Alabama Master Naturalist

09/09/2026

🌿 Upcoming Field Day: Shades Creek Greenway! 🌿

Join us this Friday, September 11, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM for a half-day exploration at the Homewood Shades Creek Greenway Western Trailhead in Birmingham!

In partnership with members of the Cahaba River Coalition, we'll explore the park to examine the surprising biodiversity thriving in an urbanized area—and discuss the ecological challenges this habitat faces.

🥾 What to Expect:
• Hike Details: Flat, paved trails; approximately 1.6 miles total.
• Exploration: Opportunities to get into the ponds, swamps, and creek! Wear water-appropriate clothing if you plan to get wet.
• Wildlife: With fall migration picking up, expect abundant birdlife, along with diverse fish and herpetofauna (hopefully we'll spot some cool critters!).

🎒 What to Bring:
• Binoculars
• Headlamp
• Water & Snacks
• Bug spray
• Water-appropriate clothing

📍 Location: Homewood Shades Creek Greenway Western Trailhead (1248 Oak Grove Rd, Birmingham, AL) — Plenty of parking available; please arrive by 5:00 PM.

📧 To Sign Up or Ask Questions:
Send an email to [email protected] to reserve your spot!

06/15/2025

Do you live in or near Blount Co.? Do you own property on or enjoy the Locust Fork? Or do you just really like turtles? Either way, if you're free the evening of Tuesday, July 1, consider joining Dr. Wesley Anderson and Seamus O'Brien, Master's student at Jacksonville State University, as they talk about turtles. Follow this link to register - https://www.aces.edu/event/turtle-talk-with-alabama-extension/

02/03/2025

Portraits from our weekend field day at Ruffner.

02/03/2025

First Alabama Master Naturalist field day of 2025 is in the books. Thank you to Jefferson County Greenways for partnering with us and for hosting us at Ruffner.

08/08/2024

If any program participants own agricultural land in north Alabama and qualify (see details below), this would be a fantastic opportunity to assist in the conservation of one of our amazing wildlife species.

Do you own agricultural land in north Alabama along the Paint Rock River, Sugar Creek, Bluewater Creek, Cypress Creek, or their tributaries? Interested in helping out the hellbender (a large aquatic salamander pictured below) by receiving money to plant native fruit trees along those creeks that could also then provide further income?

If you're interested and think your land might qualify, please click the link below for more information and to apply. A link to a map with eligible areas can be found at the link, as well.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hGiVYK0Q-kCGPU8yweOjes8SZXcR6cZBhiVWbnil6dpUM01OUVBFNFQxWkxKVlpMNkM4REZYVFJHRC4u

Lauderdale County - Alabama Extension, Limestone County - Alabama Extension, Madison County - Alabama Extension, Jackson County Alabama Extension

Photo by Brandon M. Ruhe

11/01/2023

We're excited to see so many of you registering for the course! If you haven't done so yet and are interested, registration can be found here - https://aces.catalog.auburn.edu/courses/alabama-master-naturalist

That said, we are still accepting scholarship applications from the general public! We'll be accepting new applications until 5pm on Wednesday, 11/15. If interested, please submit a scholarship application here - https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9yOSUCz5uHYwl2C

10/13/2023

Happy Friday the 13th! We've got some news that isn't so spooky.

1. The online Alabama Master Naturalist course is set to launch in 2 weeks on Friday, October 27! A registration link will be provided prior to that date.

2. Scholarships! We have scholarships available that will cover the full cost of the online course (a $135 value). Any and all who are interested should submit an application at this link -
https://aub.ie/xKfQ5v

Those who receive the scholarship will only need to purchase or borrow the two required texts. The course and two field days are fully covered by the scholarship.

Those who apply by 5pm CT on Monday, 10/23 will be informed by Wednesday, 10/25 if they've been awarded a scholarship so they can plan accordingly. Those who apply after 10/23 will have their applications evaluated on a rolling basis with a decision time of approximately 2 weeks.

Speaking of rolling, we're excited to finally get this program rolling along. Please join us and spread the word!

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