> October 2018
October
11 - November 13...Online.
Public Comment Period Reopened on
Proposed Critical Habitat for the Black Pinesnake.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the
comment period for 30 days on the 2015 proposed critical
habitat designation for the federally threatened black
pinesnake, and holding two informational public
meetings: the first meeting will be on October 22, in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, from 6 to 7:30 PM at Pearl
River Community College; the second will be on October
24, in Thomasville, Alabama, from 6 to 7:30 PM at
Coastal Alabama Community College. We also are
re-announcing the availability of the draft economic
analysis. The critical habitat consists of 6 units in
Mississippi and 2 units in Clarke County, Alabama. For
more information contact Denise Rowell at (251) 441-6630
or
denise_rowell@fws.gov. See comments from the
previous comment period.
October
14-16...Elmore County.
Alabama Landowners Conference at the Marriott
Prattville Hotel & Conference Center, 2500 Legends
Circle, Prattville. Topics include: Future of Alabama
Forests, Passing Your Land to the Next Generation,
Quality Deer Management, Longleaf Fire Management,
Endangered Species, and SmartMaps Technology. Awards
presented: Tree Farm, Helene Mosley Memorial, W. Kelly
Mosely, and others.
Fee: $100. Contact William Green at (334) 612-5235 or
wmgreen@alfafarmers.org.
October 15...Lee
County 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM.
Forest-Her: A Workshop for women who love the land
at the Auburn University School of Forestry & Wildlife
Sciences, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn. Topic: Thinning. Learn
about proper timing and methods of thinning to improve
ecosystem health, benefit wildlife, and promote tree and
forest plant growth. Fee: $35; lunch included.
Pre-registration required. Contact Becky
Barlow at
(334) 844-1019 or
becky.barlow@auburn.edu.
October 15-18...Newton,
Georgia.
Ecological Forestry Workshop at Joseph W. Jones Ecological
Research Center, 3988 Jones Center Drive. This program is designed as an
alternative to production oriented silviculture. Fee: $430; meal
and lodging included. Contact Jessica McCorvey at (229) 734-4706 or
jessica.mccorvey@jonesctr.org.
October
16-18...Tupelo, Mississippi.
Mississippi Forestry Association Annual Meeting
at the BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center, 375
East Main Street. Topics will include: Prescribed Fire,
Attracting wildlife using fire, Learn and Burns, New
Technologies for the forest landowner, and more. Fee:
$445; non-MFA member cost. Contact Casey
Anderson at (601) 354-4936 or
canderson@msforestry.net.
October
16-18...Moultrie, Georgia.
Sunbelt Agricultural
Exposition at Spence Field, 290-G Harper Blvd. Activities:
Tractor & ATV test drives, Stock Dog Trials, educational
seminars, and many more. Fee: $10
single day pass. Call (229) 985-1968 for more
information.
October 16 - November 13...Collins,
Mississippi 6 - 8 PM.
Forestland as an Investment Short Course will
meet 5 consecutive Tuesdays at the Covington County Extension Office, 68
Industrial Park Drive. Topics will include:
Basics of Forestland Management, Land Acquisition,
Technical Assistance, Marketing Strategies, and Taxation
Planning. Fee: $30. Register by October 10. Contact Carolyn Conger at
(601) 765-8252 or
c.j.conger@msstate.edu.
October
17...Watkinsville, Georgia 8:30 AM - 3:10 PM EST.
Forest Economics and Taxation Workshop at the
Oconee County Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road.
Instructors: Dr. David Dickens and Dr. Yanshu Li. Fee:
$80; lunch provided. Must register by October 15.
Contact Ingvar Elle at (706) 583-0566 or
ielle@warnell.uga.edu.
October 18...Marengo
County 8:30 AM - 12 Noon.
Central Region Forestry Field Day at Roy Jordan’s
Property. GPS Coord: 32.164416, -87.957697 Topics
include: Wildlife Management, Pollinators, Hardwood
Management for Wildlife, and Longleaf/Loblolly Pine
Management. Light morning refreshments and lunch
provided. Register by October 12. Contact Christina at (334) 295-5959 or
cll0038@auburn.edu.
October 18...Gulfport,
Mississippi 5:30 PM.
Black Bear Program at the Lyman Community Center,
13742 Highway 49 N. Mississippi is home to two
subspecies of black bears: the American Black Bear and
the Louisiana Black Bear. Both are classified as
endangered under Mississippi law. Speaker: Richard
Rummel. Fee: $10; meal included. Pre-registration
required by October 15. Call (228) 865-4227.
October 18...Dallas County 6 PM.
Wild Game Cook-Off at
Historic St. James Hotel, Selma. Attend the cook-off and enjoy live music, door prizes,
youth activities, and sample some wild game recipes. Fee: $50; youth
under 15 free. Call the
Alabama Wildlife Federation at 1-800-822-9453.
October 19...Glen St.
Mary, Florida 9 AM & 11 AM EST.
Tree Farm Tour at Doug and Teresa Moore’s South
Prong Plantation, 13538 Brince Way. The property’s
primary objective is high-quality wildlife habitat with
timber production. Tour will take place at 9 & 11 AM.
Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. Lunch
provided. To register call Whitney at (850) 222-5646.
October 20...Latham, New
York 8 AM - 5 PM EST.
Property Rights Foundation of America Annual National
Conference at the Century House Hotel,
Restaurant, and Conference Center. Keynote speaker:
William Perry Pendley, President, Mountain States Legal
Foundation. Fee: $40; $5 discount if paid by October 13.
Light breakfast and lunch included. For more information contact Carol LaGrasse
at (518) 696-5748 or
lagrasse@prfamerica.org.
October 20...Gainesville,
Florida 9 AM - 3 PM EST.
Fall Pond Workshop at the University of Florida
Center for Aquatic & Invasive Plants, 7922 NW 71 Street.
Topics: Fish Pont Management, Fish Health, Water Quality
Testing, and Weed Management. Bring water and weed
samples for testing. Fee: $30; $10 discount if paid by
October 16. Lunch included. Contact Kevin Korus at (352)
955-2402 or
kkorus@ufl.edu.
October
22...Hattiesburg, Mississippi 6 - 7:30 PM.
Public Informational Meeting on
Proposed Critical Habitat for the Black Pinesnake
at Pearl River Community College, Lowery A. Woodall
Advanced Technology Center, 906 Sullivan Drive. Use
this opportunity to give your input in person. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the comment
period for 30 days on the 2015 proposed critical habitat
designation for the federally threatened black pinesnake,
and holding two informational public meetings. The
critical habitat consists of 6 units in Mississippi and
2 units in Clarke County, Alabama.
You may submit your comments online here. For more
information contact Denise Rowell at (251) 441-6630 or
denise_rowell@fws.gov. See comments from the
previous comment period.
October 23...Coosa
County 9 AM - 2 PM.
Forestry Field Day at the Henderson Property,
2188 Coosa County Road 66, Goodwater. Speakers will
discuss: Burning Longleaf, Pond Management, Returning
Pastureland to Native Grasses, and Honey Bees/Polinators.
Register by October 19. Lunch provided. To register call
the Coosa County Extension Office at (256) 377-4713.
October 23-25...Athens,
Georgia.
Forestry for Non-Foresters Part 1 (Oct 23) at Flinchum’s Phoenix,
Whitehall Forest, 650 Phoenix Road. “This course will be especially
useful for landowners and those who work with foresters and the forest
industry such as forestry agencies, associations, forestry investment
firms, real estate investment trusts and banking institutions with
forest investments.” Fee: $210; $35 discount if paid by October 2.
Forestry for Non-Foresters Part 2 on October 18-19 is
$345; $50 discount if paid by October 2.
Contact Ingvar Elle at (706) 583-0566 or
ielle@warnell.uga.edu. See the leaders of this course give a
teaser
presentation at the 2016 AFOA Annual Meeting.
October
23-26...Alexandria, Louisiana.
Biennial Longleaf Conference at the Holiday Inn
Alexandria. Fee: $410. For more information call Casey at (334) 427-1029.
October
24...Statesboro, Georgia 8:30 AM - 3:35 PM EST.
Forest Economics and Taxation Workshop at the
Bulloch County Agricultural Center, 151 Langston Chapel
Road. Instructors: Dr. David Dickens and Dr. Yanshu Li.
Fee: $80; lunch provided. Must register by October 22.
Contact Ingvar Elle at (706) 583-0566 or
ielle@warnell.uga.edu.
October 24...Online 1 PM
CST.
Peers and Pros 360 - Teaching and Learning Together
by Using What Forest Landowner Peers Have to Say
webinar features a new and novel approach to organizing
landowner and educational tours and presentations.
Presenters: Sanford Smith and David Jackson, Penn State
Extension. Call Bill Hubbard at (706) 340-5070.
October 24...Clarke
County 6 - 7:30 PM.
Public Informational Meeting on
Proposed Critical Habitat for the Black Pinesnake
at the Alabama Coastal Community College, Administration
Building, Tombigbee Conference Room, 30755 Hwy. 43
South. Use this opportunity to give your input in
person. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is
reopening the comment period for 30 days on the 2015
proposed critical habitat designation for the federally
threatened black pinesnake, and holding two
informational public meetings. The critical habitat
consists of 6 units in Mississippi and 2 units in Clarke
County, Alabama.
You may submit your comments online here. For more
information contact Denise Rowell at (251) 441-6630 or
denise_rowell@fws.gov. See comments from the
previous comment period.
October 25...Pace,
Florida 8:30 AM - 1:15 PM CST.
Tree Farm Tour at Price Farms, 2224 Ten Mile
Road. Topics include: Thinning, Prescribed Burning,
Gopher tortoises, Cogongrass treatment, Pine Beetles,
Forest roads, Creek crossings, Food plots, and more.
Wear appropriate field clothing. Lunch provided.
Pre-registration is required. Contact Ashlee White at
(850) 626-3028 or
ashlee.white@freshfromflorida.com.
October
25...Montgomery County 12:30 PM.
Natural Resources Tour at Stephan & Joyce
Turnipseed Property, 16413 Old Pike Road, Mathews. Tour
topics include: Controlling nuisance animals through
trapping, Bee presentation, Dinosaurs through the black
belt, Sharing your property through Education, and more.
Fee: $10. Register by October 19. For more information
call (334) 270-4133.
October 25...Tuscaloosa
County 6 PM.
Wild Game Cook-Off at Woods & Water, Inc., 5101
Summit Ridge, Tuscaloosa. Attend the cook-off and enjoy
live music, door prizes, youth activities, and sample
some wild game recipes. Fee: $40; youth under 15
admitted free. Call the Alabama Wildlife Federation at
1-800-822-9453.
October 25...Coffee County
6 - 8 PM.
Get Out of Your Rut: Tips for New and Experienced
Hunters at the County Extension Office, 5 County
Complex, 1055 East McKinnon Street, New Brockton. This
is a four session series starting on September 27.
Topics: Camera Surveys and How to Score Your Buck. Fee:
$5/session or $10 for all four sessions. Registration
required. Contact Bence Carter at (334) 389-4055 or
jbc0057@aces.edu.
October 26-27...Madison
County.
The
American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) Annual Meeting at Embassy
Suites by Hilton, 800 Monroe Street, Huntsville. Fee: $125. Call TACF at
(828) 281-0047.
October 30...Dale
County 11 AM - 1 PM.
Forest-Her: A
Luncheon for Women Who Love the Land
at the Dale County Extension Office, 202 South Highway
123, Ozark. Topics include: Alabama Forest
History, Tips for Women to be More Effective Landowners,
and the Forest-Her series. Pre-registration required. Lunch included.
Call the Dale County Extension at
(334) 774-2329.
> November 2018
November 1...Walker
County 9 - 10:30 AM.
Forestry Planning Committee Meeting at 1501 North
Airport Road, Jasper. Forest landowners are welcome to
attend and participate. Contact Andrew Baril at (205)
388-6893 or
ajb0012@aces.edu.
November 2...Geneva
County 8:30 AM - 2 PM.
Forestry
Field Day at Geneva State Forest
Lake, Forest Lake Road, Kinston. GPS Coord.: 31.141655,
-86.184714 Topics include: Streamside Management Zones,
Wild Pig Effects on Water Quality, Forest Roads, Stream
Crossings, Alabama Timber Markets, and more. Contact Bence Carter at (334) 389-4055 or
jbc0057@aces.edu.
November 2...Covington County 11 AM - 1 PM.
Covington County Forestry Committee Meeting at
the Covington County Ag Center, 23952 Alabama Highway
55, Andalusia. For more information contact
Charles Simon at (334) 222-1125 or
simoncm@auburn.edu.
November 2...Teleconference Noon CT.
First Fridays Forestry Update hosted by the
American Forest Foundation is a conference call briefing
on Washington, D.C. happenings. You’ll have an
opportunity to ask questions and share important policy
issues happening in your state. Dial-in number:
1-866-299-7945 and Participant code: 2594#
November 6...Statewide.
General Election -
LOCAL AMENDMENTS NEED YOUR REVIEW BEFORE
NOVEMBER 6. We scanned each sample ballot on
Secretary of State John Merrill’s website and found several
local ballot measures that may be of interest to
some AFOA members.
Source:
Capital Ideas, October 2018, middle column
of page 3
-
BLOUNT COUNTY voters and GENEVA COUNTY
voters will decide whether to form or create fire
districts with dues assessments described in each
local amendment. AFOA has been hearing horror
stories about completely out-of-control fire
districts, some with charges as high as $8 per acre
for undeveloped forestland! Until the laws are
passed that rein in fire district taxing authority,
we would advise landowners to use extreme caution
before approving these districts.
-
MOBILE COUNTY voters will decide whether to pass
a 6 1/2 mill property tax for roads, bridges, and
drainage.
-
ELMORE COUNTY voters will be asked to repeal
“Home Rule” and
-
CLEBURNE COUNTY voters will be asked to approve
“Home Rule.”
-
MADISON COUNTY voters will decide whether the
county commission can impose ordinances regulating
excessive noise. We don’t know if the regulations
might include discharge of firearms or operation of
logging equipment, but local voters may want to
check on this before voting yes.
-
CALHOUN COUNTY voters will decide whether police
and planning jurisdictions should extend outside of
some municipalities into unincorporated areas.
Probably not a big deal for most voters, but a plan
for your land that prevents timber harvests could be
a big negative for you.
November 6...Wiggins,
Mississippi Noon 12 PM.
Pearl River-Stone County Forestry Association (CFA)
Meeting at The Sawmill Restaurant, 2205 US 49,
Wiggins. Dutch treat lunch. For more
information call Pearl River CFA at (601) 928-5286.
November
7...Elmore County 12 PM Noon.
PALS (People Against A Littered State) Governor's Awards at Marriott at Capitol Hill, Prattville.
Call Alabama PALS at
(334) 263-7737. Click here
to watch Margaret McElroy, State Adopt-A-Mile
Coordinator, speak at the 2015 AFOA Annual Meeting.
November 8...Quincy,
Florida 8:30 AM - 2 PM EST.
Fall Tree ID Workshop for Adults at Bear Creek
Educational Forest, 8125 Pat Thomas Parkway, Gadsden CR
267. This workshop will appeal to folks at multiple
levels of education and experience. Call Tom Gilpin at
(850) 681-5892 or
tom.gilpin@freshfromflorida.com.
November
8...Covington County 6 PM.
Wild Game Cook-Off at Covington Center Arena,
24000 AL Highway 55, Andalusia. Attend the cook-off and
enjoy live music, door prizes, youth activities, and
sample wild game recipes. Fee: $40. Youth under 15 free.
Call the Alabama Wildlife Federation at 1-800-822-9453.
November 8...Coffee County
6 - 8 PM.
Get Out of Your Rut: Tips for New and Experienced
Hunters at the County Extension Office, 5 County
Complex, 1055 East McKinnon Street, New Brockton. This
is a four session series starting on September 27.
Topic: Pedator and Invasive Species Impacts on Whitetail
Deer. Fee: $5/session or $10 for all four sessions.
Registration required. Contact Bence Carter at (334) 389-4055 or
jbc0057@aces.edu.
November
13...Carrollton, Mississippi 6:30 PM.
Carroll County Forestry Association will meet at
Carrollton Community House, 203 Lexington Street. Topic:
Property Lines (tentative). Contact Tracy Robertson at
(662) 237-6926 or
t.robertson@msstate.edu.
November
14-15...Augusta, Georgia.
Forest Management for Gamebirds
at the Savannah River Pavilion, 3300 Evans to Locks Road. This course
will focus on the relationship between intensive forest
management, gamebird habitat requirements, and gamebird
ecology. Instructor: Dr. Mark McConnell, UGA. Fee: $295;
$50 discount if paid by October 24. Contact Ingvar Elle
at (706) 583-0566 or
ielle@warnell.uga.edu.
November 15...Autauga
County 7:30 AM - 2 PM.
Fall Landowner Tour at Dr. George Seier - Two Oak
Preserve, 1306 County Road 51, Prattville. Topics
include: Know your rules in regards to water, Wildlife
management program, Trout with my Bass, How to manage
for native birds—bird watching, Timber Management, and
more. Rain or shine. Fee: $15; BBQ lunch included. For
more information call (334) 365-5532x2403.
November
28-30...Milton, Florida.
Florida Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Training
at Pensacola State College, Building 4900, 5988 US-90.
Fee: $175; lunch provided. Must register by October 29.
Contact John Saddler at (850) 681-5928 or
john.saddler@freshfromflorida.com. Ask about other
session dates and locations.
> December 2018
December 6...Walker
County 9 - 10:30 AM.
Forestry Planning Committee Meeting at 1501 North
Airport Road, Jasper. Forest landowners are welcome to
attend and participate. Contact Andrew Baril at (205)
388-6893 or
ajb0012@aces.edu.
December 7...Covington County 11 AM - 1 PM.
Covington County Forestry Committee Meeting at
the Covington County Ag Center, 23952 Alabama Highway
55, Andalusia. For more information contact
Charles Simon at (334) 222-1125 or
simoncm@auburn.edu.
December 7...Teleconference Noon CST.
First Fridays Forestry Update hosted by the
American Forest Foundation is a conference call briefing
on Washington, D.C. happenings. You’ll have an
opportunity to ask questions and share important policy
issues happening in your state. Dial-in number:
1-866-299-7945 and Participant code: 2594#
December 13...Atlanta,
Georgia 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST.
Wood Flows & Cash Flows at Georgia Tech Global Learning Center.
This class details research and insights for analysis supporting
investments in the forest industry. Fee: $850;
$100 discount if paid by November 30.
Contact Heather Clark at (770) 725-8447 or
hclark@forisk.com.
> January 2019
