Tuscaloosa Land Trust Proposal

Names
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA NOVEMBER 11, 2013
Letter of Transmittal, Executive Summary, Introduction, Plan, Benefits, Budget,
Schedule, Methodology, and Grant Proposal
Tuscaloosa Land Trust 2

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa Land Trust

Morgan Hall
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
November 6, 2013

Mayor Walter Maddox
P.O. Box 2089
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Dear Mayor Maddox:

I submit herewith a proposal in support of a land trust program intended for the city
of Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas in the coming months. We are a group
dedicated to restoring and maintaining the environment in and around Tuscaloosa,
and if approved, would greatly benefit the community.

Our report covers the basis of our mission, and though it is costly, not taking care of
our local environment and ecosystem could prove even more costly. We are
requesting funding in the amount of $2 million in total estimated costs to cover all of
the major start up costs and fees. This will help restore Tuscaloosa and provide the
community some needed recreational space.

Questions relating to any aspect of the proposal can be directed to Tuscaloosa Land
Trust.

Your consideration of our proposal is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Names

Enclosure: Proposal

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Tuscaloosa Land Trust 3
Executive Summary:
Tuscaloosa Land Trust will return Tuscaloosa, once known to be Druid City,
to a town that is aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly, and accommodates
a healthy lifestyle. We will work to provide tornado relief by purchasing land to
restore green space and old growth forests native to the state of Alabama. We will
prevent companies from commercializing every bit of land that remains in
Tuscaloosa. We will clean up the beloved Black Warrior River and restore the wild
life habitat. Finally, we will provide recreational and educational facilities for the
community of Tuscaloosa to enjoy.
Tuscaloosa Land Trust is uniquely qualified to succeed given the
overwhelming support we have already received from the community. The
community supports our goals and is interested in what we have to offer as a
company. Given that the community is largely made up of students of the University
of Alabama, we anticipate forming a partnership with the University of Alabama
from which we seek support and sponsorship to help us to be a successful
organization.
An overwhelming problem that Tuscaloosa has faced since the devastating
tornado of April 27, 2011 is the commercialization and oversaturation of student
housing throughout the once green and environmentally friendly town. The
commercialization has also created run off into the Black Warrior River, which is a
major source of drinking water to many surrounding cities as well as home to nearly
200 different species of fish, turtles, mussels, snails, and other aquatic animals.
Tuscaloosa Land Trust feels it is important to act now to prevent further
commercialization and resulting damage from transforming Tuscaloosa from green
to gray.
It is anticipated that we receive approximately $30,000-$45,000 from clear
cut methods based off the acreage cleared in restoring Tuscaloosas forests to old
growth forests and making the land suitable for recreational and educational
facilities. We expect we will need $500,000 - $2,000,000 from sponsors and grant
money to reach our goals. After accomplishing each of our goals we anticipate
having charity events and fundraisers to supplement the cost of maintenance.

Introduction:
In the month of April 2011, a terrible tornado struck the Tuscaloosa and
Birmingham areas in a swath of devastation that is still being felt to this day. Many
communities were destroyed and forced to rebuild from scratch. Unfortunately for many
residents, the cleanup process did not start very quickly and therefore they were forced to
look for new homes while their old ones were left in rubble. During this time,
entrepreneurs and businesses crept into the fold and started buying up this seemingly
worthless land at the time to be held for a later date. Now it seems that date has come, but
instead of it being a time of rebuilding and replanting, it has become a time of
commercialization. Tuscaloosa used to be known as the Druid City, and still is in many
parts of the city. But along the tornados path where many trees were uprooted, there is
almost no effort to see that they are replaced. Forest Lake is just a lake now, Hargrove
has little to no trees along its sides where there used to be a canopy, and Cedar Crest has
seen almost no work whatsoever. If we leave the town to continue along its current path,
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how long until we start seeing less trees along Jack Warner for building purposes? With a
name like Druid City, it wouldnt make much sense to leave all of the apartment
complexes and shopping centers and take all of the trees away.
A conservation group is needed to help protect the land we have and ensure that
future generations are able to enjoy the land as we have. The Black Warrior River
recently was put on the endangered list due to a proposed coal mine a ways up the river.
The proposed Shepherd Bend Mine on the rivers Mulberry Fork endangers the
ecosystem in and around the Black Warrior River, especially since the mines drainage
would be located right next to one of the major intakes for Birminghams water supply.
Being one of the most important landmarks in our county, it is extremely crucial that we
take care of the river. The area the river covers is staggering, covering almost 6,300
square miles with its watershed and measuring roughly 300 miles from top to bottom. It
is a major source of drinking water for many cities including Birmingham, Tuscaloosa,
Bessemer, Cullman, Oneonta, and Jasper. The Black Warrior River watershed is home to
127 freshwater fish species (4 of which are federally listed as endangered), 36 species of
mussels (5 of which are federally listed as endangered), 15 turtle species (1 of which is
federally listed as threatened), an endangered snail, and numerous other aquatic animals.
As well as protecting the rivers, our group would help to focus on forests and
recreational activities for the young and old generations alike. While Tuscaloosa County
may have an abundance of parks to enjoy, there are not too many learning opportunities
for the community to be able to participate or old growth forests to see the natural beauty
of nature. With our group, we would work for more recreational centers and activities for
the community to learn about and enjoy the wildlife around them. We would purchase
land that has need for replanting and focus on restoring the forest to acceptable
conditions, and provide services so that the community could enjoy the forest as well.

Plan:
As with every developing organization we have thought about the challenges we
could face and are prepared to provide support for our cause. Funding is one specific
challenge we anticipate. As a land trust we plan to gain funding through charity and
fundraisers. We have come up with ideas such as having a charity hunt and fish that
could help pay for the maintenance of the land we purchase. We are also hopeful of
receiving a large portion of funding from sponsors. The feedback from our surveys
showed much support in favor of land conservation and provided evidence that the
community would benefit from having recreational parks. The community of which we
received surveys from is largely students of the University of Alabama. It is our hope
that once the University sees the overwhelming support for conservation of land from its
students they will be willing to sponsor a Tuscaloosa land trust.
With grants and sponsors, we plan to provide tornado relief, clean up the Black
Warrior River, provide recreational facilities, and restore forests in Tuscaloosa to old
growth forests native to Alabama. Our mission for tornado relief involves purchasing
land throughout Tuscaloosa and restoring it to green space by planting grass and trees.
By purchasing land we prevent companies from commercializing it, which seems to be
the pattern since tornado relief began. Our mission for the Black Warrior River is to
clean up the water and restore the wild life habitat. We additionally would purchase land
along the river and restore the forests to old growth forests by planting trees native to
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Alabama and creating space for the community to enjoy. A big part of restoring the
Black Warrior River and replacing green space throughout Tuscaloosa is returning
Tuscaloosa to a town that is aesthetically pleasing, as it once had been. Creating
recreational facilities on the land we purchase would provide students with options for
activities outdoors, and thus encourage them to make healthy choices.

Benefits:
Keeping the land in its natural state is ideal for both practical and aesthetic
reasons. One of the benefits of Tuscaloosa Land Trust is that it would impede the
oversaturation of student housing that is occurring in Tuscaloosa. Housing complexes are
also beginning to be built along the river, which is going destroy wildlife and cause
runoff into the Black Warrior River. It would also stop businesses from building there
and causing pollution as well. Keeping the land in its natural state would be visually
pleasing as well because it wouldnt look good to have gray everywhere.
By having the land be used as outdoor recreation the land wouldnt just be sitting
there, but have a practical use. Tuscaloosa is lacking in outdoor recreation options and
Tuscaloosa Land Trust could provide that. Through our survey we learned that there is a
large market segment that enjoy outdoor recreation and there would be enough demand in
Tuscaloosa that makes our Land Trust viable.

Budget:
Our budget for the Tuscaloosa Land Trust is based off of the goals we wish to
accomplish. We plan to used the money we receive to accomplish each goal in the order
of our timeline. We anticipate clear cut methods to provide $30,000 to $45,000 based on
acreage cleared. Based on the support of already established land trusts in Alabama, we
foresee receiving anywhere from $500,000 to $2,000,000 from sponsors and grant
money.

Schedule/Methodology:
In order to create and produce the Tuscaloosa Land Trust, certain steps would
need to be completed in a certain order. A primary focus would be finding and
purchasing land in a prime area. This could also potentially involve competing with other
corporate buyers, and could take time. In addition to the purchase of the land, the forest
restoration aspect of our plan would also take time to complete. Once the land is
purchased, certain areas would be deemed clear-cut, and others simply would have trees
individually marked for removal. A forest conservation company would be beneficial to
ensure the right types and amount of trees are cut. Also, the end goal of the forest
restoration is to restore the piece of land to a natural Alabama forest, and a forest expert
consultant would be helpful to ensure it is properly completed. It is a priority to have the
land in a prime location that is also on the water, preferably the Black Warrior River.
In addition to the forest management and restoration, it is also a goal to help
restore the river habitat. This could include contacting a fisheries expert and potentially
designing small structures to introduce into the water for additional habitat for the fish.
Also, a river cleanup initiative could be included, as a volunteer day or potentially as a
charity event. This would require a small amount of advertising, but could be very
effective.
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Once the land was purchased, the Forest restored, and the river cleaned, the next
objective would be to create a park and area for the people of Tuscaloosa to come and
enjoy the natural forest as well as section of the river. This would require designing,
planning, zoning, and building the park section, as well as lining up volunteers to
maintain the park.
Funding for the park would be provided by grants, as well as charity events and
contributions. Contacting the correct people to ask for a grant would have to be done in
advance in order to pay for the forest restoration. Also, the trees harvested during the
forest restoration could be sold to logging and paper companies and the funds used to
further finance the Land Trust activities. The proposed charity events could be held
before and after the restoration of the forest and water habitat.