225 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 450
Washington, D.C.   20005
(202) 682-9530 Fax (202) 682-9529
cahern@funoutdoors.com

News from ADECA's Trails Coordinator

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:36:30 -0600

That in 2009, Alabama's Legislature passed a law that allows Class 7 and 8 Municipalities (populations from 1 to 11,999) to adopt a rural scenic right-of-way plan for the development, improvement, and use of right-of-way along municipal roads and streets and county roads within the corporate limits and police jurisdiction of the municipality (except those roadways under ALDOT's jurisdiction)?

http://arc-sos.state.al.us/PAC/SOSACPDF.001/A0007369.PDF

That if you want to learn to identify birds native to Alabama, find out where you can view them, or learn how to lure them to your backyard, the Alabama Wildlife Center can show you how?

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/12/alabama_wildlife_center_at_oak.html

That the GRCA Green Progress Report, compiled by the nonprofit Green Resource Center for Alabama, highlights some of the year's important developments toward making Alabama a greener place to live, work and play? You can read about some of the best green moments of 2011 - including outdoor recreation and trail related news!

http://www.greenalabama.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2011GreenReport.pdf

That experts are seeing a remarkable number of hummingbirds along the Gulf Coast this winter?

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2011/12/experts_are_seeing_a_remarkabl.html

About the new Off-road haven coming soon to Talladega County?

http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/16661643

That Alabama's State Parks thrive when times get tough?

http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/16645991

Who owns the rivers?

http://www.nationalrivers.org/us-law-who-owns.htm

That Red Mountain Park held its first organized sporting event Saturday, the New Year's Eve "Resolution Run," a jump-start on a new year that is set to bring major changes to the park?

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/12/red_mountain_park_trail_romp_a.html

Huntsville named one of the best places to retire

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:33:57 -0600

From the article "Huntsville named one of the best places to retire by Where to Retire magazine" by Mike Marshall in The Huntsville Times:

Huntsville, a city becoming accustomed to accolades, has made another national list. The city has been selected by Where to Retire, a magazine designed to help retirees with relocation decisions, as a top retirement town. Huntsville will be profiled in the magazine's January/February 2012 issue. That issue will be available on Dec. 20. "Huntsville is a growing city, yet it maintains the charm and hospitality of a small Southern town,'' said Mary Lu Abbott, the Where to Retire editor. "Retirees easily stay busy, volunteering for local charities, enjoying a live performance at a theater or participating in one of the country's largest adult-learning programs at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.'' Among Huntsville's other recent honors: one of the world's top 10 smartest cities by Forbes; the nation's fourth-strongest building market by Businessweek; and America's top midsize city to launch and grow a business by Fortune Small Business magazine.

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/12/huntsville_named_one_of_the_be.html.

Longleaf Pine Restoration Grant Available to Landowners

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:04:16 -0600

The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is currently accepting applications through its Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) to continue longleaf pine restoration efforts in Alabama. The grant was awarded through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and will be made available to qualifying landowners for longleaf pine restoration on private lands.

Landowners are encouraged to submit applications to receive assistance with the site preparation, seedlings, planting, native grass restoration and/or exotic control costs. For landowners to be considered eligible to receive funding, the property must be within the historic range of longleaf pine in Alabama, or contain suitable soils to support longleaf pine. Program details include: cost share at 50 percent, no minimum acreage is required, and cutover sites and agricultural sites are eligible.

The LIP funds are administered to complement habitat restoration goals of the longleaf pine ecosystem. This program provides financial and/or technical assistance to private landowners to conserve, manage or enhance the habitats of species in greatest conservation need associated with Alabama's longleaf pine ecosystem. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2012. For application information contract Traci Wood at 334-353-0503 or Traci.Wood@dcnr.alabama.gov.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.

Tools For the Trail: QR Codes

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:21:15 -0600

Imagine walking up to a trailhead... There's a sign with the expected trail map, a bear advisory posted last spring, and some rules tacked up behind Plexiglas. But there can also be an instant link to a wealth of current information using the Smartphone in your pocket. Welcome to the trailhead QR.

Quick Response (or QR) codes are a rapidly emerging media tool. You've seen these square-shaped black-and-white codes in stores and magazines. Are you ready to put QRs to work in your favorite outdoor space? It can be simple.

You can use QR codes to quickly and easily put information on the trail. The code is a picture that smartphones can translate into a web address. Users just point a Smartphone's camera at the QR code, and in a moment (if there's cell phone coverage) the phone will access current trail information, tips, interpretive materials, a trail user census or questionnaire... or anything relevant to using that particular trail. See how the North Carolina Arboretum is using QR codes, or this short video from Lake Metroparks in Ohio that explains how their new system works.

To create your own QR, you just need a web address and content of your choosing, and a free QR code generator app like this one. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the generator app, and you just created a code that you can print for use at the trailhead, a visitor center, nearby lodging, or bike rental and sporting goods stores. QR technology is license free, so you can easily adapt this free tool for use within your organization. It's easy to add QR codes as an image to your website, blog, or printed publications too.

There are a number of different ways to read QR codes. The easiest is to take a Smartphone and use a QR code reader app like the Google Goggles, which can scan any code and immediately launch the content in a web browser.

The possibilities are wide open. A QR code at the trailhead can allow quick access to a digital trail map. At an interpretive sign, a QR code can enable visitors to learn about history or local wildlife, or post to Facebook that they are visiting the site. You can start turning users into advocates by using QR codes to share your organization's membership invitation. QR codes can be installed as easily as putting a small sticker on existing signposts, and the information they channel can be changed at any time just by keeping the associated web page up to date, without anyone needing to run out and re-post the trailheads!

National Recreation Trails photo contest - DEADLINE APPROACHING!

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:12:44 -0600

Our annual photo contest is another way to publicize your designated National Recreation Trail. Please see details at: http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/photocon.html

American Trails sponsors the annual contest for photographs of National Recreation Trails and provides awards in several categories. The DEADLINE for entries is December 31, 2011.

Photos must be in JPEG or TIFF format. Submit via our website at: http://atfiles.org/ftp/web/ATUpload.html or email to NRT@AmericanTrails.org. Check the online searchable database for a list of NRTs in your state and more information on individual trails.

Entries will be displayed on the NRT website. See the 2010 galleries at:
http://www.americantrails.org/photoGalleries/photocontest2010/index.html

ALABAMA'S NATIONAL RECREATION TRAILS AS OF JULY 2011
Alabama Scenic River Trail
Bartram Trail
Chattahoochee Valley Railroad (CVRR) Trail - North
Chattahoochee Valley Railroad (CVRR) Trail - South
Chewacla State Park Trail System
Chief Ladiga Trail (Jacksonville Section)
Chief Ladiga Trail (Piedmont Section)
Citronelle Walking Trail
City of Foley Antique Rose Trail
DeSoto State Park Trail System
Eastern Shore Trail
Florala-Lake Jackson Scenic Trail
George Ward Park Exercise
Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
Lake Guntersville State Park Trail System
Lake Lurleen State Park Trail System
Limestone County Canoe & Kayak Trail
Minooka Park Trail System
Montevallo Greenway Trail
Muscle Shoals
Pinhoti
Queen City Park Trail
Richard Martin Trail
Smith Lake Park Walking/Bike Trails
Sportsman Lake Trails
Stony Lonesome OHV Park Trail System
Sunset Drive Trail
Swan Creek Greenway Trail
Talladega-Lincoln Outdoor Park & Trails (T.O.P.TR
Tannehill Tramway Trail
The Larry and Ronna Dykes Trail
Veterans Park Trail
Village Pointe Preserve Park Trail System
Wind Creek State Park Trail System
Yoholo-Micco, The Creek Indian Trail

2012 Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham Annual Meeting

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:09:57 -0600

SAVE THE DATE

2012 RPCGB Annual Meeting

Road Map to Redevelopment

January 25, 2012
The Club
1 Robert Smith Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209

Training Sessions 9am - 11:15am
Luncheon 11:30am - 1:00pm

Keynote Speaker: Mr. Mitchell Silver, AICP, PP
President, American Planning Association
Chief Planning & Economic Development Officer and Director, Department of City Planning for the City of Raleigh

SESSION TOPICS
Next Steps of Scenario Planning
Revitalization in Progress
Corridor Planning as a Tool for Redevelopment
Costs of Redevelopment and How to Minimize Them
More information is available at www.rpcgb.org

National Register: Listing It All Structures and Historic Archaeology: What's On and In the Ground

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:58:26 -0600

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 -- 8:30 to 4:30
Government Plaza located at 205 Government Street in downtown Mobile
Multipurpose Room on the first floor

Join staff of the National Park Service, National Register Program (NR), and the Alabama Historical Commission to learn how to prepare a National Register nomination with an emphasis on Historic Archaeology. End the afternoon learning how to navigate the waters of a Section 106 Review by the Alabama Historical Commission. The meeting is hosted by the Mobile Historic Development Commission. Local preservation commission staff and members, cultural resource consultants and the public are invited to attend.

Lisa Deline, National Register Reviewer, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.
How do you nominate properties to the National Register?
Learn about the National Register standards and how they apply to nominations for historic properties and districts. Deline will provide information on determining periods of significance, application of criteria, determining character defining features, determining boundaries, and placing the property within appropriate historic contexts. For commission members who review nominated properties or consultants who nominate properties, this is a chance to hear from the reviewer to find out what is needed in a successful nomination form.

Erika Seibert, National Register Reviewer, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.
How do you nominate historic archaeological resources to the National Register?
Learn how the National Register standards apply to historic archaeological resources. This session will provide information on National Register concerns for historic archaeological properties, determining periods of significance, level of investigations needed to confirm integrity and significance, and how to include historic archaeological features in larger historic district nominations and setting appropriate boundaries. Erika will also provide her impressions of the potential Africatown National Register district. She will explain the process from the reviewer's perspective, an insight that should not be missed.

Lee Anne Wofford, Alabama Historical Commission, Montgomery, AL
How do you apply the National Register criteria to architectural properties impacted by federal projects to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act? Learn what the AHC requires to review Section 106 projects and how to avoid your project being returned for more information. This session will provide real world examples of common building types that cause the most problems for consultants (and AHC Reviewers!).

This program receives federal funds from the National Park Service administered through the Alabama Historical Commission. Regulations of the U. S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or disability. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal assistance should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240

Registration Information Required
Please email your contact information including:
Name, phone number, preferred email address, and name of community, preservation commission and/or consulting firm you represent to: mhdc@cityofmobile.org

You can also mail the information to:
Mobile Historic Development Commission
Listing it All Conference
PO Box 1827

Mobile AL 36633-1827

No registration fee is required, but registration will assure you have a meeting packet for the sessions.

Lodging Suggestions

Be aware that the following weekend is the Senior Bowl so players and coaches will be booking for the same week.

Admiral Semmes Hotel: 251-432-8000; www.admiralsemmeshotel.com

Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel: 251-338-2000; www.rsabattlehouse.com

Hampton Inn and Suites Historic Downtown Mobile: 251-436-8787; www.mobiledownton.hamptoninnlcom

Holiday Inn Downtown Historic District: 251-694-0100; www.holidayinn.com

Malaga Inn: 251-438-4701

Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel: 251-438-4000; www.RenaissanceRiverview.com

Fort Conde Inn: 251-405-5040; www.fortcondeinn.com - This is a new bed and breakfast opened in arestored 1836 house.

Birmingham's Railroad Park wins award from SATW

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:56:24 -0600

The Society of American Travel Writers' (SATW) annual convention, held in New Zealand last month, served as the backdrop to announce the 2011 Phoenix Award winners. Created in 1969, the Phoenix Awards recognize conservation, preservation, beautification, and environmental accomplishments as they relate to travel. Birmingham's Railroad Park was one of four developments in the nation recognized with a Phoenix Award. Nearly four decades in the making, Railroad Park is a linear, 19-acre green space created on a former urban wasteland in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The first stage of a planned "Three Parks Initiative," it features a two-acre lake and meandering creeks; paths for bicyclists, runners, and walkers; benches; free wifi; a skate park; play areas for children; a grassy hillside amphitheatre; outdoor workout equipment; and a shaded plaza with covered sheds that hold park offices, bathrooms, and areas for concessions. It serves as a space for recreation and small- and large-scale events. "Railroad Park has all the parts for a Phoenix Award - historical and environmental conservation, public/private partnerships, across-the-board benefit to the community and potential to fuel future growth," a committee member wrote.

For more information on Railroad Park please see www.railroadpark.org.

Tuskegee Airmen movie set for January release

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:53:42 -0600

The George Lucas film, Red Tails, about Alabama's Tuskegee Airmen premieres in theaters across the U.S. January 20, 2012. The movie is the brain child of Lucas who has been developing the story for nearly 25 years. Red Tails is a high-flying action epic about the first African American combat pilots in the Tuskegee training program whose abilities were called into question as a result of segregation. The airmen were mostly untested, but proved themselves during WWII combat missions in Sicily and Italy. They also escorted bombers across Europe. Their nickname "red tails" stems from the paint that they applied to the tails of their planes.

The storyline follows the lives of the 332nd Fighter Group who are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard played by Oscar nominee Terrence Howard. Howard's character is loosely based on Tuskegee Airmen commander Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. Davis became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force. The movie also stars Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Major Emanuelle Stance and Theo James plays an intelligence officer. Lucas is the executive producer and Anthony Hemingway directed the action drama. The co-executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson is a native of Camden, Alabama.

"They were only in their early 20s when they performed these amazing feats," Lucas said. "They became the best of the best- the top guns. It is an honor to bring to the screen a story inspired by their heroics." When asked about the movie Gooding told an Inquirer reporter, "This is the black answer to Avatar," he says, promising the film is chock-full of the most sophisticated and breathtaking effects this side of James Cameron's box-office hit. Although none of the scenes were filmed in Alabama, the shoot took place in Prague over 13 weeks. The story follows lives of the 332d Fighter Group, which saw action in Sicily and Italy and also escorted bombers across Europe. The group acquired the nickname "red tails" for the paint they applied to the tails of their planes.

"Once moviegoers see the film, we are hoping they will come to Alabama to visit the actual site of the Tuskegee Airmen at Moton Field," said tourism director Lee Sentell. "Visitors can see a real planes used by the airmen during WWII and they can experience the real history," added Sentell. Moton Field opened in 1941 and was the training base for the Tuskegee Airmen. Today visitors can tour the Hangar One Museum at Moton Field for free. The hangar houses WWII-era training planes and interactive displays that tell the story of the airmen. For more information about the movie, Red Tails, visit www.redtailsfilm.com. For more information on the museum and other Tuskegee attractions visit www.alabama.travel.

Arts Grants Push Economic Development

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:32:38 -0600

Last month, eleven national foundations plus the National Endowment for the Arts announced the founding of ArtPlace America, a nationwide initiative to drive revitalization in cities and towns with a new investment model that puts the arts at the center of economic development. The launch of Artplace, based in Chicago, coincided with the awarding of $11.5 million in grants to 34 community-oriented arts organizations nationwide. read the full story here.

"It's fruitcake weather" as Monroeville celebrates 4th Annual Fruitcake Festival on Dec. 1

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:06:20 -0600

MONROEVILLE, AL - On Thursday, Dec. 1^st, 2011, Monroe County Heritage Museum will host the 4th Annual Fruitcake Festival, inspired by Truman Capote's heart-warming story, A Christmas Memory. Locally made fruitcakes in specially designed tins will be for sale all day, followed by a special theatrical performance at 7:00 pm in the world-famous courtroom of the Old Courthouse Museum. Tickets to the event are $25 and include a holiday reception...with fruitcake, of course!

For more information or to purchase tickets to the evening's performance, contact the Museum at 251-575-7433 or mchm@frontiernet.net. Website: www.tokillamockingbird.com.

December 2011 Top 10 Events from the Alabama Tourism Department

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:05:01 -0600

Christmas Light Festival
Montgomery; Dec 1-31
Thousands of holiday lights illuminate the Montgomery Zoo with animal shapes and Christmas themes. See the displays by train or by foot, and enjoy live entertainment, food and pictures with Santa. Festival dates are Dec. 1-4, Dec. 8-11 and 15-31, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is charged.

Christmas Lights at Palisades Park
Oneonta; Dec 1-31
Palisades Park will sparkle this Christmas season with a multitude of beautiful lights, compliments of businesses, churches, clubs and individuals in Blount County. Visitors can drive through the park between 5 and 9 any evening except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Blount County Quilters Guild will host Santa Claus and serve refreshments at its cottage in the park; call 205-274-0017 for specific dates.

Christmas on the River
Demopolis; Dec 1-4
This four-day festival is jampacked with activities, including the Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-off, home tours, a daytime parade, the Jingle Bell Run, an evening nautical parade with fireworks, the lighting of the Love Light Christmas tree, and more.

Sportsman's Wonderland
Cullman; Dec 1-Jan 1
Enjoy a drive through animated light displays and stop by to see Santa Claus. Take a train ride around the lake, and don't miss the horse-drawn carriage ride and hot cocoa.

Christmas at Oakleigh
Mobile; Dec 2-4
Step back in time and enjoy a festive 19th-century holiday celebration, featuring seasonal music, guided tours, a Victorian Santa, exhibitors and refreshments from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tours by candlelight are 6:30-8 p.m.

Christmas at Arlington
Birmingham; Dec 3-4
If you're looking for an old-fashioned Christmas, come to Arlington and step back in time to experience true Southern hospitality and charm. Enjoy the beautifully decorated rooms and the delicious Southern fare on this special weekend. This event, hosted by the Arlington Historical Association, will be the perfect way to start your Christmas season!

Holiday Festival
Selma; Dec 5-17
This community celebration of the holiday season is a two-week affair, with a craft show, bake sale and appearances by Santa.

West Alabama Christmas Parade
Tuscaloosa; Dec 5
West Alabama's largest Christmas parade features more than 150 decorated floats along with Santa Claus, bands and other performers from the area. Parade begins at 5:15 p.m., followed by the tree-lighting on the steps of the courthouse at 6:30.

Victorian Christmas
Dothan; Dec 11
Sample old-fashioned desserts, sip hot chocolate or mulled cider and try your hand at making traditional Christmas decorations at this annual event.

City of Fairhope New Year's Eve Celebration
Fairhope; Dec 31
Fairhope's New Year's Eve Celebration is back. Residents and visitors are invited to bring their families and ring in the new year in downtown Fairhope. The band will begin playing at 8:30 p.m. at the corner of Section and Church streets. Other entertainment will include a DJ, face painting, free party favors, fireworks and a ball drop at midnight.

Wernher von Braun exhibit opens at U.S. Space & Rocket Center

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:02:58 -0600

From the editorial "The remarkable story of space pioneer Dr. Wernher von Braun" by John Peck in The Huntsville Times:

There's the public side and the personal side of German-turned-American rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun. Most people know his public side. Now, in an extensive display of artifacts, personal items and historical documents, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is showcasing the life of the man known globally as the father of the American space program. The "100 Years of Von Braun: His American Journey," opened last week and will run through May. Museum officials are working with schools to schedule field trips. Huntsville-area residents can use this chance to learn about the person largely credited with transforming Huntsville into a major hub for aerospace and defense work. The exhibit is the brainchild of the space museum's new director, Dr. Deborah Barnhart.Von Braun died on June 16, 1977, at age 65 after a stellar career at NASA and later at a private satellite firm. His 100th birthday would be March 23, 2012.

"This is a story every American should know," Barnhart said last week. "It takes visitors through von Braun's American experience from the surrender at the end of World War II through their historic moon landing. This authentic and respectful story of his accomplishment also unveils the personal look at the man behind them - father, musician, sportsman and celebrity." Visitors will delight in seeing family photographs of his life in Huntsville. One collection shows von Braun along with other German colleagues being sworn in as American citizens in the Huntsville High School auditorium on April 14, 1955. Items from his home in the Blossomwood area include books, his telescope and toys of his children. There's a setup of his Marshall Space Flight Center office and collections of various personal keepsakes. There are videos of him with presidents John Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower in their visits to Huntsville, diagramming spaceflight sequences and making congressional appeals during the height of the space race.

As visitors stroll by the kiosks across the museum's main floor, they can trace von Braun's path from his boyhood days and missile work in Germany to his dramatic surrender to the Americans as allied forces were closing in. One enlarged photo, taken near the time of surrender, shows von Braun with his left arm still in a sling from a vehicle accident while rushing to a mountain hideout just days before. His brother, Magnus - chosen because of his English speaking skills - rode a bicycle (also on display) to surrender to American troops in Ruette, Austria, on May 2, 1945. There are historic photographs and films of von Braun and 117 other German missilemen living at Fort Bliss, Texas, and their transfer to Redstone Arsenal in 1950. The exhibit also educates viewers about the efforts by local leaders like Army Gen. Holger Toftoy to steer the U.S. missile program to Redstone.

There's a life-size model of a V-2, an authentic captured blueprint of an enemy missile design, and footage of German missile parts being whisked by train to the Americans. There are models of various spacecraft and interviews that portray von Braun's life as a public figure in the heyday of the space race, including his work with Walt Disney on space films to drum up public support. Sprinkled throughout the exhibit are blowup quotes of von Braun's witticisms that give a sense not only of his communicating skills but of his no-nonsense management style. "One test result is worth one thousand expert opinions," reads one. "Our two greatest problems are gravity and paperwork. We can lick gravity but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming," reads another. Then there's this: "I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest of caution." Von Braun looked beyond what many thought was impossible. And America is much better because of it. For more information on the Wernher von Braun exhibit please see http://www.ussrc.com/mu/travexh.

For the complete editorial please see http://blog.al.com/times-views/2011/10/the_remarkable_story_of_space.html.

Birding Trails expanding in the state

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:01:13 -0600

From the article "Tourism effort takes flight" by Dennis Sherer in the Times Daily:

A tourism effort that hatched in the Shoals is taking flight statewide. The Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail in east-central Alabama officially opens Nov. 17 with 34 bird-watching sites in nine counties. It is one of eight bird-watching trails open or being developed to include every county in the state. Mark Sasser, coordinator of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources non-game wildlife program, said inspiration for the statewide network of birding trails came from the success of the North Alabama Birding Trail that opened in 2005. The North Alabama Birding Trail, which stretches from Mississippi to Georgia primarily along the Tennessee River, consists of 50 bird-watching sites, including 12 in the Shoals. The trail is being expanded to include Franklin and Winston counties. It was the second birding trail in the state. The Coastal Alabama Birding Trail opened in 2002.

"After we created the North Alabama trail, Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell said he wanted every county in the state to have at least one birding site," Sasser said. "The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is providing technical advice for the new trails, but they are being created by the Alabama Tourism Department and local agencies throughout the state." Two of the bird watching trails in the new initiative, the Pinewoods Birding Trail in southwest Alabama and the Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail across the middle of the state, are open. Three other trails are in the development or planning phases.

Susann Hamlin, executive director of Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said creating birding trails throughout the state will boost tourism."The North Alabama Birding Trail has been extremely successful," said Hamlin, who helped spearhead the effort to create the trail. "We are constantly receiving requests for information from people who want to come to our area to see birds and other wildlife along the North Alabama Birding Trail." Dana Lee Jennings, president and CEO of the Decatur-based Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, said a brochure about the North Alabama Birding Trail is one of the most popular publications the organization distributes. Hamlin said the birding trail aids the local economy. She said bird watchers often stay in motels, eat at restaurants, shop and buy gas in communities they visit. A study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found Americans spent nearly $45 million in 2006 observing, feeding and photographing wildlife. The average spending per person was $798.

For the complete article please see http://www.timesdaily.com/stories/Tourism-effort-takes-flight,183869?sub_id=183869&print=1.