Category: Conservation

What’s Alabama’s most valuable asset? Its genes. I don’t mean to be insulting, but I’m not really talking about your genes, or my genes, or the genes of any person you or I know. I’m talking

How is it, when millions of native elms died from a virulent disease all across the county, elms in the South pretty much laughed it off? Dutch elm disease has been catastrophic for American elms trees in

We’re doing more than any organization our size should be capable of. We’ve gotten it done because of our partners like founding members and UCLA Distinguished Professors Stephen Hubbell and Patty Gowaty. Because of our long

To laugh with us please click herehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/gh82w1nke20g00f/Cumberlands%20TALE.pdf?dl=0

It’s funny how we turn the world upside down. What were once the most common trees in Alabama are now hard to find, increasingly close to functional extinction. And trees that were once relatively rare, restricted

There are something like 35,000 green but mature shortleaf pine cones from the Alabama Cumberlands drying in burlap bags hanging in our barn. Don’t believe me? We are happy for you to do the recount, so

Photographs by Matt Niemiller Ph.D. and Amata Hinkle Text by Bill Finch  The light at the end of the tunnel can sometimes be a bit disappointing, particularly if you spend much time in an Alabama cave.

The restoration of Flagg Mountain Fire Tower, dedicated June 15th was celebrated by many, including the governor. It was a job considered impossible until the right people and teams were pulled together – and it happened.

When E.O. Wilson died December 26th, many here may not have recognized how he changed Alabama in the eyes of the world. Those impressed by celebrity will be interested to know that Ed Wilson was likely

If only Alabama knew how to get rich on its own gold. Every time I start counting through the state’s stores of gold—blooming everywhere in fall fields—I wonder how in the world we have failed to

Bachman’s Warbler once filled the canebrakes in Alabama. Of the 10 mainland North American species declared extinct by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week, all but one were from Alabama. The spirit bird of the

All last summer Bill has methodically and consistently been collecting seeds of Gama grass, along with several ticks and chiggers. He sewed them in flats this winter, grew them out, and planted them at the Paint

Alan Cressler is as legendary as the Nature Conservancy’s Sharp Bingham Preserve in Paint Rock. As a caver he knows the caves, underground rivers, aquatic life better than anyone. He is also a brilliant biologist, legendary

It was so good to spend time with Charley again. He has a remarkable curiosity for many things, a keen eye for observing plants and asks very very good questions.

It’s sort of like the Florida panther. Why protect the Florida panther when there are California panthers and Andean panthers? Because species sometimes have regional “races” or genetic distinctions that are very important regionally, and often

Steve Apfelbaum brings his great ecological knowledge, experience, and tons of connections to Paint Rock Steve Apfelbaum, the founder of Applied Ecological Services, spent two days with us touring every inch of Paint Rock and discussing

Perhaps no plant speaks more clearly to the profound weirdness of Paint Rock’s forests than the smoketree. But that weirdness has a surprising relevance to forests throughout North America. So we made our pilgrimage down into