Action Newsletter
Fall 2000

Alabama Radon Program Wins Extension's Flagship Award for 2000

    The Alabama Cooperative Extension System's radon awareness, mitigation, and radon-resistant new construction program received state-level honor—the Natural Resources and Environmental Management's (NREM) National Flagship Award for 2000. NREM is one of seven base programs of the Cooperative Extension Service System, whose overall goal is to educate a diverse group of people to make decisions and take actions that will improve the quality, productivity, and sustainability of natural resources. Flagship programs are local, state, or regional Extension programs that highlight the innovative programs being conducted throughout the United States in natural resource and environmental management. The state-level award was one of only four issued by USDA/CSREES in natural resources and environmental management.

    The Alabama radon training and awareness program was offered to all citizens in Alabama counties having the highest incidence of radon. Topics covered included training on radon, where it comes from, and how it gets into homes and other buildings; how to mitigate dwellings; and how builders can build new homes that will have a lower incidence of radon and soil gasses and reduced moisture levels. During the two years and nine months of program effort, 2,425 homes were tested for radon, with 520 dwellings (21.4 percent) showing elevated levels of radon.

    The national award-winning team included EPA, Southern Regional Radon Training Center, Alabama Department of Public Health, and Extension professionals and support personnel. Extension professionals and support personnel, with their counties, included

Carol Reid (Blount); Ruth Sarro and Hayes Jackson (Calhoun); Marsha Moorehead and Tom Farrow (Clay and Cleburne); Marian Beck and Teresa McDonald (Colbert and Lauderdale); Melinda Luker and Roger Vines (Coosa); Annette Wardrup (DeKalb); Karen Thompson (Franklin); Lewis Tapley (Jackson); Linda Robinson (Lawrence); Reetta Christopher (Limestone); Cynthia Whittaker, David Hubbard, and Jackie Ramsey (Jefferson); Walter Rodgers and Sabrina Hill (Madison); Lisa Murphy (Marion); Julie Dutton and Betty Colder (Morgan); Angela Treadaway and Peggy Prucnal (Shelby); Ronny Williams (Talladega); Rebecca Dollman, Clarene Teague-Johnson (North Alabama Regional Office); Paul Waddy (East Alabama Regional Office); Warren McCord, Jesse LaPrade, Barbara Mobley, Laura Booth, and Susan Roberts (State Office, Auburn University).
You can visit the Radon Website at

www.aces.edu/dept/crd/radon-pubs.html 

© Action Newsletter, Fall 2000. Used with permission.
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