Category: Outside

Birmingham. We love the flowers. But we are in the middle of a drought

The flowers and plants lining Highland Avenue in Birmingham’s historic Highland Park Neighborhood are spectacular and beautiful.  We absolutely love them and the city does an incredible job.

But, we are in the middle of a drought that is about to get worse.  This video of the flowers and plants being watered today (October 12) along Highland Avenue will likely be the last “watering” of these flowers/plants for a good while, especially now that the Birmingham Water Works Board is considering the implementation of strong water conservation measures.

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Audubon Teaches Nature begins 26th year with a reptile sampler

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For 26th year, the Birmingham Audubon Society, along with co-sponsors the Alabama Wildlife Center, Oak Mountain Interpretive Center, and the Friends of Oak Mountain State Park are presenting the Audubon Teaches Nature (ATN) Series seminars.

Exploring and celebrating the diversity of Alabama’s natural history, these seminars provide the public with the knowledge and skills to enjoy your time in the field,  whether you are birding, hiking, biking or just exploring the outdoors.

Meet and learn from some of Alabama’s leading naturalists this fall and Spring, beginning on Sunday, October 23rd. Here is the recently released Audubon Teaches Nature 2016/2017 schedule:

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E. O. Wilson, James McClintock, R. Scot Duncan say “Vote YES on Amendment 2”

Alabama holds some of the most beautiful geography and greatest biodiversity of any place on earth.  We are lucky to live here!  But according to some highly acclaimed scientists, if we don’t protect what we have, we could lose it.

State parks, little river
Kayaker on Little River

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Southern Environmental Center’s Ecofest is here!

Ecofest 2016
EcoFest 2016
What do you get when you combine fine wines, fresh Whole Foods ingredients, and Chef Franklin Biggs?
The 2016 EcoFest Celebration.
One of Birmingham’s longest running and successful fundraising events, this year’s Ecofest features a gourmet harvest dinner and a auction honoring longtime Birmingham architect and civic leader Nimrod Long.
Buy your tickets today for the Thursday, October 20, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Ecofest Celebration at Birmingham-Southern College.

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Alabama Wildlife Center partnership with Oak Mountain State Park another reason to support State Parks Amendment 2

This weekend, Alabama Wildlife Center Executive Director Doug Adair authored a strong op-ed supporting  Constitutional Amendment 2 – an amendment that will protect and permanently fund Alabama’s State Parks.

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Alabama weekly nature roundup – October 1-7, 2016

Painting of E.O. Wilson
Painting of E.O. Wilson

At Bham Now, we are beginning a new weekly feature to keep our readers up to date and informed about the outdoors. Every Friday, we will be publishing nature stories, articles and events that have appeared in various media outlets and websites throughout Alabama

We also want your assistance. In the coming weeks, if you see a nature/outdoor story or event that looks interesting, feel free to send that link to Pat@BhamNow.com .

So let’s begin.

The inaugural first link  is by Alabama native son ~Dr. E.O. Wilson .  Here is his latest opinion piece that appeared in the Washington Post this past weekend.

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Acclaimed kids nature writer Heather Montgomery in Birmingham this week (video)

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Rattlesnakes, earthquakes, wacky animals and bugs.

If you  are  curious about nature and the world around you, drop by the Homewood Public Library on Sunday, October 9th, between 2:00 to 4:00 to meet highly acclaimed Alabama children nature writer Heather Montgomery for a public book signing.

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Here comes the sun – UAB goes solar and green

Photo: UAB press release
Photo: UAB press release

Here comes the sun UAB.

This week, UAB announced that it is home to the largest solar energy system in the city of Birmingham.  The solar panels are on top of it’s Campus Recreation Center which can be seen from Red Mountain and surrounding buildings.

The 100 panel solar system was installed by Birmingham-based Vulcan Solar Power.

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Signs, signs everywhere a sign – remembering Birmingham’s railroad history

“Signs, signs everywhere a sign…” ~ Five Man Electrical Band

James Lowery
James Lowery

If you have been traveling throughout Birmingham, you’ve probably seen a few of these signs designating past locations of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad.

“The railroad is still with us.  This is the undergirding history of Birmingham.” ~  James Lowery, Project Coordinator of the Historic Birmingham Mineral Railroad Signs Project.

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21st Century Indiana Jones in our midst – UAB’s Sarah Parcak

UAB’s Sarah Parcak, the much acclaimed space archeologist, National Geographic Explorer and TED Prize winner  “wants to make the world’s invisible history visible once again.”

Her plan: Launch in 2017 GlobalXplorer, the first of its kind online citizen science platform that will train an army of Indiana Jones global explorers.

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Get your engagement calendars out! Checkout the Alabama Rivers Alliance October events calendar

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From our good friends at the Alabama Rivers Alliance – below is a list of events they are promoting in the month of October.  Mark your calendars today, and bookmark the ARA Events calendar page.

October 7 – 9 –  Cukorakko Music Festival,  benefitting the Coosa Riverkeeper
October 7 – Party on the Porch at Alabama Outdoors, benefiting Black Warrior Riverkeeper
October 8 & 9 – Blount County Solar Home Tour
October 10  – ASAN’s Regional Food & Farms Forum at Kymulga Grist Mill in Childersburg
October 13 – Bay Bash benefiting Mobile Baykeeper
October 20 – ACF’s Connect to your Coast at Black Warrior Brewing Company
October 23 – Wild & Scenic Film Festival at Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre
October 28 – 30 – Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club Annual Retreat