University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

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SAVE IT. Citizens met to protest against the proposed conversion of 650 TVA acres. Sign- bearing citizens walked the trail they want- ed to leave to nature. SPEAKING OUT. (bclou ' ) Student Melissa Michael shows her support for saving the Nature Trail at a group rally held in early February, 2002. TRAILBLAZING. (bottom photo) UNA ' s Dr. Ron Smith and Joan Smith join a large and enthusiastic crowd of locals out to save the trail.

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s trunv; emotions v ' cre stirred in the campus communit ' when the Retirement Systems of Alabama offered an economic development ; proposal that included a four-star hotel, marketing of the Renaissance Tower, and a Robert Trent Jones golf course. The original proposal site for the RSA ' s $40 mil- lion economic develop- ment plan was for the use of attracti -e land owned by TVA along the Tennessee River. The local go ernment had also promised $15- 120 million to the pro- ject infrastructure, the funding to come from a two-cent-per- gallon sales tax. That was when activists began to rally around the idea of saving the TVA Nature Trails. They were not against the idea of the golf course as such; what they objected to was the proposed location. The first rally I served as a platform for environmen- tal experts and concerned citizens to voice their opinions. Points of con- tention were RSA Chairman David I Bronner ' s proposal and what they saw as biased news coverage by the TimesDaily. Chief objections included: The cost taxpayers wouki have to bear, the small number of jobs the project II : would create, adverse effects the golf ' course would have on local habitats, and what was seen by the environ- mentalists as the strong-arm tactics of RSA. Dr. Paul Kittle, chairman of the Biology Department, was a prime mover in the struggle. would affect the bald eagles t)f the area as well as a rare group of mus- sels. Kittle was not the only UNA fac- ultv member to show support for the Trails ' preservation. Brenda Webb, of the College of Education, handed out posters that proclaimed, No Golf Course Here, Protect the Trails, and From Public Use for Man ' to Private Use for a Few???. And many other representatives of the campus communit ' showed up for rallies that took place throughout the ' ear as well. ChrisH Williams Britten He and other conservationists voiced concern that not only would the public lose access to the land that the golf course would be built on, but local wildlife would be affected as well. He said that the golf course The ongoing conflict between Citizens for Saving the TVA Walking Trail and RSA was resolved in April when Colbert County busi- nessman Harvey Robbins donated 850 acres of land at Hunter ' s Point, worth an estimated $10 million, to be used for the pro- — posed 36-hole golf course. Simpson B|, Russell, who introduced RSA to the prospect of a development project in the Shoals, said that he believes Bronner ' s reason for dropping the TVA site was the potential liability of RSA for environmen- tal hazards at the site. Kittle said that he was relieved that the con- flict was over but believes there will be more fights in future over the TVA Nature Trail. I ' m afraid that TVA is very receptive to any project that comes along. -David Rickman