NRCS Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCT. 19 , 2005��

ALABAMA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION

RE; Jerry D. Davis,� from Scottsboro, Alabama receives the �2005� OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AWARD FOR THE STATE OF ALABAMA�

----- Original Message -----

To: Jerry Davis

Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 11:08 AM

Subject: Wildlife award

Jerry,

We have been notified that you have won the Outstanding Wildlife Conservation Award for the State of Alabama.

The State Committee will be holding their annual meeting and awards program on Wednesday, November 16 at the RSA Activity Center in downtown Montgomery.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call me.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Angie Carter
Natural Resource Conservation Service / USDA

Jackson County Soil & Water Conservation District
2345 South Broad Street
Scottsboro, AL 35769-7520
Phone: (256) 574-1005, Ext. 3
Fax: (256) 574-0923

This award is from the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Districts an arm of The United States Department of Agriculture�s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) �(The leader in conservation of North America�s Wildlife Habitat.)

Mr. Davis, a Alabama Cherokee Indian is one of the founder of the Alabama Waterfowl Association, Inc. (AWA) and the Trail of Tears Commemoration and Motorcycle Ride� was chosen for "2005 OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AWARD FOR THE STATE OF ALABAMA" according to the USDA/ NRCS� �Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ASWCD)� stated, �"Mr. Davis was chosen for this award for his devotion to carry out exceptional wildlife principles. He not only has a plan, he acts upon the plan to make it happen."

Mr. Davis stated, "I owe my devotion to wildlife conservation to my parents and my American Indian heritage which taught me that the responsibility of a hunter, fisherman and other consumptive user of wildlife and natural resources, are to be committed to put something back so wildlife will always have habitat to subsist and reproduce, also to have the hunter�s ethics of fair chase.� I also, would like to thank the many members and supporters of the Alabama Waterfowl Association and the Trail of Tears Commemoration and Motorcycle Ride for making it possible for me to receive this prestigious award.

�It is very special to be chosen by the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Districts for this honorable award, because Alabama is third in the number of plant and animal species and has 1/8^th of the freshwater run- off in the United States, this is very significant when you consider the Mississippi Alluvial Valley drains 50 percent, so Alabama has 1/8^th of the remaining freshwater runoff. The Alabama portion of the Tennessee River Valley �which was cited by the National Geographic Magazine as being the most bio-diverse temperate freshwater eco-system in the world. Also, ASWCD which is an arm of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and is responsible for the implementation and monitoring the Farm Bill Programs and Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) , Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) these programs by working with private landowners and farmers conserve more acreage of habitat in one year than all the state agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Duck Stamp Programs and the more that 10,000 conservation organizations have in the last 50 years."

CONSERVATION STATEMENT

"Hunting, fishing and wildlife watching is a huge part of Alabama�s and especially Jackson County�s economy generating huge tourism dollars. Tourism is the number one industry in our state. This tourism economy is very dependent on conservation of critical habitats in our state. I certainly have seen where programs like AWA�s Mallard Restoration Project has benefited habitat by increasing the harvest and wildlife watching opportunities, that has inspired the private sector to respond and develop and conserve critical habitats that benefit all wildlife and help water quality. This habitat development is for the increased hunting and wildlife watching opportunities that they enjoy."

Mr. Davis has written the follow grants that brought federal dollars to Alabama for conservation Projects:

TVA �Environmental Initiative Grant�� for Phillip�s Project at Mud Creek in Jackson County�� $250,000

ADECA DOT Grant for the �Recreational Trails Program� �Scared Tears� Monument�

at Spring Park in Tuscumbia,� Alabama�� $ 62,000

National Fish and Wildlife Grant for wetlands project�� in Marshall County�� $35,000

Legacy Grant Reintroduction of the Bald Cypress Tree into the Tennessee Valley of� Alabama�� $5,000

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