The Black Warrior Riverkeeper environmental group will hold a benefit concert June 14 at the Bottletree Cafe at 3719 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, Alabama. Three great bands are on the lineup to start at 8 p.m. and play until 2 p.m., including Organic Earthbound, the Locust Fork Band and Alo’s Meds. The Bottletree is an eco-friendly Cafe and music venue now featuring a full cash bar.

Tickets are $10 tickets and are available at TheBottletree.Com or the night of the show at the door. All ticket sales go to Riverkeeper’s non-profit efforts to protect your waterways and drinking water!

For more info or to donate in lieu of attending, contact Charles Scribner at 205-458-0095 or cscribner@blackwarriorriver.org.

The annual cleanup of Bankhead Lake will be held Saturday, June 2, from 8 a.m - noon at Buddy Vines Camp on the Locust Fork. There will be a free hot dog lunch served after cleanup.

What to bring:
- clothes you don’t mind getting dirty
- shoes you don’t mind getting wet
- sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent
- work gloves
- dip nets

Directions from Birmingham:

Take I-59/20 West towards Tuscaloosa. Take exit #120 “Ensley Avenue 20th Street”.
Bear right at the bottom of the ramp. You are now on highway 269 and the mile markers start from “0″.
Follow this road straight for 15 miles to the 15 mile marker.
Just past the marker is an intersection with a BP gas station.
Turn left onto Short Creek Rd. Follow to dead end.
Turn left onto Alliance Rd. Go 1.2 miles to top of third hill and take a hard right onto “Buddy Vines Camp Rd”.
Follow main road 2.7 miles to camp.
Phone: 436-3430

For more information, contact Kellie Johnston (205) 264-8461 or Mark Meador (205) 553-9373.

The Alabama Rivers Alliance, along with partner organizations Conservation Alabama and the Southern Environmental Law Center, are hosting the first River Action Day in Montgomery May 15.

The Alabama Water Agenda with elected officials will be discussed along with plans to promote environmental legislation, according to Nelson Brook with Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

To pre-register to reserve lunch and your limited edition t-shirt, send an email to register or access the registration form online at the Alliance website, www.alabamarivers.org. Automatic pre-registration forms are also available on-line at www.alabamawateragenda.com.

Litter not only hurts scenery and morale in historic College Hills, but also flows into Valley Creek - a major tributary of the Black Warrior River - each time it rains. College Hills residents, Birmingham-Southern students and other volunteers will meet to clean up the neighborhood on Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m - noon.

Volunteers will meet at the College Hills Eco-Scape (behind McCoy Center for Community Service – 700-8th Avenue West), between Legion Field and Birmingham-Southern’s main entrances and will be placed on to teams and disbursed throughout the neighborhood to pick up trash. Refreshments will be served. At that time we will tour the Eco-Scape (which is under construction) and hear explanations of the various features. NorthStar Youth Ministries, an excellent organization located at the McCoy Center for Community Service, will be running gardening and art classes at the Eco-Scape this summer.

Youth are welcome with a chaperone. Info about illegal dumping and water quality will be distributed by SWMA and Black Warrior Riverkeeper.