NAUVOO - The Camp McDowell Farm School recently purchased a new tractor to replace one the camp has been using since at least 1987 using a $30,000 grant from the Alabama Association of Research, Conservation and Development Councils (AARCDC).
"We are funded by the state legislature," explained Mary Kendall Dixon, AARCDC's communications specialist. "There are nine local RC&D councils and our state office, so we split that money among all ten councils. To apply for a state grant, your project has to affect three or more council areas."
A big brown bat caught during the 2022 Bat Blitz. While bigger than other area cave bats, it is tiny at less than two inches long.
CAMP MCDOWELL - Last week, the bats of the Bankhead National Forest had their moment in the sun—or rather, the moonlight.
Nearly a hundred bat experts and others from at least ten states, plus Norway, converged at Camp McDowell for the 2022 Bat Blitz, an intensive survey of the bat population. Bat Blitzes are organized every year by the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN) and a state group, in this case, the Alabama Bat Working Group (ABWG).
The Alabama Bat Working Group’s Education Committee will hold a Bat Blitz educational event for the public on Monday, August 1, 3-6 p.m., at Randall Commons in Camp McDowell. Attendees will learn more about bats and their importance to the ecosystem, have the chance to see live bats up close and be able to participate in hands-on activities. Children are especially encouraged to attend. There is no entrance fee and no need to register in advance. The public is invited to drop in at any time during the event.
The Magnolia School at Camp McDowell: back row, from left are Jess Lingle, child care assistant; Chase; Isaac and Julie Camp, director. Front row, Ashtin; Alex; Jami; Annie Emerson, Magnolia Nature School teacher and Betsy.
