A fundraising effort is underway to support plans to renovate, modernize and expand a key portion of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), Alabama’s primary marine education and research center for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students across the state. The DISL, in conjunction with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, launched last month a capital fundraising campaign called […]

The M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area (FWFTA) in Hale County, Alabama, will host a series of deer hunts for hunters with physical disabilities from late November 2021 through January 2022. To register for the hunts, call (334) 289-8030 starting October 1, 2021. “Access to outdoor activities such as hunting should be available […]

Kyle Davis swung the big fish into his 21-foot boat during the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo this summer and let it flop on the deck for a minute, never considering what he had just landed. The Irvington resident just thought the fish, a little tunny more commonly known as a bonito, would make some […]

At first glance, Alabama, New Zealand, and Australia have little in common. They’re separated by thousands of miles and centuries of culture. However, despite their distance and dissimilarities, all three locations are connected by one thing: glow worms. Once darkness descends, a strange and extremely rare phenomenon occurs in North Alabama (as well as in […]

Alabama Power is extending the summer pool on Lake Martin into the fall, giving residents more opportunities for boating and recreation on the lake. In a normal year, the water level at Lake Martin begins to lower around Sept. 1, achieving winter pool levels near mid-November. The lower water level allows the reservoir to capture and store […]

Seven projects supporting the important longleaf pine ecosystem in Alabama will benefit from new grants provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The grants will provide support to several nonprofits working in Alabama to improve existing longleaf pine forests and create longleaf habitat in the state. Alabama Power and its parent company, Southern Company, are […]

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) State Lands Division announces the youth deer and duck hunt schedules for the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area (FWFTA) in Hale County. The hunts will take place late November 2021 through January 2022. Registration will open September 14 and run until November 1. […]

The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s Law Enforcement Section K-9 Unit has integrated the latest technology in its quest to track down poachers and those attempting to flee from law enforcement as well as missing persons. In a training session held recently in Baldwin County, the WFF K-9 unit and other WFF Conservation […]

Less than a year after work on the Great Red Snapper Count, which changed the way scientists estimate fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Sean Powers of the University of South Alabama is leading a “Dream Team” of researchers in an $11.7 million study of the greater amberjack species. The Greater Amberjack Research […]

To say the Auburn University Bass Fishing Team had a big weekend at nationals would be an understatement. Just days after the talented tandem of Logan Parks and Tucker Smith won the title of Carhartt Bassmaster College Series 2021 Team of the Year, four other Auburn anglers made a big splash at the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by […]

Beginning on Monday, August 30, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division will offer a one-click solution for those who want to hunt feral swine at night. The new law that allows nighttime hunting of feral swine and coyotes went into effect on July 1, 2021. When the 2021-2022 licenses become available Monday, hunters […]

Qualifying 11 two-man teams to compete in the College B.A.S.S. National Championship is no small feat, but that’s exactly what the Auburn University Bass Fishing team accomplished this season. It was the latest in a long line of achievements for the team in the past year. The 22 Tigers competing this week on the St. Lawrence River in New […]

A place to enjoy a quality dove hunt is a valuable commodity in Alabama. Finding a place to hunt doves is becoming increasingly more difficult, but the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division is working to increase access, especially near population centers. WFF looked at the opportunities it provides for dove hunting on public […]

Alabama’s sandhill crane season returns for 2021-2022 with 400 permit holders having the opportunity to hunt sandhill cranes in north Alabama. Registration for the permits opens on September 8, 2021. The 2021-2022 season is split in two segments. The first segment runs from December 3 to January 9. The second segment runs from January 17-31. […]

Brian Rushing knows a good business plan when he sees it. As director of Economic Development Initiatives for the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development (UACED), Rushing’s responsibilities include assisting the Alabama Trails Commission (ATC) with promoting, developing and facilitating a statewide trail system. Rushing says the math makes the sell easy. “They are a real good investment,” […]

Already the largest in the nation if not the world, Alabama’s artificial reef zones recently got even larger with the addition of 110 square miles of Gulf of Mexico bottom. As part of an overall $8.135 million expansion of the Alabama Artificial Reef Program, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division […]

Each month, Dr. John Lehrter and his South graduate students collect water samples throughout Mobile Bay. They test for temperature, pH, salinity and oxygen levels. They look for changes or patterns that might indicate environmental stresses such as hypoxia, acidification and global warming. “We’ve had lots of rainfall this year,” said Lehrter, a professor in […]

A national championship in any endeavor is to be celebrated to the fullest. That’s what Alabama Governor Kay Ivey did recently when she unveiled a proclamation recognizing the accomplishments of the University of Montevallo (UM) bass fishing team at Beeswax Landing on Lay Lake. As part of the Montevallo President’s Outdoor Scholars Program, the 52 […]

Birders from across the region are converging this weekend in west Alabama for the return of the Black Belt Birding Festival – back after a year’s hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pent-up demand from birders is obvious – the festival is a sellout – but don’t despair. There are free events, open to […]

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) provides several youth dove hunt opportunities throughout the state each fall. A simple hunting setup combined with a fun, family-friendly atmosphere makes WFF’s youth dove hunts an ideal way to introduce young people to the outdoors. Registration for this […]

The summer months are the perfect time of year to get out and appreciate the beauty of Alabama’s lakes and rivers. With 65 public-use spaces across 12 reservoirs, Alabama Power’s Preserves offer the chance for everyone to enjoy a day in the great outdoors. The Preserves are protected lands around Alabama Power lakes created to enhance natural resources and […]

In May, an alligator was struck by a train on Kauloosa Avenue in Tuscaloosa, and in June another gator was hit by a car on the same road. In the past few years, there have been several reported gator sightings at Lake Tuscaloosa and at Van de Graaff Park. Should alligators now be expected as a common part of the Tuscaloosa wildlife […]

MONTGOMERY — Set the hook and snap a pic to enter the Alabama Black Belt Adventure Association’s (ALBBAA) 2021 Best Fish Photo Contest. New this year, participants in the contest must take a first-timer or beginner angler along for their adventure. Participants are encouraged to help mentor these new anglers and share their experiences of […]

The waters of Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico are teeming with fish of all shapes and sizes. The amazing colors in God’s palette lend themselves to adorn the beautiful fish we all love to reel in and admire — and eat! There’s a catch when it comes to your catches though: If it’s not […]