Artful Alabama: Field Studies in America's Amazon

Ardmore’s Naturalist Studies students have been preparing all year for the field study at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. SDFEC is 5,300 acres of outdoor classroom bordering Conecuh National Forest. The land was donated to Auburn University nearly 40 years ago by Solon and Martha Dixon, an Alabama couple who had a vision of an experiential learning center where students could apply what they are learning in the classroom. Our kids got to spend time learning about the fire-dependent longleaf ecosystem, the history of longleaf in the United States and the plants and animals that live here. They spotted alligators in a blue sinkhole pond, waded in the crystal-clear springs and walked through areas that had recently undergone a prescribed burn. Students got to see several federally endangered species and learn why they are important, how they are being managed and what their habitats are like. Being able to talk to the experts who deal directly with managing these plants and ani...

Ardmore’s Naturalist Studies teens competed this week in the state Envirothon in Columbiana, Alabama. Envirothon is an event where students exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills while creating solutions to complex environmental issues.  Students spend the first day in training sessions with professionals from a variety of environmental fields. These sessions help prepare students for the written tests and allow opportunities for networking. The professionals are on site and available for consultation throughout the event.  After some free time to enjoy 4-H Center activities such as hiking, canoeing and rock wall climbing, it was time to study and gather resources. Students are not allowed access to any electronics while solving the complex issue, so there was a flurry of Googling and note taking for a few hours.   "I need a list of range land grasses in Idaho!"  "I've got that written down here. You look up the environmental agen...

It is a unique experience for students to be able to handle rare or endangered species. Not only are their locations usually kept secret, but it carries a penalty of up to $10,000 and jail time. Fortunately for Ardmore's Naturalist Studies kids, they are protected with the proper permits as they participate in two separate projects: one for Hudson Alpha's Bicentennial Barcoding initiative and one for a university collection. These lucky students got to see and handle some of the really cool plants that they had studied about in preparation for this field study. The students are helping Hudson Alpha with their goal of genetically cataloging Alabama's native plants. Janice Barrett of Wildsouth is our community liaison for the project and accompanied us to various locations throughout Lawrence and Morgan counties. Students collected a small sample of the plant and recorded information such as GPS coordinates, who collected it and the date. The samples will be sent off for ...

Today, Ardmore’s Naturalist Studies program students finished up their 16 hour WFA course with a rescue scenario at Harvest Square Nature Preserve. Priority Medical went all out for this practice exercise, with realistic makeup for the actors and planned equipment failures (such as problems with the short range radios). The students had no idea that some Ardmore teachers were volunteering as victims in the scenario, so when they found Mrs. Tammy Hilliard and Ms. Elizabeth Hilliard wounded from a lightning strike incident, it was a bit shocking. The kids had to stay calm and work through complicated logistical issues while tending to the patients and transporting them to safety. They did a fantastic job working as a team. I would feel safe having these students help me in an emergency! At the end, we went back to the fire station and the students got to experiment with the equipment. They even got a short ride in the fire truck. This was a great learning experience for all involve...