A Bold New Era Ahead for SAMAB
Building on a solid record of past achievements, including the Southern Appalachian Assessment, SAMAB is entering a bold new era filled with fresh challenges. This was made clear by speakers at the annual Spring Planning Meeting in Asheville April 14-15.
Randy Phillips, new chairman of the Executive Committee, said the meeting has "given us a sense of where we're going. Now we must move ahead."
Addressing the question of "Where do we go from here," Karen Wade challenged SAMAB to "focus on things we can uniquely do -- and then do them." Ms. Wade is vice-chair of SAMAB's Executive Committee. She suggested that the Cooperative's standing committees identify and list items that SAMAB, with its mission, can perform in a unique way, and then recommend areas that the organization should focus on in the coming year.
"To accomplish that," she said, "we may have to go beyond the present committee structure." This might mean bringing in new committees, phasing out some existing committees, and forming ad hoc committees for specific tasks.
Responding to her challenge, SAMAB's present committees in separate meetings considered "things SAMAB can uniquely do." Some identified projects that went beyond the individual committees' normal scope. For details, see the committee reports.
Executive Director Hubert Hinote sees this as evidence that "SAMAB is embarking on a whole new era."
"What I sense from this year's Spring Planning Meeting is a new enthusiasm, a new fire to meet the challengs that lie ahead of us," Hinote added.
One of these challenges will be to communicate to the right people the results of SAMAB's monumental Southern Appalachian Assessment, now near completion. A vital component of this new vision is the need for SAMAB Foundation development. While the Foundation serves as a successful mechanism for facilitating efforts such as conferences, the SAMAB Annual Conference, and public meetings, there is a need to reach beyond and bring the foundation closer to the heart of the SAMAB program. Also, there is a need to move ahead with the development of the SAMAB associated universities and colleges.
Implementing the Assessment:
A Plan of Action Takes Shape
SAMAB's Public Affairs Committee has prepared a"rollout plan" to disseminate the results of the Southern Appalachian Assessment to top-level officials in the federal and state governments, to educators, and to the public. (See details in the story on Page 2).
Charles Van Sickle reported that three of the four major technical reports from the assessment are in the final draft stage, as is the summary report. He displayed a draft of the Aquatic Team report to give the audience an idea of the high quality of presentation to be found in the finished documents.
Van Sickle described the assessment as"an ecological description of conditions and trends in the natural resources of Southern Appalachia. He added that the various agencies now need to zero in on the specifics. For example, all agencies involved in aquatic health will need to apply the broad findings of the assessment to individual watersheds under their stewardship. He reminded SAMAB that the assessment, which has consumed much of the energy of the cooperative's member agencies for the past 18 months,"is the start of a process, not the end. And it will play a major role in SAMAB's future direction.
SAMAB vice-chair Wade suggested, as a follow up on the Southern Appalachian Assessment, to keep three long-term goals in mind:
Special Thanks to the NC Arboretum and to George Briggs
SAMAB extends a very special thank-you to George Briggs, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arboretum, for hosting the SAMAB Spring Planning Meeting. This was the third time that the meeting has been held at the Arboretum, which offers possible the most scenic, beautiful and congenial setting SAMAB has ever had for this annual function.
In welcoming SAMAB, Briggs described progress made since the Arboretum's dedication last year. An attractive entry plaza has been completed, and so have the grand garden promenade, the stream garden, and the quilt garden. As a result, many more visitors are expected this year than last. Briggs said work has started on an irrigation system and several new roads and trails. Indicating even more growth in visitation, Briggs announced that in the year 2000, the North Carolina Arboretum will host meetings of the International Botanical Gardens Association Congress and the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.
Thanks again, George, for providing such fine surroundings for our meeting.
Southern Appalachian Assessment Raises Policy Issues
A number of policy issues related to the Southern Appalachian Assessment (SAA) were discussed by the Executive Committee during the Spring Planning Meeting.
"We need to define and address those issues that are beyond the scope of any single working committee," Executive Director Hinote said. "We need to identify the high priority actions needed and determine who should tackle them.
As a result, the Executive Committee took action on the following issues:
Forest Health. Bob Anderson of the Forest Service said sustainability is the major concern and that criteria for forest health indicators need to be developed. A draft policy statement has been prepared. It will be reviewed by SAMAB's Resource Management Committee, which will make recommendations for action to the Executive Committee.
Air Quality. Karen Wade said the Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative (SAMI) should let federal and other land managers know what it is doing and answer questions such as, What level of air pollution reduction is needed not only in Class I areas but throughout the region? It was decided to invite SAMI representatives to the Executive Committee's July meeting. The purposes would be to promote more interaction and to seek timely solutions to SAMAB's concern about air quality in the Southern Appalachians.
SAA Policy Team. The question was raised: Should this team continue to operate now that the assessment is about finished? Charles Van Sickle said it should continue, but Brian Cole said this might be premature because of doubts about continued funding. No action was taken.
Getting results of the SAA to other organizations. There was extended discussion of this question. Dodd Galbreath of the Tennessee Environmental Policy Office suggested that a SAMAB representative could sit in on meetings of selected groups, such as the Southern Rivers Council, the North Carolina River Assessment, and North Carolina Year of the Mountains initiative, to stimulate more interaction with SAMAB. Because of concerns about SAMAB getting too bogged down in meeting with other groups, it was decided that all the SAMAB agencies will identify key partners and give Hubert Hinote a list of these before the July meeting.
How can SAMAB develop a closer relationship with the private sector? The private sector could help SAMAB identify issues and priorities, and would be useful for generating support for SAMAB. The Executive Committee will develop a strategy to accomplish this.
In other actions, the Executive Committee set up a subcommittee that will lay out a process for handling requests for technical assistance from SAMAB.
Spreading News of the Appalachian Assessment
The SAMAB committees spent time in break-out meetings on both days of the planning session. They reported as follows:
Public Affairs
Terry Seyden, chairman, said his group focused on a roll-out strategy for communicating results of the Southern Appalachian Assessment. The strategy includes local and national news releases, public workshops, Congressional briefings, reports to state natural resource agencies and other regional contacts, and organization of a small group of assessment leaders who can make presentations to targeted groups such as newspaper editorial boards.
Randy Phillips suggested that briefings be offered to state governors in the SAMAB region. The governors can then designate who should be involved.
Cultural and Historic Resources
Ruthanne Mitchell is the new chairperson of this committee. She is the Resource Manager for the Little River Canyon Natural Preserve in Fort Payne, Alabama, a new unit of the National Park Service. The committee is working on two short-term projects: a directory of cultural resource specialists who can provide services to local communities, and a directory of libraries, museums, archives, and universities that possess reports and other information about SAMAB.
Two long-term projects are planned: a comprehensive list of cultural heritage sites and facilities and community awards for work in historic preservation. Ms. Mitchell suggested that SAMAB committees, as well as the SAMAB agencies, would benefit if they developed greater cultural diversity.
SAMAB Executive Director Hubert Hinote said,"Ruthanne and her committee are outstanding examples of the fresh, enthusiastic approach all the committees will need to take if SAMAB is to continue as a model for the region.
Research and Monitoring
Karl Hermann said this committee will generate a report on what is needed in follow-up to the assessment. A draft will be presented at the July Executive Committee meeting.
Resource Management
Joe Abrell responded to Karen Wade's charge to determine what SAMAB can uniquely do to follow-up on the assessment. He suggested that an environmental education campaign, centering around the assessment reports, be offered. He also suggested that SAMAB could fund an international training institute dealing with environmental issues.
Environmental Education and Training
Gene Cox said his committee may prepare a poster based on the Southern Appalachian Assessment. It will also consider preparation of lesson plans based on the assessment for use by classroom teachers. Cox expressed frustration with the fast turnover occurring in committee personnel 80 percent since his committee's last meeting. He indicated that other committees also may be experiencing this problem and suggested that the Executive Committee see what it can do to help.
Sustainable Development
John Peine, chairman, said SAMAB can make a unique contribution to the region by sponsoring a community technical assistance program for sustainable development. This would involve identifying sources of information on sustainability. Peine's committee is preparing a brochure on managed growth for communities. An on-the-ground technical assistance program would follow-up on that. Peine suggested that individual agencies in SAMAB could establish technical assistance partnerships with communities in an ongoing program.
States Members: What They Expect From SAMAB
What do the three states that are members of SAMAB expect from the cooperative? Speakers from each state gave answers to that question in a symposium at the Spring Planning Meeting.
Leading off was Russ England, assistant chief of fisheries in the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, who is on the SAMAB Executive Committee. He said that sustainability and ecosystem management are of high interest to him. He also would like to get all stakeholders involved in addressing these issues.
England said SAMAB could become the model for"a sustainable culture in the region.
There are conflicts within the state. For example, some want growth, others want to limit growth. Consequently, he sees SAMAB as an"attempt to define reality and to take it to the communities. In the future, England would like to see SAMAB provide the specifics needed for local application of the principles of sustainable development. Redefine progress to get away form the idea that communities must"grow or die.
Additionally, England said he would like to see SAMAB look deeper at how the quality of life is measured at the federal level; e.g. net worth vs. gains in the Gross National Product.
Paul K. Muller, regional air quality supervisor in the Division of environmental Management in North Carolina, outlined two things his state expects of SAMAB. First, that the cooperative serve as a database repository, tracking data for various parameters. Secondly, he said SAMAB should do all it can to address issues raised during the observance of "Year of the Mountains" in North Carolina.
The Year of the Mountains started last year and is to continue until next July. Its purpose is to focus statewide attention on problems and issues in the North Carolina highlands and to encourage new partnerships and initiatives to address these.
Muller said he would like to see SAMAB encourage growth planning, but warned that "zoning" is a hated word in this region.
Dodd Galbreath of the Tennessee Environmental Policy Office spoke next. He said his state is a leader in the southeast in several areas, including ecosystem delineation, wetlands conservation, biodiversity, and gap analysis.
He said a fundamental issue SAMAB should address is how to deal with growth, since every state in the region is experiencing growth pains and related quality-of-life issues. Tennessee, for example, "is consumed by social issues" such as welfare reform, he said.
Galbreath suggested that SAMAB set standards for approaching growth problems, perhaps sponsoring pilot projects to demonstrate effectiveness of the SAMAB approach. He also suggested a "Bill of Responsibilities" to balance prevailing concepts of the "Bill of Rights."
Galbreath praised SAMAB for putting the states on the agenda .
A task force appointed by the Governor of North Carolina examined the sustainability of that state's hardwood forest resources and came up with"a rather comfortable picture."
That was how Fred White, speaking at SAMAB's Spring Planning Meeting, described the results. He said the Task Force focused on four issues:
White said that while the outlook was generally good, some problems were identified. These include pine regeneration, and an unexpected increase in hardwood mortality.
Major changes affecting demand for forest products, White said, include a shift in policy on national forests resulting in increased softwood harvest, a sharp increase worldwide in demand for forest products, a rapid increase in North Carolina's population, increasing fragmentation of forest ownership, and a growing public perception that forest management is harmful to the environment. The task force study, which lasted a year, brought 42 specific recommendations. One recommendation was for a"right-to-burn" law allowing controlled fires. The final report awaits only the governor's signature, and then it will be published.
Four Receive Special Awards
Special plaques were presented to three key players in the Southern Appalachian Assessment at SAMAB's Spring Planning Meeting. In addition, Briane Adams was presented a color photo of an Appalachian mountain scene for his work while chairman of the Executive Committee.
Plaques were presented to Charles Van Sickle, Forrest Carpenter, and Cory Berish, who co-chaired the Southern Appalachian Assessment. The awards cited their"excellence in service" to the assessment effort.
Executive Director Reports:
A Sustainable Future, An Exciting Future
SAMAB continues to receive national and international exposure as a demonstration model. Over the past month, I had the pleasure of speaking to two international groups that were visiting the area: a group of eight foresters and park managers from Honduras, and 27 Hubert Humpherey Fellows representing 22 countries. The Hubert Humpherey Fellowship program is a part of the Fulbright Exchange Activity and is sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency; these fellows spend a year studying in the U.S..
I was also a speaker at the 1996 Nicholas School of Environment Alumni College at Duke University. Among those on the program were Katy McGinty, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality, and Jack Ward Thomas, Chief, U.S. Forest Service. The subject of the program was"Conflicts and Cooperation in Environmental Management." The focus of my presentation was on SAMAB's role in coordination, cooperation, and integration.
During May, SAMAB will be on the program of two national conferences. The Smithsonian Institution is sponsoring its second annual environmental conference. The conference will concentrate on the issue of public lands and their purpose and effectiveness today; I will be part of a panel discussing actual experiences and local participatory efforts.
Also in May,"The Wilderness and Natural Areas in Eastern North America; Research, Planning and Management" Conference will be held in Gatlinburg. I will be a speaker at one of the plenary sessions and Charles Van Sickle will be the moderator of a panel discussing the Southern Appalachian Assessment.
I hope all of you are as enthusiastic about SAMAB's future as I am. As you can see from the articles in this newsletter, these are exciting times as SAMAB grows toward maturity.
Events like the NEPA Coordinator's workshop, the Southern Appalachian Assessment, and building upon existing relationships is key to finding solutions to regional issues. If we are to achieve a "sustainable future", we must continue to build on our committment of `coordination, cooperation, and integration'.
The outlook for black bears could be as dark as their fur if more isn't done to help them, says Joel Zachry. And he's doing his best to provide that help. Zachry is associated with the Appalachian Black Bear Rehabilitation and Release Center, a nonprofit organization.
The center takes in orphaned or abandoned cubs and tries to rear them until the can be returned to the wild. Zachry spoke at the Spring Planning Meeting of SAMAB. The Center now operates in temporary facilities near Townsend, Tennessee, but a $1 million permanent structure is planned. Eventually it is to be equipped to care for 12 to 20 cubs at a time.
Zachry said there are an estimated 500 bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Poaching occurs because the bear's body parts can be profitably exported. In addition, there is competition for food among bears, so some are abandoned or orphaned when the mother bear dies. Left alone, cubs cannot survive.
The center will not be open to the public since all human contact must be minimized.
Interestingly, Zachry noted that while a number of bears are killed by humans, there is no record of a human ever being killed by a Smokies bear.
More and more land trusts are appearing in Southern Appalachia, and at least one of them wants to build a closer relationship with SAMAB.
Chuck Roe, who directs the Conservation Trust of North Carolina, spoke at the SAMAB Spring Planning Meeting. He suggested that SAMAB plan a workshop and invite representatives for the 10 to 15 private land trusts now operating in the region. Federal and state land management agencies could also be invited.
The workshop would be mutually beneficial since the objectives of both groups often overlap.
Roe said the workshop could help the land trusts to coordinate their efforts, avoiding duplication. It could also help the federal and state land management agencies in SAMAB to understand better what land trusts are doing.
SAMAB Executive Director Hubert Hinote welcomed Roe's suggestion and said an effort will be made to include this workshop on a future agenda of the executive committee or at the Fall Conference.
"The number of land trusts in Southern Appalachia is growing," Hinote said. "There are obvious benefits in our building a closer relationship with these organizations."
A Technology Transfer Committee was established to deal with technological issues involving information transfer. The committee will initally focus on use of the World-Wide-Web with enhancements to the SAMAB Southern Appalachian Home Page and it will deal with workshops involving the use of GIS and the Southern Appalachian GIS Data Base. The committee will work closely with the education committee and others. The committee will consist of Karl Hermann, Phillip Gibson, and Terry Seyden.
SAMAB to Sponsor NEPA Workshop in Knoxville
SAMAB will sponsor a workshop for all NEPA coordinators in the six state SAMAB region on May 31, 1996, at the Hilton Hotel in Knoxville, TN. Ray Clark, Associate Director for the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, will open the workshop at 9 a.m..
The objectives of the workshop are to improve interagency cooperation and coordination in NEPA and show how to implement Section 101. Section 101 contains language promoting concepts that today would be recognized as sustainable development: fulfilling the responsibilities of each generation as a trustee of the environment for succeeding generations to assure a safe and healthful environment, preserving historic, cultural, and other aspects of our natural heritage, achieving a balance between population and resource use, and enhancing the quality of renewable resources.
Although not widely recognized, the purposes of the Man and the Biosphere Program are consistent with and nearly identical to those of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Over ninety NEPA coordinators from around the SAMAB region have been invited. A database of all NEPA activities is planned for the future from the SAMAB Coordinating office.
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