NRDC Safecast Monitoring Workshop in DC

April 21 - 22, 2014

Garry Morgan, Director of BEST/MATRR's Radiation Monitoring Project,

was invited to participate and to make a presentation
during a 2 day NRDC Safecast Monitoring Workshop in Washington, DC.

Safecast began its radiation mapping project in Japan
just weeks after Fukushima, with three young professionals
hoping to provide the Japanese people with equipment
to secure solid radiation data in real-time throughout the country.
In 3 short years the project has spread to 46 countries.

The DC workshop was the first Safecast workshop in the U.S.
Garry made a 30 minute presentation, which was well received,

on our Monitoring Project and our Make Radiation Visible campaign.

NRDC generously sponsored Garry's trip to DC
and he was invited to assemble

his own Safecast bGeigy Nano-Geiger Counter

and to deploy it in the Tennessee River Valley area.

3 Earth Day Celebrations 

in North Alabama

We had a table display at 3 Earth Day Events

in North Alabama this year.

On April 5th, an all-day celebration

with music, food, and

much environmental information sharing

took place in Muscle Shoals.

The event was organized by

BEST/MATRR member Nancy Muse,

and members Jackie & Grant Posey

helped Gretel Johnston

provide informational handouts

on TVA reactors, radiation poisoning, etc.

On April 23, Gretel and Garry Morgan tabled

at the University of Alabama Huntsville,
and had much fun sharing information,
demonstrating our monitoring equipment,
and listening to the knowledge and viewpoints
of young university students.

On April 27, we unpacked our displays
at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville
just in time for some serious
sustained rain storms.
Although there were not many
regular folks from the public there,
fellow environmental activists
and outdoor sports promoters
had a chance to learn about radiation issues
while about 40 of us huddled by the fire
in the beautiful open air pavilion.

We secured 79 signatures on

our Make Radiation Visible Petition
from folks visiting our display

and many more people took home
various informational handouts
and learned about our website.

Make Radiation Visible Petition

Launched Online

We launched our online petition

with both MoveOn and Credo

in March, 2014.

The graphics were refined during March

and the poster was created in April,

in time for Earth Day Festivals.

See our Make Radiation Visible page

which can also be found at
www.MakeRadiationVisible.org

Alabama Water Rally 2014

Montgomery, Alabama

 The Alabama Rivers Alliance

hosted this highly informative,

youthful and energetic 3-day conference

March 7, 8 and 9th, 2014,
with over 120 participants from 63 organizations.

BEST/MATRR representatives

Garry Morgan and Gretel Johnston 

were invited to present information on 

the science of radioactive pollution

and the threat to our drinking water,

as members of a four person panel.

This conference took place just as we were

getting ready to post our petition online

and while we were working on the

Make Radiation Visible campaign graphics.

Our session was quite successful,

with much interest shown toward the

Make Radiation Visible campaign

and dozens of sign-ups for our email list

by folks who wanted to participate

in signing and sharing the petition with others.

Rendevous for Action Workshop

Radiation Monitoring Workshop

at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

BEST/MATRR Monitoring Director, Garry Morgan,

and BREDL Executive Director, Lou Zeller,

conducted an all day workshop to teach

scientifically sound methods for monitoring

and recording radiation in ones community.

Garry Morgan, U.S. Army Medical Department retired.

with experience and training in Radiation Protection,

Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Decontamination

and emergency response,

demonstrated multiple monitoring methods

and accurate data recording for the scientific community.

Lou Zeller conducted training in data analysis methods

of the Technical Education Research Centers (TERC)

Statistics in Action program, which had 

awarded BEST/MATRR a grant

for the training workshop.

We were pleased to see Dave Lochbaum,

Union of Concerned Scientists Nuclear Safety Director,

and Jim Green, Energy Policy Manager

at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

were among those attending.

Make Radiation Visible - National Campaign

MAKE RADIATION VISIBLE

National Campaign Launch

in Washington, DC

BEST/MATRR representatives

Garry Morgan and Gretel Johnston

were selected to join a committee

of seven nuclear guardian groups

in December, 2013.

Priscilla Star of Coalition Against Nukes

co-chaired the committee

with Gene Stone 

of Residents Organized for a Safe Environment.

Active committee members were

Dr. Marvin Resnikoff

of Radioactive Waste Management Associates,

Susan Shapiro

of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition,

Donna Gilmore

of SanOnofreSafety.org,

Tim Judson and Diane D'Arrigo

of Nuclear Information and Resource Service,

as well as our two members.

The committee chose two main topics to present

to policymakers in DC in late January:

High Burnup Fuel Dangers

were presented by Dr. Marvin Resnikoff,

and Make Radiation Visible proposals

were presented by Gretel Johnston.

Group consensus presented a strong showing

of support for both presentations,

which appeared to be well received

in separate meetings with NRC Commission

Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane,

Commissioner William Magwood,

and Commissioner George Apostolakis.

A large conference meeting

with three Radiological Directors

and staff experts at the EPA also went well,

with many probing questions asked

and answered from both sides of the table.

The committee also met with key staffers 

for the U.S. Senate Committee

on Environment and Public Works,

and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

This proved very helpful for understanding the steps

necessary to enact major policy changes,

and for offering research to support our policy suggestions.

Wild & Scenic Film Festival

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival

Huntsville, AL

BEST/MATRR co-sponsored

this exciting and uplifting

environmental film festival

at The Flying Monkey Arts Theatre

in the Lower Mill Arts & Entertainment Center

Huntsville, AL on October 3, 2013.

Poignant, informative and inspiring

mini-short films were shown

about communities around the country

facing important pollution issues

and were interspersed with

energetic and beautiful

wilderness sports and action films!

Just the right balance of

serious activism and all out fun!