The North Team observed Cultural Diversity Day this fiscal year with a visit to the Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Education Center in Danville, Alabama, on September 20.North Team participants began day in the education center and learned about Alabama Native American history via a presentation by the facility’s Cultural Resource Specialist, Anna Mullican.The program highlighted portions of the center’s extensive collection of Native American artifacts found in Alabama, some dating back over 10,000 years.
Visits to the park’s two Indian mounds gave participants an opportunity to connect even more directly with the area’s history and native people. The Oakville Ceremonial Woodland Mound covers 1.5 acres of land is approximately 27 feet high.
Its wide flat top was likely used for ceremonial purposes sometime during the period between 1,000 B.C. to 1,000 A.D. The park’s second mound, a burial site called the Oakville Copena Mound, rises almost 20 feet high. The mound likely holds the remains of 180-200 Native Americans. Read More.
Mobile County's NRCS staff participated in a high tunnel dedication at Craighead Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama.The purpose of the high tunnel project is to provide elementary age students hands-on science-based experience in growing their own food.The high tunnel will allow the students to grow crops year around.The high tunnel was a joint project of NRCS, Gulf Coast RC&D, FSA, Mobile County Conservation District and Alabama Conservation Districts.Continuing education will be provided by Alabama Extension Service.Alabama Forestry Commission donated time to help finish the project.Read More.
The Conserve Alabama campaign has enabled us to communicate a message of conservation in a way that is relatable to a larger population. Even to those outside our circle, that phrase -- Conserve Alabama
-- piques interest and opens the door to a greater conversation about supporting conservation on private land which is, of course, our end game.
Since the launch of the campaign in March 2016, we’ve been very pleased with the response. New doors have opened and our message about conservation is reaching a new audience. But we want to ensure our message stays on point and does not create confusion about who we are. Along the way, we’ve learned how to better implement the campaign and identify the districts. More.
Isaac and Bradley Robertson proudly hosted the Grand Opening and formal Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of their new farmers market, George’s Farmers Market, on Friday, August 5th, 2016. The market sits on a Piedmont hill overlooking acres of row-crop land, pastures, ponds, and longleaf pine timber stands and claims a family name – George’s Farmers Market. The Robertson’s emphasize the sale of farm-fresh produce grown on their farm as well as other products produced locally (honey, eggs, jellies, baked goods and more). Isaac Robertson is a progressive young farmer and is no stranger to resource conservation, best management practices (BMPs), and good agricultural practices (GAPs), which should carry over to the market operation. Read more.
The Covington County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) along with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) assisted local residents with the design and installation of a Dry Hydrant.
This was the first dry hydrant to be installed in the Opp Fire Department’s fire district, however, dry hydrants are not new to Covington County. The SWCD and NRCS have helped design and install more than 20 dry hydrants over the last 15 years. Read More...
Jaylan Hancock is from Clay County, Tennessee and I am currently the Soil Science Trainee in the Normal, Alabama MRLA office on the campus of Alabama A&M University. I am attending Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN, where I am currently a junior in the field of Environmental Agriscience and will graduate in December 2017. More.
Cedric Williams is a native of Beatrice, AL, a small town located in North Monroe County. He is an alumni of J. F. Shields High School. In December 2013, Cedric earned his B.S. degree in Agribusiness Management with a minor in Geographical Information Systems from Alabama A&M University (AAMU). More
Daniel Williams is a student at Auburn University. Williams is a senior studying agronomy and soils. He plans to graduate this December. Williams is interning in our USDA-NRCS Field Office in Gadsden, Alabama this summer. He is learning to assist with certification and payment on practices, survey and layout of a 28 acre irrigation pond, HEL determination, and developing and implementing conservation plans. More.
Randi Butler is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She attends the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, where she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree and specializing in Hydrology. She will gradate with a Masters of Natural Resources in this coming fall. Randi received her Bachelors of Science degree in 2012 from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. More.
Trey Reich The Loxley Soil Survey Office (SSO) would like to welcome and introduce Ray (Trey) Allen Reich as a Pathways Student and a School of Geosciences intern for the summer of 2016. More.
Tomeesa Shedd This summer, the Cullman Soil and Water Conservation District is pleased to have Tomeesa Shedd as an intern. Tomeesa is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy and Soils at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. More.
Alabama Mountains, Rivers and Valleys RC&D (AMRV-RC&D) recently completed a Youth Corp Pilot Project that was designed to develop and train tomorrow’s leaders by introducing and engaging youth in leadership development, team building through healthy outdoor physical activities and identifying and addressing community needs.
The idea was to develop team and individual confidence, self-esteem, and leadership through a process involving outdoor activities and mentoring. The Youth Corp Camp tapped into the knowledge, leadership and life skills of successful industry, education, legislative (Representative Terri Collins) and Agency leaders to learn how to build skills to identify and implement solutions for problems in their own communities. More.
It was a crisp and clear spring morning down in the Glory Land (South Alabama that is). The sky was blue and the bees were buzzing from bloom to bloom at Hall’s Produce Garden in Elba. It was shaping up to be a perfect day for the Coffee County Conservation District’s High Tunnel House demonstration and outreach meeting. Mr. Hall recently installed two High Tunnel houses on his property with assistance from The Natural Resources Conservation Service. More.
Spending over 72 hours in the deep woods of Butler County is not the typical way most sixth graders would want to start their summer vacation; however, for 28 students from across Butler County, that is exactly what they chose to do this past June.
The Natural Resources Youth Camp is sponsored annually by the Butler County Forestry Planning Committee (FPC), with tremendous support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Butler County Soil Conservation Committee, Alabama Forestry Commission, Farm Service Agency, local businesses, and interested individuals. Because of such support, the FPC has offered this “hands-on” camp for area sixth grade students – at no cost – for the last 21 years. Once selected by their school science teacher and principal to attend the camp, students spend three days and two nights at Mussel Creek Hunting Lodge, a rustic cabin located on private property in north Butler County. Campers leave behind their smart phones, iPads, Kindles, NOOKs, televisions, radios, and text messaging to take part in this one-of-a-kind adventure. More.
Memo | Changes to Conserve Alabama 
