What is the Naturalist Studies Program?

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Rappelling at Little River Canyon 

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Students in the Naturalist Studies program traveled to Little River Canyon National Preserve to work on their outdoor skills and experience the unique environment of the Lookout Mountain area.  The first stop was a rappelling class on 85 foot cliffs above Little River. Little River has the unique distinction of being the only river that forms and runs almost its entire course atop a mountain.  Most of us, teachers and students alike, have a healthy fear of heights. Only one of us had tried rappelling before. Luckily, we had expert Israel Partridge to show us the ropes (See what I did there?) and put us at ease. Israel is the guy they call to do things like rescue people from narrow slot canyons, help with climbing scenes on movie sets and for consultation when Bear Grylls comes to the area to film. He’s a wealth of outdoor knowledge. After a safety lesson and after 3 separate people checked our gear, we were ready to rappel into the Canyon. While our brains knew that the ropes can hold
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Ardmore Students Become Certified Water Monitors

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On Friday, Mona Dominguez traveled to Ardmore to train our Naturalist Studies teens as certified water chemistry monitors through Alabama Water Watch. This is a state-approved, stackable credential.  Alabama is number one in the nation for freshwater biodiversity, with over 132,000 miles of rivers and streams. The 4-H AWW program is giving our students the opportunity to assume an active role in preserving this precious resource. They are mastering new skills, gaining awareness of natural resource issues and enjoying time outdoors. Certified students will be able to check out our chemistry testing kit and adopt a testing site. They will work in pairs to gather and report data from local streams and rivers. This certification will help us meet our goals of becoming involved in citizen science initiatives and making a difference in our community.
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Stream Biomonitoring in Bankhead National Forest

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Today, we loaded up the nets and microscopes and carried them down to Caney Creek Falls in Bankhead National Forest. The students have already learned about stream bio monitoring in the classroom, but today they learned to use the equipment in the stream. We sorted our findings into 3 groups of macro invertebrates: *Group 1 critters are super sensitive to pollution *Group 2 critters live in a wide range of conditions *Group 3 critters can survive very polluted water This field study was the second part of Alabama Water Watch training. The students have already completed their water chemistry monitoring certifications. Ardmore and Clements students are involved in this program that is offered through 4-H. Our chemistry testing kit and transportation for the trip has been provided by a grant from PPG. To see more about this project, check out this article in Athens News Courier.
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