If you have an Alabama saltwater fishing license or are on the saltwater registry, don’t be surprised if you get a call with a caller ID of the University of South Alabama (USA) or Alabama Creel, AL Creel for short. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) has partnered […]

The Alabama Legislature gave final passage Tuesday to HB181, legislation banning the dumping of dredged sediment in Mobile Bay. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) and State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise), prohibits the practice known as “mud dumping,” in which sediment from shipping channel dredging is sprayed into the bay. Environmentalists say […]

The Alabama Rural Roadmap Initiative was created during the 2025 legislative session to develop a coordinated plan for revitalizing the state’s rural communities. Operating under the Alabama Growth Alliance, a public-private partnership established by the Legislature. At Yellowhammer News’ annual Legislative Preview event last week, Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) outlined what rural […]

Alabama State Parks has developed a new program that encourages youngsters to join in the fun the State Parks System provides by becoming Junior Park Rangers. The program is open to children of all ages, with activities designed especially for ages 5-12. Participation is free. Families, school groups and youth organizations are all welcome to […]

The Alabama Trails Foundation, in partnership with Alabama Power, announced the installation of a commemorative Year of Alabama Trails sign at Ten Islands Historical Park in St. Clair County. The signage focuses on the statewide effort to highlight Alabama’s diverse outdoor recreation landscapes. The new signage serves as another invitation for residents and visitors to explore the natural beauty and historical […]

If you’ve lived in Alabama long enough, you know the routine. A forecast hints at snow or ice, and suddenly milk, bread and eggs become rare commodities. Group texts light up, social media fills with screenshots of weather models and everyone starts asking the same question: Is this the big one? But as humans brace […]

Two saltwater species with little research data will now be the focus of a $5 million study that will encompass all five Gulf states. Dr. Sean Powers of the University of South Alabama (USA) will lead a team to study cobia, a species that had great popularity among anglers several decades ago, and tripletail, a […]

Alabama is used to having visitors to its Gulf. This visitor is unusual. “Ernst,” a 1,000-pound sub-adult female great white shark, has pinged on its tracking device in Alabama’s Gulf waters since January 11. The 12-foot female shark had pinged four miles southeast of Dauphin Island, south of Fort Morgan in Baldwin County. It continues […]

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program has selected longtime staff member Jason Kudulis to serve as its next director following a national search. Kudulis, who has spent the past decade with the organization and most recently served as deputy director, will officially assume the role on Feb. 1. “Having worked with Jason for many years, […]

One of the aspects of hunting that intrigues people who have little or no experience in the field is the ability to harvest their own organic protein, especially white-tailed deer. One of Justin Grider’s passions is to educate on how to take wild game from field to table and prepare a variety of dishes from […]

Two Alabama lawmakers are teaming up to lessen the amount of mud spewed into Mobile Bay by ship channel dredging from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise) and State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) will hold a press conference at the Fairhope Municipal Pier today to announce the legislation. The bill […]

A new Alabama-based representative for the Tennessee RiverLine is set to strengthen local partnerships and expand access to outdoor recreation along the Tennessee River, including in Decatur and across North Alabama. Decatur Morgan County Tourism recently announced that TJ Johnson has joined the Tennessee RiverLine team as its Alabama-based program manager. The position is focused […]

As one of the first people to experience Alabama’s incredible diversity of landscapes and wildlife, 18th century explorer William Bartram traversed much of central and south Alabama during a three-year period of exploration from 1775-1778. He extensively documented the plants, animals and native tribes in what is now the Southeast U.S. To commemorate that period of […]

Named after a famous 1940s Bullock County moonshiner who eventually served an 18-month federal prison sentence at Maxwell Air Force Base for producing illegal liquor, the Clyde May’s whiskey company was founded in Union Springs in 2001 by the bootlegger’s son, Kenny May. Though the whiskey it produced was actually distilled in Kentucky, it was […]

The new Blankenship Event Center was unveiled with an unexpected honor during a ribbon-cutting at the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area in Hale County. The 5,000-square-foot facility was named for Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship and his wife, Allyson—a surprise that left the couple visibly moved. The center sits on ADCNR […]

Kick off 2026 with fresh air and a sense of adventure while enjoying some of Alabama’s most scenic views by participating in a First Day Hike at an Alabama State Park. Alabama State Parks will again offer First Day Hikes on Jan. 1, giving everyone the chance to explore Alabama’s breathtaking natural landscapes with guided hikes at more than […]

The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) will close the state’s 2025 private angler red snapper fishing season at midnight on Wednesday, December 31. Alabama’s 2025 federal allocation of red snapper was 664,552 pounds. “This was the first year under state management that we opened the red snapper […]

Many folks think that Christmas trees cannot be grown in Alabama, that it takes the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Northern Georgia. Well, here is my story of growing one of Alabama’s early Christmas tree farms — the Zeigler Christmas Tree Farm outside of Sylacauga. My father, Bloise Zeigler, was raised on an 80-acre […]

Christmas at the Falls is underway at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, illuminating one of North Alabama’s most popular outdoor destinations with millions of Christmas lights, festive displays, and family-friendly attractions. The seasonal event runs through Jan. 3, 2026, with the park closed on Dec. 24 and 25. Guests may enter during their selected time […]

The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has announced that, pursuant to state law, all public water bottoms will close to the harvest of oysters at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Alabama’s public oyster reefs opened for harvest on October 6, 2025, and will close […]

Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham has been recognized nationally for its performance and service, earning the “Troon Golf Facility of the Year – East” award at the 2025 Troon Global Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference, held November 18–20, brought together more than 520 Troon associates, including managers from 209 affiliated facilities. A […]

Alabama is blessed with an abundant white-tailed deer herd of more than a million animals, and hunters can share that blessing with people who need nutritious protein through the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) program. With the change in the hunting regulations approved by the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board, the Alabama Department of Conservation and […]

Accessibility is a key initiative spreading throughout the region with a focus on the outdoors at Alabama State Parks, where a recent donation expanded the possibilities for those with physical challenges. A TerrainHopper was donated by the Alabama Mountain Lake Tourist Association (AMLA) to Joe Wheeler State Park in northwest Alabama and is designed to […]

An overflow crowd is expected to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Eagle Awareness Weekends at Lake Guntersville State Park in January, and no one will be more excited about this achievement than Linda Reynolds and Renee Raney. Reynolds was the first naturalist at Lake Guntersville State Park and a trailblazer who, with the help of volunteers, […]