The government ran out of money, but SAMAB's annual Fall Conference didn't run out of steam. The show went on (with some last-minute modifications) despite the government shutdown that sent many federal employees and SAMAB members home.
That meant a slimmer crowd than was expected. Nevertheless, there were 202 registered.
A major conference focus was the Southern Appalachian Assessment, now near completion. Technical reports from the assessment are due to be published by mid-January, 1996, and the summary report shortly thereafter.
A common thread in many of the presentations was that the assessment, as rigorous and time-demanding as it was, is really only the beginning. A presentation on the last day of the conference captured it best with the title, "Where Do We Go From Here?" This was a panel discussion moderated by Stephanie Neal of the U.S. Forest Service.
Jim Loesel, secretary of the Southern Forest Appalachian Coalition, said experience gained in the assessment created "leaders for the future," and that this was "an extremely important product" of the assessment. The big need now, he said, is to get the information out to the decision-makers.
Gary Pierson of the Forest Service, in charge of land management planning and environmental coordination, said there are three key areas in which the assessment will be of future value to the Forest Service: better coordination of work, more organized data for monitoring at different scales, and in the development of individual forest plans. The assessment, he said, will bring greater consistency to the forest plans, which must be updated periodically.
Deborah Baker, executive director of the Southern Timber Purchasers Council, urged everyone to be sure and read the technical reports coming from the assessment.
Panel member Rob Turner, an ecological planner at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said he hopes the assessment will lead to establishment of an "ecological data center" that would be a model for the rest of the country.
He took issue with some of the terminology in preliminary reports of the assessment, such as "final report" and "end of the assessment." The assessment, he contended, was a process. He said it would be a great mistake to read the assessment and then go back to business as usual.
Charles Van Sickle, assistant director of the Southern Forest Research Station, characterized the assessment as "priming the pump." He invited the audience to comment on the panel discussion. Among suggestions that were offered:
Van Sickle summed up the session, observing that the assessment seemed to serve three functions: (1) It produced an archive of information valuable to many people, (2) it provided a framework for integrating future activities, and (3) it will give a valid benchmark against which to measure future work.
Van Sickle suggested that next year's SAMAB Fall Conference report on what various agencies accomplished with the Southern Appalachian Assessment data.
Karen Wade, superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, opened SAMAB's Fall Conference with a tactful reminder: The Southern Appalachian Assessment is not a decision-making exercise. But it does give decision-makers the tools to make better-informed decisions than ever before.
Decisions, she said, will be made locally. "But for the very first time, we will understand the impacts of these decisions in a truly regional sense."
Her remarks set the tone for the entire fall conference.
Wade emphasized the need for "strong, healthy, vital partnerships," which the assessment helped develop. About 20 different organizations were involved in the assessment, and scores of individuals were involved.
The assessment she said, greatly increases our knowledge base and widens our viewpoint. Knowledge gained from the assessment will lead to better decisions. She pointed out that the public will be very much involved "and this could be one of the more important benefits of this assessment."
Bob Joslin, regional forester for the Southern Region of the Forest Service, Atlanta, spoke next. He praised SAMAB for "providing the mechanism" for the assessment. "As we work together to address common issues and needs, it's good to know that we all have a common data base."
"It is critical that people who manage have the latest and best scientific information to go on," he said.
Joslin sees possibly far-reaching consequences for SAMAB as a result of the assessment. He said the needs of the agencies and of private landowners will be better identified than ever before, and "this will drive SAMAB's future actions."
Bob O'Neill, senior research ecologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said there is a need for new ways to address regional problems that don't involve studying the problem in minute detail. He said many experiences have demonstrated that "scientific certitude" can't be achieved on many things.
Hugh Morton, who operates Grandfather Mountain as one of SAMAB's Biosphere Reserve Units, made a slide presentation dealing with North Carolina's "Year of the Mountain" observance.
Milton Russell spoke on "Concepts for Regional Assessments and Sustainability." He is former deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and currently director of the Joint Institute for Energy and Environment at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Russell discussed the origin of the concept of "sustainable development" and offered three propositions or principles for sustainability:
James Sweeney of Champion International Corporation gave an industry perspective on sustainable development. He said that Champion, a major producer of paper, recently named a vice president devoted exclusively to sustainability. Reforestation is practiced, best management practices are employed to protect water and wildlife, and timber cutting is managed so as to minimize the impact on scenic views.
Dave Crockett, City Councilman in Chattanooga, chairs the council's Environmental and Economic Development Committee. Incentives for restoring cities are of paramount importance, he said, adding that the "throwaway" design of commercial products is eating up city budgets. There needs to be a fundamental change in the way things are designed to reduce the load on city waste management. There should be more recycling and "zero-waste" design in products for sustainability to succeed in the nation's cities.
Tommy Gilbert, who was instrumental in getting the Man and Biosphere program established back in the 1970s, paid a visit to the Executive Committee meeting in Knoxville November 13.
He has been in Indonesia the past year, assisting in development of a Man and Biosphere program. Seeing the need for help in other lands, Gilbert said he hoped SAMAB would consider setting up a training program to reach out to other countries on a regular basis.
SAMAB, he said, is still the best model around for promoting interagency cooperation on a worldwide scale.
The SAMAB Executive Committee is scheduled to meet next on February 15 in Atlanta. Tentatively, this meeting will be a joint meeting with the Southeastern Natural Resources Leaders. Most of the organizations in this group are also represented in SAMAB.
Subsequent meetings of the Executive Committee are planned for April 24-25 at the annual Spring Planning Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina; on July 18 at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; September 26 in Franklin, North Carolina, and during the Seventh Annual Fall Conference November 19-21 at a location yet to be decided.
Four major team leaders for the Southern Appalachian Assessment gave an overview of the assessment in a panel discussion at the Fall Conference.
Bill Jackson, who heads the assessment's air quality team, said the team gathered existing data and tried to identify the major sources and effects of air pollution.
Marisue Hilliard, deputy supervisor of Cherokee National Forest, who headed the Terrestrial Team, said her group addressed changes in trends in forest health and the mechanics of disturbance. The damage caused by exotic pests such as pine beetles and gypsy moths were examined, as were the effects of fire on the forest environment.
Jack Holcomb of the Forest Service, who headed the Aquatic Team, said the assessment will turn up some gaps in the data, which can then be researched and filled.
Ken Cordell reported for the Socio-economic and Cultural Team. Questions his team addressed included the changing demographics of the region, social and cultural impacts on natural resource management, and the status of private lands. Population growth, he said, has contributed to constant change in the demographic scene.
Stephanie Neal of the Forest Service pointed out that the work of the Pubic Affairs Team brought credibility to the entire process by engaging the public throughout the process.
Dr. Elizabeth Smith of TVA said some 150 scientists and research analysts took part in the assessment, representing 20 agencies. Results are intended for decision-makers and the general public, to help them identify priority areas for attention.
Karl Hermann of the National Biological Service at the University of Tennessee said much time has been spent developing the computerized data base from the assessment. The information will be made available on five CD-ROM discs, one of which will include all the graphics developed for the assessment.
The summary report of the assessment will probably be the most popular printed product from the assessment, according to Forest Carpenter, co-chair of the whole assessment. It will be available by the end of January, 1996.
In a question and answer session that followed his report, Carpenter was asked how the assessment will affect public policy. He said that each agency will no doubt use the report in different ways, but that the Forest Service would make it an integral part of their continual planning process. "We see it ultimately resulting in local projects," he said.
The Southern Appalachian Assessment will be extremely useful for future assessments, according to Gene Lessard of the National Assessment Program in Washington, D. C. Lessard said his office is developing guidelines and protocols for regional assessments. This will provide a national framework for integrating ecological assessments of all kinds.
The Southern Appalachian Assessment and assessments in the Columbia River basin and the Mid-Atlantic region are being used to develop the national guidelines. A workshop is planned next spring to analyze what was done in the three assessment, and the results will be included in the national guidelines.
The Forest Service plans to publish a guidebook for future assessments, he noted.
Many other presentations were made at the Fall Conference. A copy of the proceedings can be had by calling SAMAB headquarters.
SAMAB hosted visitors from the Czech Republic and Poland in September.
The Czech visitors were Petr Stepanek, Director of the Krivoklatsko Biosphere Reserve, and Eva Jelinoka, Executive Secretary of the Czech National Man and Biosphere Committee. They were in the Southern Appalachians September 23-30.
The visitor from Poland was Andrzej Raj, Assistant Director and Head Forester for the Karkonosze National Park in Poland. This park is part of the binational Karkonosze Biosphere Reserve maintained by both Poland and the Czech Republic. From August 23 to September 20, Raj was hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Asheville, North Carolina, and the National Forests of North Carolina. His tour also included the Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
All the visitors wanted to learn about tourism and its effects on Biosphere Reserves. Their mission was to learn about issues and problems facing the Southern Appalachians and what SAMAB and other agencies are doing to try to resolve them. The concept of visitation at a Biosphere Reserve was relatively new to them. They wanted to know how U.S. Biosphere Reserves operate visitor centers, about visitor relations in general, and public education programs associated with U.S. Biosphere Reserves.
Money-raising activities to support Biosphere Reserve activity was also an area of much interest. The visitors were briefed on the way SAMAB is funded by the cooperative agencies themselves and by the SAMAB Foundation.
All the visitors were hosted in the homes of various SAMAB people. The visitors seem especially to appreciate this kind of informal, personal contact.
Executive Director Hubert Hinote cited the mutual benefits of visitor exchanges with other countries. "There are Biosphere Reserves all over the world and each one is unique," he said. "We can learn from them and they can learn from us."
Several awards were presented at the Fall Conference. A new one, the "Hinote Award," went to Executive Director Hubert Hinote for "sustained personal dedication to SAMAB." The Executive Committee established the award without telling Hinote. The presentation was a total surprise to the Executive Director who was, for once, speechless.
Subsequent Hinote Awards will be presented annually.
Four organizations were honored with plaques presented by the Sustainable Development Committee chaired by John Peine. They went to Randy Brown, Executive Director of the Foothills Land Conservancy of Maryville, Tennessee, Bill Nickle, head of the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center and New Earth Publications in Washburn, Tennessee, the town of Pittman Center, Tennessee, and the Parks as Classrooms program of Pi Beta Phi Elementary School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The Foothills Conservancy received a Leadership Award for raising $1,300,000 to purchase 4,600 acres of land adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It maintains the land as an undeveloped buffer zone to the park.
Bill Nickle's organization received the Business Award because it promotes the principles of sustainable development in practical ways, including the use of solar heat and a "simple lifestyle" in its facilities.
Pittman Center was given the Community Award because of its continuing effort to balance development with conservation through community planning.
The Education Award to Pi Beta Phi school was made because the school redefined its curriculum to include frequent school trips to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to build student appreciation for the need to maintain the natural environment.
Bob Thatcher, retired Forest Service scientist and a long-time SAMAB supporter, was presented the Emeritus Scientist Award on November 13 at the Executive Committee meeting in Knoxville. The award was made on behalf of the Southeastern Forest Research Station by Charles Van Sickle, assistant director.
Thatcher became the fourth person ever to receive the award. He was honored for outstanding leadership in pine beetle research while with the Forest Service.
Thatcher served for several years as secretary of the SAMAB Foundation and currently keeps the minutes of the Executive Committee. SAMAB Executive Director Hubert Hinote commended Thatcher for keeping "the most complete and comprehensive minutes we have ever had."
The following committee reports were made at the last Executive Committee meeting:
Environmental Education: Chairman Gene Cox reported that posters and other educational materials dealing with black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are in the design stage. The brochure is expected to be available by the first of the year. Other materials should be ready by spring, when the bears become more active after the hibernation season.
The black bear package will include posters, a brochure, and signs that will help people properly store and dispose of food while in and around the park. It is hoped that this educational effort will avert dangerous confrontations between the bears and people visiting the park.
Those interested in ordering these materials are urged to contact Gene at the park as soon as possible. The number is (423) 436-1255. Or you can call Karen Ballentine at (423) 436-1237.
Two teacher workshops on neotropical migratory songbirds are being planned for early 1996, one in North Carolina and one in Tennessee. Several agencies will cooperate in producing six educational posters to promote student activity on various species of flora and fauna.
A brochure is being developed with the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant council that will offer suggestions to help people avoid exotic species and instead use native plants in landscaping. To reserve copies, contact Kristine Johnson at (423) 436-1707. This committee is also preparing a manual on how to get rid of pest species of exotic plants.
Public Affairs: An updated brochure describing the SAMAB program is being prepared and copies should be available soon. The text was written by the Public Affairs Committee. Terry Seyden, Committee Chairman, said personnel at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will handle page layout. The committee is almost finished with a new table-top exhibit to be used to publicize SAMAB at various public functions.
Sustainable Development: Chairman John Peine announced that plaques will be presented to four organizations or individuals whose work reflects dedication to the principles of sustainable development. (See story above for details.)
Resources Management: Hubert Hinote reported briefly for this committee in the absence of Chairman Larry Luckett. He said work is progressing on a cooperative project with the Little Tennessee Watershed Association.
Research and Monitoring: Hinote reported for this committee, chaired by Betsy Smith. Betsy made a presentation to the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Conference on the Southern Appalachian Assessment.
Cultural and Historical Resources: No report.
Executive Director's Report:
Phillip Gibson, Environmental Planner and Assistant to the Executive Director, has done a marvelous job organizing SAMAB's mailing list. The 3,800 names on the list are computerized and can be sorted into smaller groups for selective mailing.
The newsletter now goes to more than 700. All of us in SAMAB need to be thinking about whether we should expand the list, and the most economical way to distribute the newsletter. Mail distribution can be very expensive. Faxing and E-mail were discussed as possible future alternatives.
Cost management remains a matter of great concern. We are in generally good shape for 1996. However, looking to 1997, we need some commitments now from the cooperative agencies. I am happy to report that the Executive Committee has agreed to poll the various agencies to see what support they can give in '97.
As reported elsewhere in this newsletter, there continues to be great demand for SAMAB assistance in other lands. In that connection, a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation between SAMAB and the Slovak National Committee for the Man and Biosphere program is ready for signing.
This paves the way for specific cooperative projects. Funding for these would in most cases be provided by the country benefiting from a particular project.
Thanks to favorable action by the Executive Committee, SAMAB will be represented at the National Conference on Wilderness and Natural Areas in Eastern North America May 19-23, 1996. This will be in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. SAMAB will be a joint sponsor, will have a part on the program, and will have its new table-top exhibit on display.
Events like these serve in a fine way to spread the word about SAMAB and the benefits of cooperative work in behalf of the biosphere.
Pete Wyatt of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stationed at Morristown, Tennessee, outlined a new TWRA funding initiative at the SAMAB Executive Committee Meeting.
The "Wildlife Diversity Funding Initiative" is a national program, and is aimed at improving the conservation, management and enjoyment of wildlife species.
Such nonconsumptive use of wildlife is growing while consumptive use is declining, Wyatt said. For decades, hunting licenses and other fees for consumptive use provided the needed income. The new trend puts pressure on wildlife managers to seek new sources of funds.
Wyatt discussed a number of strategies for addressing the problem. He said more than 100 conservation and recreation groups are championing the national effort in a program called "Teaming With Wildlife." Consumers are being asked to use their buying power to influence companies to invest in conservation by charging a fee on items such as binoculars, cameras and outdoor gear used in non-consumptive wildlife activities such as birdwatching .
The fee would go to wildlife management agencies and other conservation groups.
Wyatt said Tennessee has more endangered species than any other non-shoreline state. It also has a greater diversity of species than the coastal states.
"We've got a lot to be grateful for, but we've got a lot to protect," he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey will try again to get funding for a new ecosystem initiative, Executive Committee Chairman Briane Adams says.
USGS nominated SAMAB for funding earlier this year but the award went instead to the Chesapeake Bay initiative. Adams said SAMAB came in second, so the chances are good that when the next proposal is submitted, SAMAB will get favorable consideration.
USGS and other agencies are responsible for making nominations.
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