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Bill to Double Size of Cahaba Refuge Passes House

Birmingham, AL—July 31, 2006—On Monday, July 21, 2006 The U. S. House of Representatives endorsed a bill to double the size of The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. The bill was approved by voice votes and has been sent to the U.S. Senate. If approved by the Senate, the bill would expand the refuge to about 7,400 acres.
 
The Nature Conservancy credits the work of U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills as being the lead advocate for the bill in Congress.
 
The refuge is currently approximately 3,500 acres. If the expansion bill passes the House, The Nature Conservancy will work to secure additional federal money to buy land from willing sellers.  The new refuge boundaries would cover an eight mile stretch of the Cahaba and Little Cahaba rivers. For over a decade, The Nature Conservancy has worked to protect this biologically diverse river which is known to contain 131 fish species alone. It is home to over 69 rare and imperiled plant and animal species.  The refuge is also home to one of the largest shoals of the rare Cahaba lily.

 
The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Since 1967, the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has protected More than 120,000 acres, and owns 17 nature preserves in Alabama.