From the ever-expanding Red Rock Trail System to protecting the habitat of the endangered vermilion darter on Turkey Creek, the Freshwater Land Trust both cares and caretakes. “We own and manage 7,000 acres of Alabama land,” Executive Director Rusha Smith said. “We visit that land on a regular basis to ensure nothing negative is affecting the water species, the flora, fauna […]

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) has developed a smart growth plan that communities can use to prevent erosion and protect watersheds. The plan is based on MBNEP’s successful restoration and conservation efforts at Joe’s Branch in Baldwin County. Joe’s Branch is a tributary to D’Olive Creek. The area was recently removed from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s […]

Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Director Chuck Sykes wants to make sure dove hunters are not caught flat-footed this September when the season opens earlier than usual. The North Zone dove season will open on Labor Day weekend this year, a week earlier than most people are accustomed to. Sykes wants to get the […]

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (ADSFR), the largest saltwater tournament in the nation, will revert to its roots for the 87th rodeo, scheduled July 17-19 at the rodeo site on Dauphin Island. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the ADSFR will concentrate strictly on the great fishing along the Alabama Gulf Coast, which harkens back […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in many changes that require us all to adjust. Phrases like “self-quarantine” and “social distancing,” which were rarely used or completely unheard of several months ago, are now a part of our daily vocabulary. As we adjust to this “new normal,” America’s sportsmen and women, a group that I am […]

Keith Gibson has spent a lifetime hunting and fishing. Fishing, for most of his life, was spent in the traditional sense with a pole or rod and some kind of bait. Then he got introduced to noodling. “I tried it, and I will tell you I was a little apprehensive the first time, but once […]

A federally endangered woodpecker is thriving in central Alabama thanks to a partnership between Alabama Power, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR.) The red-cockaded woodpecker is making a slow, but steady comeback in the old longleaf pine forests around Lake Mitchell. Biologists from each organization spend much of their spring and early […]

Lamar Pendergrass believes in the old saying that good things come to those who wait. The timing of the renovations to Gulf State Park Pier is not what was planned, but Pendergrass assures everyone it will be worth the wait. “This is going to be what sets the example for any pier that is built […]

The State of Alabama announced this week that the 2020 red snapper season will close for private anglers on July 3, which is 16 days earlier than planned. The decision to close early was made by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), which has calculated that the state will catch its limit […]

Opening America’s vast federal lands to outdoors recreational activity is the expressed goal of David Bernhardt, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, who visited Alabama’s Gulf Coast this week for a whirlwind tour. Secretary Bernhardt heard a presentation about the mission and work of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) from […]

United States Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt is coming to Alabama on Tuesday for a tour of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on the southern tip of Baldwin County. He will be accompanied by U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope), whose southwest Alabama district includes the refuge. The Department of the Interior says the […]

When the Scoggins brothers accept a challenge, there’s no turning back. The firefighter brothers, Kevin at Hueytown and Steven at Hoover, revert to their roots to decompress from the stressful life as first responders. They find their solace casting flies in the many beautiful streams and creeks that crisscross the state. Native to those drainages […]

While the second weekend of the private recreational red snapper season in Alabama saw near perfect conditions, the opening weekend proved why state management of the red snapper is so important to ensure maximum access to this treasured fishery. Pent-up demand from a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 restrictions, placed the May 22 opening […]

Alabama will celebrate its 15th alligator hunting season in 2020 as a remarkable recovery story continues for the American alligator. Early in the 20th century, alligators in the U.S. had diminished to alarming numbers. Unregulated alligator harvest during this time prompted Alabama to protect the animals in 1938. In 1967 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]

When Garrett Ard started his Eagle Scout project four years ago, the goal was to honor the memory of his late grandfather, Capt. Gloyice Ard, a longtime Gulf Coast charter boat captain. The culmination of all the work involved in such an endeavor recently sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico – in […]

Alabama’s 2020 red snapper season begins Friday, and Yellowhammer News has compiled everything an Alabama angler needs to know. The season will take place each weekend beginning May 22 and concluding July 19. In 2020, for the first time, snapper can be caught on Mondays. The weekends during which snapper can be caught are defined […]

Two Alabama students were each awarded a $5,000 scholarship from B.A.S.S. and Alabama Power, the companies announced. “We are proud to partner with Alabama Power to support students who want to further their education in a trade,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “And, we’re even more pleased to provide additional scholarship opportunities for students.” Alexis Grandstaff of Headland […]

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announces that its freshwater fishing distinctive license plate has been redesigned and is now available through probate offices statewide. The new design replaces the original freshwater fishing license plate (tan background) and features an Alabama bass and white crappie on a blue underwater background. The vehicle tag can be personalized with […]

Those who love to explore nature have another opportunity with the opening of the new trail at Joe Wheeler State Park in northwest Alabama. The name of the new 8-mile pathway is the Awesome Trail, literally. Ken Thomas, Alabama State Parks Trails Coordinator, said naming the trail resulted from a conversation he had with Chad […]

The Alabama wild turkey season, which ended on May 3, will likely have to include an asterisk in the record books for a variety of reasons. Obviously, the COVID-19 restrictions played a role as did a renewed push for successful hunters to report their turkey harvests. Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Director Chuck Sykes […]

After quadruple bypass surgery several days ago, Lenny Hawes is fortunate to be alive. Quick action by the staff at Oak Mountain State Park made it possible for Hawes to get to the hospital for his eventual surgery. Hawes, a park employee, was playing golf on his day off when he was stricken. “Mr. Hawes […]

While I and my family have been blessed during the COVID-19 pandemic with basically no ill effects, the virus robbed me of the chance to say farewell to one of the people most influential in my career covering the outdoors in Alabama. Robert Lee Rivenbark of Fairhope did not succumb to the coronavirus. He lost […]

The red-cockaded woodpecker is making a slow but steady comeback at a site near Lake Mitchell. On a remote hill along the shore of Lake Mitchell, a spring ritual is underway once again. It’s nesting time for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. And this spot, dotted with longleaf pines, is one of a few privately held […]

It’s like a recurring nightmare. Thankfully, that bad dream has only occurred once every 10 years or so. Unfortunately, it’s not a dream. For the charter boat fleet and inshore fishing guides along the Alabama Gulf Coast, the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 virus has caused flashbacks to the spring of 2010 and the Deepwater […]