Released by the Alabama Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries …
Securing Habitat the Red Hills Salamander
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently awarded Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division nearly $9 million in land conservation grants to assist with the purchase of two land tracts that encompass critical habitat for the federally threatened red hills salamander. Funding for the grants was authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act. In total 4,911 acres of critical red hills salamander habitat in Monroe County, Alabama will be purchased with these grant funds and additional funds provided by The Forever Wild Land Trust. The land acquisitions offer habitat protection in areas where red hills salamanders, an endemic species found only in Alabama, live. The land purchase will not only benefit red hills salamander but will also provide outdoor recreation opportunities .
Find more information about the purchase of these tracts and red hills salamanders on the Outdoor Alabama website.
Backyard Birding Adventures!
Many parents are looking for activities to entertain their children during the current Shelter-in-Place directives. One great way to entertain your kids is to go on a backyard adventure! Take the kids outside and see what birds you can find in your very own yard. Backyard birdwatching is a great way to teach kids about the different species that can be found in Alabama and how to identify them. Springtime is a great time to catch migrant species as they travel through Alabama to their breeding grounds. Have your kids make a list of the different species they see. Birdwatching is also a great way to practice their math skills! Have your kids count the number times they see each different species and turn that into a graph to see which birds are seen more often in the yard. For art class, have your kids draw their favorite bird that they have seen and share their drawing on our Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Facebook page. We would love to see their favorites!
If you need help identifying species while on your adventure head over to our Watchable Wildlife page for assistance.
A New Indiana Bat Hibernaculum Discovered
The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (AWFFD) has discovered a new Indiana Bat hibernaculum in central Alabama. AWFFD was assisted by The US Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Solutions and Innovations, and the Southeastern Cave Conservancy in this discovery. Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) are a federally endangered species and exceedingly rare in Alabama. This is now one of only four active Indiana bat hibernacula known in the state and the cave becomes the southernmost known hibernaculum for the species throughout its entire range.
The numbers of Indiana bats in Alabama caves are small, less than 50 individuals each, as Alabama is on the periphery of the species’ range. In the core of the bat’s range (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri) numbers at hibernacula can be many thousands. Still, these Alabama bats represent an opportunity to learn more about the species in the southernmost portion of their range. Since they live in forests different from those to the north, they may have different preferences for where to forage and roost. The timing of their breeding biology may be advanced in the warmer climate of Alabama. What we have observed through previous research suggests they awake from hibernation and depart on their spring migration earlier than their northern relatives. This has important implications for conservation of the species.
To learn more about Indiana bats in Alabama check out our Watchable Wildlife website.