Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) Outdoor Classroom Consultant Program

The AWF Outdoor Classroom Consultant Program will utilize qualified individuals in an Independent Contractor role to provide on-site technical advice and assistance to schools interested in developing and using outdoor classroom learning stations and schoolyard wildlife habitat sites for hands-on, cross-curricular activities for public and private K-12 schools.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION:

AWF has divided the state into four regions and is seeking to identify one consultant per region who will provide on-site assistance to Alabama Outdoor Classroom Schools within each region.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Attend a three-day Outdoor Classroom Consultant Training on July 24-26, 2012, at AWF's Headquarters in Millbrook (10 miles north of Montgomery).

2.

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets. The application deadline for these specialty crop block grants through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is May 4, 2012, 5:00 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST).

Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture (including maple syrup and honey) and nursery crops (including floriculture).

Commodity groups, agricultural organizations, colleges and universities, producers, municipalities, state agencies and agricultural nonprofits are all eligible for this grant program, provided their proposals meet all the specifications. The USDA has final approval for projects submitted. The ADAI and a review committee of industry representatives will evaluate and review the applications.

The Alabama Department of Public Health encourages persons who were involved in some aspect of the cleanup after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion to enroll in a study that will look at possible health effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study is being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. Many agencies, researchers, outside experts and members of the local community have provided input into how the study should be designed and implemented. The study is designed to find answers to the questions that matter to oil spill cleanup workers and area residents.

Additional volunteers are needed for this large study.