The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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March 21, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL. - Even the most lifelong-obsessed turkey hunters will have to be impressed by what Mari Grace Brooks has accomplished in chasing the elusive birds the past 15 years. The 19-year-old from Ramer, Alabama, has two Grand Slams, taking the four subspecies – Eastern, Osceola, Rio and Merriam's – in the United States, which is quite a feat for any turkey hunter. Even more impressive is she has two Double Grand Slams, where she harvested two of each of those species in...
Modern technology is aiding wildlife biologists and researchers in numerous ways, including a tool that is in its infancy in Alabama. The Motus Wildlife Tracking System program erects tracking stations throughout the Americas, Canada, Europe and Australia to detect wildlife (mainly bird) movements, according to Mercedes Maddox, Nongame Wildlife Biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division. Motus is a global...
When the Alabama Tourism Department selects a feature or activity in the state to highlight for its "The Year of" designation, that campaign normally lasts for one year. However, the most recent promotion, The Year of Alabama Trails, will require two years to complete because of the enormous outdoors opportunities in one of the most geographically and biologically diverse states in the nation. The kick-off for the campaign was held last week atop Birmingham's Red Mountain at the Vulcan Park and...
Most people are aware of the stunning natural beauty, the hiking and biking trails and upgraded accommodations at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Alabama State Parks, but some Alabamians and visitors may not be aware of one of the recreational opportunities at three of the system's parks. Golf Courses at Oak Mountain State Park, Joe Wheeler State Park and Lake Guntersville State Park offer a day on the links at a reasonable price, and those courses have...
At the first Alabama Conservation Advisory Board meeting of 2025, held last weekend in Montgomery, Board members heard a state of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) report from Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship as well as proposed tweaks to the white-tailed deer daily bag limit and changes to the red snapper season. The proposed changes to red snapper season should be great news for those who love to fish for Alabama's signature saltwater species....
February 7, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Every 10 years, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) is required to update its State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) to be eligible for federal funding that is crucial to many endangered and threatened species in the state. ADCNR staff members are currently in the process of updating the SWAP, which will be submitted by September 2025. The Congressional State Wildlife Grant (SWG)...
February 16,2025 - Research into numerous saltwater fish species has produced some interesting revelations, including how important the Mobile-Tensaw Delta is to the recruitment of those species, which include southern flounder, spotted seatrout (speckled trout), red drum (redfish) and tripletail. Dr. Sean Powers, Director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Alabama (USA), said the research team and recruited anglers have been tagging the inshore...
February 21, 2025 - GUNTERSEVILLE, AL - When the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) staff scheduled AFWA's annual Wildlife Diversity Program Managers Meeting at Lake Guntersville State Park, they didn't realize the potential distraction just outside the meeting room windows. Sitting on the banks of one of the most productive fisheries in the nation, Lake Guntersville State Park's lodge atop Taylor Mountain offers stunning views of the 69,000-acre reservoir on the Tennessee River....
January 31, 2025 - MONGTOMERY, AL - To say 2024 was an outstanding year for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) would border on understatement, and plans for 2025 will continue that trend, according to ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship. Through a variety of funding sources, ADCNR has utilized more than $218 million for Alabama State Parks improvements, has facilitated the investment of more than $385 million in Coastal Alabama, and has ensured more than $37 mi...
January 10, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - The next mandatory chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling weekend for all of Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin counties has been postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for next weekend, January 18-19, 2025. Also, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division has added an incentive to encourage hunters in the CWD Management Zone (CMZ) to submit samples. Hunters who...
January 17, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Nature lovers are blessed with abundant recreational and travel opportunities the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources offers in north Alabama, like Joe Wheeler State Park, Monte Sano State Park and several wildlife management areas. But the possibilities don't end there. For those who love to explore new territory, I've got a perfect place to get in a robust hike and learn a great deal about Alabama's natural history and how Alabama's...
January 25,2025 - One might think Forever Wild Land Trust's M. Barnett Lawley Field Trial Area is all about sporting dogs, but it's much, much more. The 4,323-acre property in Hale County, managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) State Lands Division, is indeed one of the premier competitive sporting dog event areas in the Southeast, and it also provides numerous outdoor recreational opportunities for youth and physically disabled hunters, beginner anglers...
November 8, 2024 - Thanks to a donation by the University of South Alabama's (USA) Epsilon Alpha Chapter of Kappa Alpha Order (KA), those with mobility issues will have access to an all-terrain track chair at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. The presentation of the track chair to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Alabama State Parks was held during the USA Jaguars home football game Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Bill Bennett, General Manager of The...
November 22, 2024 - Andy Poss knows the Tennessee River's Pickwick Lake from top to bottom – literally. Fishing for both largemouths and the scrappy smallmouths, as well as crappie, is what he does now. For 15 years prior, he probed the lake from bottom to top to make a living. Poss was a commercial fisherman and mussel diver during those 15 years until, in his words, "I got tired of being wet all the time. And it's a lot of work to handle 2,000 hooks a day – baiting 1,000 hooks and then tak...
In a continuing effort to minimize the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division held this season's first mandatory CWD check last weekend in Lauderdale County. WFF staff sampled 356 deer for CWD, a neurodegenerative disease that affects cervids, including white-tailed deer, at the sampling stations in Lauderdale County. In addition to samples from Lauderdale and...
December 6, 2024 - When some people harvest their first wild animal, it awakens an appreciation of the great outdoors and nature. For others, it is much more emotional and prompts memories of family or loved ones. For Sadie Pettus, the latter is true. On a recent hunting trip to Barbour Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Pettus was able to take a feral hog, and it evoked memories of her late father, Clark Crates. Although Crates was an avid outdoorsman as well as a talented musician on the piano,...
Dave Armstrong is planning to go hunting when the weather cools off, but he actually hopes he doesn't find an abundance of the species he's stalking. Armstrong is the Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater (WFF) Division, and he and the Fisheries Section staff will be searching for several invasive carp species – silver, bighead, grass and black. Those carp, especially the silver, can be detrimental...
Sarah Gibbs and Crystal Hightower hope last week's Ladies Tagging Workshop at the Weeks Bay Tonsmeire Resource Center is just the beginning of a trend on the Alabama Gulf Coast of female anglers gathering on a regular basis to hone their fishing skills and connect with fellow anglers – and sometimes help with research. Gibbs, a PhD student with Dr. Steven Scyphers in the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Alabama (USA), recruited Dauphin Island Sea L...
October 24, 2024 - Ever wonder why ensuring the survival of a small mollusk in a small creek in south Alabama is such a big deal? The main reason is those mussels are indicators of the quality of their environment, especially the water quality, which translates to the health of the entire ecosystem. That's why the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Monroe...
With landfills reaching capacity, what could be a better way to repurpose decommissioned equipment than using it to build habitat for Alabama's great offshore fisheries? Alabama Power Company recently teamed up with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) to take end-of-life concrete poles and tower segments to build a new reef in the (Conservation Commissioner) Christopher M. Blankenship Reef Zone that covers 65 miles of Gulf of...
Although overall duck numbers are up in the latest Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, those waterfowlers who hunt the special teal season better plan to take full advantage of this year's early season of 16 days, set for September 14-29. Seth Maddox of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division said this year's survey indicated a downturn in blue-winged teal numbers, and the 2025 special teal season will...
The path that Greg Lein and Matthew Capps shared with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) State Parks Division is now diverging. Lein, the State Parks Director for the past 12 years is retiring, and Matthew Capps, former Deputy Director, has been promoted to State Parks Director. While preparing for the National Association of State Parks Directors Conference that is being held at Gulf State Park this week, Lein shared his vision of State Parks when he became...
Alabama hunters are apparently more aware of the safety aspects of climbing a tree during hunting season. During the 2023-2024 season, only six treestand accidents were reported, down significantly from the average. Unfortunately, Alabama's two years without a hunting fatality ended with two this past season. Michael Bloxom, Hunter Education Coordinator with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, said the first...
One of Alabama's most popular paddling destinations recently received a significant upgrade. State and local officials celebrated the opening of the renovated Garden City River Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 24. The renovations were made possible by a settlement against Tyson Farms for a wastewater spill into the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. The spill occurred in 2019 at Tyson Farms' River Valley chicken processing plant in Hanceville when a pipe/hose failed and dumped...
With more than $150 million available for renovations, repairs and construction, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) State Parks System is in the middle of major upgrades and enhancements to help State Parks' guests embrace and enjoy Alabama's natural beauty. State Parks Director Greg Lein said those projects span the entire state, with upgrades planned at many of the 21 Alabama State Parks. Lein gave updates on the projects from south to north, starting with th...
