Free biodiesel workshop to be held in Jasper!

I am really excited to announce that the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition will be hosting an informational workshop on biodiesel at the Holiday Inn Express in Jasper on September 17th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. There is no registration fee to attend the workshop however reservations are requested. For more information or to make a reservation for the workshop please click on the Alabama Clean Fuels link listed on the left side of this blog page then scroll down to the free biodiesel workshop and click on the prompt or call (205) 402-2755. Hope to see you there!

Community garden

Thanks to the generosity of The Walker County Farmers Federation, Walker County Commission, City of Jasper, and the numerous volunteers that helped construct the beds the dream of Walker County having a community garden has now became a reality. We would not have completed the process of filling in the beds had it not been for Mr. Dover bringing his farm tractor with a much needed front end loader bucket. This is only the 1st phase of the garden and we are asking the public for suggestions on how to come up with a name for the gardens.

The August 8th work day was a huge success thanks to the many volunteers that showed up to clean out a portion of the hedge row and to line the aisle between the beds. The aisle was lined with geotextile fabric and covered by wood chips which will greatly reduce the maintenance and upkeep between the beds. The geotextile fabric was donated by the Pineview Landfill that is owned by Republic Services and the wood chips were donated by Jasper Lumber Company. Thanks also to Jeris Crump for hauling the wood chips, as well as Milton Otwell and Gene Berry for bringing their tractors. The Master Gardeners assistance was greatly appreciated as well.
Also, thanks to Andrew Posey and Sons for their seed donation. We now have turnip green, mustard green and collards seeds available at the office for fall planting in the raised beds!

Please contact Katherine with the Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District at 387-1879 with any contest suggestions or for further information regarding raised bed rentals.

Walker County Land Owner tour is featured in the 2009 summer edition of the Alabama Treasured Forest magazine

Thanks to Joel Glover, Certified Wildlife Biologist with the Alabama Wildlife Federation for the excellent article that he wrote regarding the Banks family property that is located in Walker County. I have a blog entry from May regarding the land owner tour, however, Joel goes into much greater detail of the love and good stewardship that the Banks Family has for their property. Please double click on this blog entry title to read the article.

Jasper Mall's 1st Annual Green Day

The Jasper Mall held their 1st Annual Green Day on Saturday, June 20th from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Residents were able to recycle electronic devices, batteries, printer cartridges, books, clothing and household items. Despite the heat there were vendors setup outside with solar power displays, a rainwater recycling information center and a smart car. The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District was proud to be able to participate in this event and appreciates The Jasper Mall and The Country Legends 88.5 radio station for hosting this event.

2008/2009 educational activities

The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District participated in the following educational activities for the 2008/2009 school year. If your school or group would like to schedule an educational activity please call Katherine Patton at (205) 387-1879.

Sponsored the County land judging contest at the property of Mr. Bobby Rea. Thanks to Mr. Rea for the use of his property for this contest as well as Walker County District 2 for digging the judging pits. Congratulations to Oakman High School for winning this event.

Hosted 30 ninth grade students from across the County for Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

Participated in the Curry Elementary Career Fair where each student received a longleaf pine seedling to plant. The 550 seedlings were donated by the Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Walker County Forestry Planning Committee.

Participated in the Arbor Day Celebration with Oakman High School FFA students. Partners for this event were Reed Mining, Alabama Surface Mining Commission, Alabama Chapter of the American Chestnut Tree Society and the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Assisted with the County FFA forestry, livestock judging and tractor driving competition along with the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Thanks to the Walker County Forestry Planning Committee for providing lunch. Congratulations to Curry High School for winning all 3 events!

Conducted outdoor classrooms with Curry Elementary and Valley School second grade classes at the Clear Creek Recreation Area. Approximately 165 students received water conservation kits. Additional partners for this event were the Alabama Forestry Commission, Walker County Forestry Planning Committee, Department of Conservation Wildlife and Fisheries, Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Alabama Power.

Alabama Conservation District Employees Association Scholarship Award Winner

The Alabama Conservation District Employees Association accepted applications for six $500 scholarships to be awarded to students who are residents of the State of Alabama and planning to enter college the summer or fall of the year 2009. One scholarship will be awarded in each of the Association’s six designated Areas. This scholarship can be used at the college of his/her choice.

The Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District received 22 applications for this scholarship award program. And we are pleased to announce that Miss Kendra Kimbell who is a 2009 graduate of Curry High School won the $500.00 award for Area III. Kendra competed against students from 10 other counties in Area III to win this award. Congratulations to Kendra for not only winning this award but also for the U.S. Army ROTC scholarship, Leadership scholarship to the University of North Alabama, Bevill State Jump Start scholarship, and for receiving the top Curry student award from Bevill.

Walker County Land Owner tour

The 2009 Walker County land owner tour was held at the Banks family property located in Pleasant Grove on May 2, 2009. Despite the rainy weather there were 62 attendees at the event. The event was hosted by the Walker County Forestry Planning Committee and lunch was provided by the Walker County Farmers Federation. The following partners helped with the tour as well as providing speakers: Jim Junkin, Staff Forester for the Alabama Forestry Commission covered prescribed burning, thinning and pruning, Danny Cain, County Extension Coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System covered pond management, Daniel Hogue, Consulting Forester for American Forest Management, Inc. covered BMP's for streamside management zones, Joel Glover, Wildlife Biologist for The Department of Conservation for Wildlife and Fisheries covered wildlife habitat improvement, and Jim Kitson, Field Supervisor for the Walker County Soil and Water Conservation District covered reclaiming mine land. We would like to once again thank the Banks family for allowing us to hold this event on their property that so greatly reflects the benefits of being dedicated stewards of their land.