| The
Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust (The Land Trust) is one of
the newest land conservation organizations in Alabama.
The Land Trust’s mission is to improve water quality and provide
public recreation by preserving sensitive streamside buffers and critical
uplands within the Black Warrior and Cahaba River watersheds. The Land Trust is a 501 (c) (3) not- for-profit
corporation governed by a twelve member Board of Directors. We have adopted a business oriented, partnership
approach to our conservation efforts, working cooperatively with private
landowners, local citizens, business interests, elected officials, government
agencies and other conservation organizations to achieve our mission.
The Land Trust strives to couple our watershed protection efforts
with recreational and educational opportunities for the public via the
installation of low impact nature trails and interpretive signage where
compatible on our lands. We believe education combined with public
accessibility will instill a strong conservation ethic among the community
that can only serve to enhance and promote river conservation. |
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The
Land Trust was established as part of a unique and first of its kind
legal agreement. Jefferson County and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency entered the agreement after a federal judge found
the County in violation of certain provisions of the Clean Water Act. Instead of paying steep punitive fines to the
federal government, the County agreed to spend $30,000,000 to implement
a Greenways program in Jefferson County, Alabama. Although The Land Trust was established to implement the Greenways
Program, The Land Trust’s Board of Directors and all of the parties
involved in the legal settlement shared an even greater vision. They envisioned a much needed local land conservation
organization that could maximize the use of the $30,000,000 by leveraging
it as a match for private, state and federal funds in order to achieve
even broader conservation goals. Additionally
they envisioned public-private partnerships that would continue land
conservation acquisitions after expenditure of the initial Greenways
funding. |
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| The
Greenways Program allows for the purchase of undeveloped land near area
creeks and streams within the Black Warrior and Cahaba River Watersheds.
Up to ten percent of the property acquired under the Greenways
program may be used for public recreation and education purposes.
The settlement is viewed as a win-win situation by both Jefferson
County and EPA because it provides the opportunity to improve water quality,
provides local citizens much needed green space and recreational opportunities
while at the same time conserving some of our nation’s most imperiled
species. Alabama has lost more species to extinction
than any other state on the mainland U.S., second only to Hawaii. Most of these “lost” species were aquatic species,
however even with this unfortunate distinction, Alabama is still considered
by most natural scientists to be a “hotspot” of aquatic diversity.
Many of the species found in our imperiled rivers and streams occur
no where else in the world. The Cahaba and Black Warrior watersheds are
examples of this tremendous biological diversity. Both watersheds provide the only known habitat for multiple species
of fish, mussels and snails. |
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| Funds
allocated for the Greenways project will not allow acquisition of all
properties needed for complete watershed protection nor will it allow
for the construction of public access and education facilities. The Land Trust must build a coalition of partners
from both the public and private sectors to achieve our goal of combining
watershed protection with public recreation/education and to insure our
survival after implementation of the Greenways Program. To date The Land Trust has acquired 686 acres
of buffer zones along critical rivers and streams in Jefferson County.
As part of those acquisitions, corporate and private landowners
have contributed over $500,000 in discounted sales or outright land donations
to The Land Trust. Currently in our pipeline are projects that will more than triple
our acres while preserving miles of pristine streamside areas. |
| Thanks to the Jefferson
County Greenways Program, The Land Trust has the unique opportunity to
greatly advance river conservation and to develop partnerships with the
private sector that will allow us to emerge as a strong, well established
local land trust. Working in partnership
we can insure our great-grandchildren will have clean water in their rivers
and green spaces to enjoy their favorite outdoor pastimes. |
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