The AFORR Forum on the Future of the Oak Ridge Reservation, was April 17, 1999 -- see the Forum Announcement for details.

Our meeting on Monday evening, July 26, 1999, featured a program on "Education and Recreation on the Oak Ridge Reservation: Present Opportunities, Future Possibilities."

On April 11, 2000, AFORR held a public meeting to discuss DOE's draft Environmental Assessment on the proposed leasing of Parcel ED-3.

Our annual organization meeting on June 13, 2000, featured a review of the past year's events and activities, presentations on breeding birds of the Oak Ridge Reservation and invasive exotic plant species, and discussion of possible future objectives and activities. Nearly 50 people attended, including Linda Ponce from the Oak Ridge office of Congressman Zach Wamp as well as Wamp's Democratic opponent in the fall election, Will Callaway. Read our report on the meeting.

At our meeting on October 5, 2000, about 20 to 25 people turned out to hear Tim Myrick (Project Director of the Facilities Revitalization Project for UT-Battelle) describe the ORNL Facilities Revitalization Program. The discussion was lively and lots of good questions were asked.

See The Oak Ridger's article about the plans for this meeting.

On Thursday, September 6, 2001, we held our annual business meeting and heard a presentation by Scott Davis, director of the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

On Saturday, September 29, 2001, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning celebrated Public Lands Day, toured a natural area, and helped with control of exotic plants invading the area.

On Tuesday evening, November 6, 2001, we discussed land-use planning for the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Reservation lands: Can we get past the polarization, mistrust? Guest column in The Oak Ridger, Tuesday, May 15, 2001, by AFORR board members. Presents AFORR's views on several current issues.

News coverage of DOE's January 30, 2001, meeting and subsequent events.

"Groups call for halt to piecemeal development of Oak Ridge land," by Frank Munger, The Knoxville News Sentinel, January 20, 2001, describes the coordinated efforts of AFORR, the Tennessee Conservation League, and the Southern Environmental Law Center to convince DOE to stop selling and leasing ORR property without first fully assessing the cumulative environmental impacts of multiple developments as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

"Another hurdle for Boeing land," by R. Cathey Daniels, The Oak Ridger, January 19, 2001, is about the letter that the Southern Environmental Law Center sent to DOE Oak Ridge Operations to urge them to stop selling and leasing ORR property without fully complying with NEPA.  A companion article, "TVA concerned about environmental assessment," discusses the Tennessee Valley Authority's concerns about the proposed transfer of the Boeing floodplain strip.
A later opinion column by Cathey Daniels, "Land-use planning could be integrated process -- But is DOE skirting the National Environmental Policy Act?," published in the Oak Ridger on January 23, discusses the reasons for this initiative and calls for integrated land-use planning.
An Oak Ridger editorial published the following day, Wednesday, January 24, 2001, "Boeing land issue must be decided locally," says that the proposed sale of the federally owned Boeing floodplain strip is a "strictly local land deal" and calls AFORR, the Tennessee Conservation League and Southern Environmental Law Center "nanny-activists" that are trying to "subvert local decision-making beneath a suffocating mass of legal briefs, impact statements and environmental assessments."

"Group Wants Land Use Plan," by Ron Bridgeman, The Oak Ridger, April 12, 2000, is about our April 11 meeting.

"Big ideas about environment", by Larisa Brass, The Oak Ridger, July 27, 1999,  is about our July 26 meeting.

"Staking their claims: Reactions begin to energy secretary's wildlife refuge plan," by Frank Munger, appeared in the Knoxville News-Sentinel on June 28, 1999.  It includes quotations from Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation. (No longer available online.)

"FORNL Holds Debate on Land Use", by Larisa Brass, The Oak Ridger, May 20, 1999, is about a Friends of ORNL forum on Oak Ridge Reservation land use. AFORR participated in the forum, along with Oak Ridge City Manager Bo McDaniel, CROET's Lawrence Young, and DOE's Katy Kates.

Metropulse article, "Reservation Preservation," April 1999, is about the issue of the future of the Oak Ridge Reservation and features AFORR.

"No Answers," by R. Cathey Daniels, The Oak Ridger, April 19, 1999, is one of three related stories (all by Daniels) about AFORR's Public Forum on the Future of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The others are  'Explicit' decision on ORR land use needed and More land for development questioned.

Group Forms to Promote Dialogue, by Larisa Brass, The Oak Ridger, March 1, 1999, is about the origins of Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation. An earlier Oak Ridger story on AFORR was New Group to Advocate Preserving DOE Land, published February 23, 1999.

Link to the constitution and bylaws adopted July 26, 1999, and our state charter filed and accepted in October 1999.
 
 

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