How to become a champion for Alabama’s forests + public lands

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Alabama is one of the most biodiverse and forested states in the U.S. While a lot of our forested lands are private tree farms, we are also fortunate to have many protected natural treasures.

It is home to special places like the Sipsey Wilderness, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Talladega National Forest, Mobile’s Tensaw Delta, wildlife refuges, nature preserves, trails and more.

In our first two installments in this series, we provided tips on how to become a champion for native plants and clean water. 

In this edition, we learn how to advocate for the forests and public lands from Maggie Johnston—a longtime nature educator and Executive Director at Wild Alabama. 

Step 1 — Find a place + get to know it

What Johnston recommends is summed up by an old quote from Gary Snyder—a famous naturalist and poet from the 1970s:

“Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.”

From the city dweller who rarely leaves their apartment, to the outdoors person who relishes every moment in the wild, there’s a place in nature for everyone. One great way to start is to go on guided interpretive hikes. 

“I always use this analogy with the staff: there’s a big difference between walking into a room full of people you don’t know versus walking into a room of friends and family. If you don’t know the forest, then you’ll feel uncomfortable and nervous exploring it.

So go learn with some people who can show you the magic of the forest and explain what you’re seeing. You’ll get to know it and will be hooked!”

~ Maggie Johnston

Who offers trips? There are many day hikes and camping groups across the state.

• Wild Alabama’s Wild Wednesdays and weekly trips
• Alabama Sierra Club hikes
• Alabama Aubudon 
• Land Trust of North Alabama, Freshwater Land Trust, South Alabama Land Trust
• America’s Amazon Adventures
• WildNative Tours in Mobile 
• Cahaba River Society (Cahaba Lily floats in May-June)
• Alabama Hiking Society

Step 2: Take responsibility for a place — Become an Ambassador

Once you’ve become familiar with a place, one easy way to get involved is by becoming a Forest Ambassador with Wild Alabama. 

This organization trains people to meet with hikers at trailheads to provide them with maps, helpful tips and “Leave No Trace” instructions. This is especially important for ecologically sensitive areas such as federally designated wilderness areas.

“One of our partners, Alabama Sierra Club, has been providing grant money for the past three years to allow Wild Alabama volunteer Forest Ambassadors to receive a small stipend to cover their travel costs to the various trailheads. 

The Ambassadors are often set up at popular trailheads such as Sipsey Recreation, Cheaha Trailhead and Kenlock Falls. There are days when over 200 hikers come by to chat, ask questions and ask for a paper map.” 

~ Maggie Johnston

Step 3:  Get your hands dirty  — Helping Hands

If you want to get out in the forest and get your hands dirty, check out Wild Alabama’s Helping Hands program. Through volunteer work, you can play a key role in clearing trails and removing invasive plant species. 

“At these events, you’ll get out with a group of people doing some trail maintenance, often simple, sometimes complex. It can involve cutting back limbs, learning to use a crosscut saw and more. Most importantly, it’s about giving back to the forest.”

~ Maggie Johnston

In addition to trail maintenance, volunteers can spend a day removing invasive plants, such as Chinese privet. If you’ve ever noticed the contiguous tall green shrubbery lining our highways, it is most likely Chinese privet. Once thought to be a good solution for hedge-building, privet has taken over 1000’s of acres of natural woodlands and crowded out beneficial native plants.

One group that focuses on trail maintenance in Birmingham is the Ruffner Mountain’s Volunteer Preserve Rangers. Every week or two, especially in the winter, they remove invasives and maintain trails at Ruffner Mountain and Turkey Creek. In total, they steward 1500+ acres of forests.

Other groups removing invasives across the state:

• Alabama Cooperative Extension — This organization provides info on how you can remove different kinds of invasives from public land and on private property too.
• Cahaba River Society — Last year, during Earth Week, they removed 1,000 pounds of privet. For the entire year, they removed 3,400 pounds!
• Mobile Bay Estuary Program — A Division of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, this group removes invasives like kudzu, tallow and privet throughout the coast.

Step 4: Become a Volunteer Ranger

The Volunteer Wilderness Ranger Program (VWR) goes a step beyond Helping Hands work days. These well-trained rangers wear uniforms and are present to answer questions along trails. 

They are trained in Leave No Trace (LNT) and educate hikers on what the wilderness is, how to read maps and the steps of practicing LNT. 

 “Our VWR program requires several days of training to equip these devoted volunteers with the knowledge and confidence they need to gently guide visitors to our wild places and protect and preserve them.”   

– Maggie Johnston

Get to know Wild Alabama + forest champions statewide

Spring is the perfect time in Alabama to learn how to become a forest champion. 

Maggie summed it up best.

“To accept this challenge of Forest Champion, you have to start somewhere. So start small. Just be willing to come and get to know us. Get to know the forest and get out on the trail with our Wild Alabama staff and volunteers. Go to the Wild Alabama website and check out all that we do.”

She also provided us with a long list of partner organizations that offer ways to become a forest and public land champion:

• National Forest Service in Alabama
• Alabama State Parks and their new Naturalist programs
• Friends of Talladega National Forest
• Pinhoti Trail Alliance
• Alabama Hiking Trails Society 
• Girls Who Hike Alabama
• Environmental Education Association of Alabama
• The Nature Conservancy in Alabama
• Alabama Backcountry Horsemen of America
• JSU Environmental Policy and Information Center
• Treasured Forests
• Alabama Water Watch

Are you ready to Think Globally And Act Locally? It’s time to become champion for Alabama’s native plants and trees, clean water and beautiful forests.

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