The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), Alabama State Parks, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) were awarded the Leadership in Conservation and Sustainability Award on September 12, 2024, by the Rubberized Asphalt Foundation. The award recognizes their efforts to use recycled tires in paving projects at three state parks—Lake Guntersville, DeSoto, and Joe Wheeler—repurposing over 19,000 end-of-life tires.

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Receiving the Leadership in Conservation and Sustainability Award from the Rubberized Asphalt Foundation are, from left, Greg Lein, State Parks Director; Matthew Capps, Deputy State Parks Director; ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship; and Stephen Cobb, ADEM Land Division Chief. At right is Douglas Carlson, Vice President of Asphalt Products for Liberty Tire Recycling and a member of the Rubberized Asphalt Foundation Board of Directors. | Photo by the the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR).

Funded by ADEM's Scrap Tire Fund and ADCNR, the projects have used rubber-modified asphalt, which lasts longer and is more environmentally friendly than traditional asphalt.

The projects were primarily funded by approximately $2 million in grants from ADEM’s Scrap Tire Fund, which is dedicated to removing scrap tires from illegal dumps and promoting recycling. In addition, Alabama State Parks contributed funds to extend the paving across more areas within the parks. In 2022, $829,000 was used to repave roads and parking areas at Lake Guntersville and DeSoto State Parks, while a $1.16 million grant funded similar work at Joe Wheeler State Park this year.

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