Kids learning how to fish in the Alabama Nature Center’s catfish
pond during a school field trip. (Photo: Anietra Hamper)
Fishing and Hunting Heritage Preserved Through the Alabama Wildlife Federation
by Anietra Hamper
The heritage of Elmore County in central Alabama is deeply rooted in fishing and hunting, traditions that remain as vital today as they were centuries ago. At the heart of protecting that heritage is the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring these values are passed down for generations to come.
“We’re celebrating our 90th anniversary this year. We’re the oldest and largest citizens conservation organization here in Alabama and we’re a private non-profit entity,” said Tim Gothard, Executive Director, AWF. “At our Alabama Nature Center facility, we teach youth and adults about how to strike the balance between use, management and protection of our wildlife and related natural resources.”
The AWF was founded in 1935 by a group of avid sportsmen to preserve the wildlife and natural resources of the region and provide opportunities for future generations to enjoy and protect it. One of the ways it is doing this is through the Alabama Nature Center and the hands-on programs that it offers to public visitors and to local school children.
An Outdoor Sanctuary
The Alabama Nature Center sits on the Lanark Estate in Millbrook. Just minutes from town, the 420-acre property immerses visitors in forests, fields, streams, ponds, and wetlands that feel a world away from city life. It’s an outdoor classroom designed to inspire learning about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of the region.
“It’s kind of like an island if you will, in and around urban and suburban development and it’s a great asset to the community. It’s a great asset to the state and allows us to do exactly what our mission is and that’s to promote the balance between use management and protection of our natural resources,” said Gothard.
A five-mile network of boardwalks and walking trails weaves through the grounds, giving visitors a front-row seat to nature’s seasonal changes. Among the most popular stops is the bird blind, where guests can quietly observe and record their sightings.
“A lot of people come from out of town and it’s a quiet place to sit,” said Tanner Hicks, Community Relations & Development Coordinator. “In the logbook people can write down the date they were here and make notes about the bird species they’ve seen, where they saw them, what they were doing so others know what’s been here and know what to look for.”
The campus also includes the 25,000-square-foot NaturePlex education center, a hands-on Discovery Hall with interactive displays, outdoor classrooms, and a theater. School field trips, homeschool groups, day camps, and public programs all take advantage of these facilities, each designed to help people connect with nature—whether by handling animals, exploring creek beds, or engaging with interactive exhibits.
“When we have planned programs where somebody is leading the education program if it is going on that day, you can take advantage of it. Our hands-on Discovery Hall, our theater and our trails are designed to be education opportunities, but you can learn in that process on your own,” said Gothard.
Introducing Kids to Nature
Perhaps the most lasting impact of the Alabama Nature Center is how it introduces children to the outdoors—often for the very first time. For many young visitors, it’s their first time hiking through the woods, wading into a creek, or listening to the calls of native birds overhead.
“What we provide for them at the Alabama Nature Center is an opportunity to be hands-on in the outdoors and not just study from afar. Even things they can study in a classroom from a textbook, we provide an opportunity for them to touch and feel and see and hear the things. We want them to engage in a way that they typically don’t have the opportunity to do,” said Hicks.
Some of the popular hands-on activities include wildlife education programs with some of the 80 animals on-site and learning how to fish in the catfish pond as part of the Lanark Field Days Field Trips.
“Most of these kids have probably never held a fishing pole in their life, never caught a fish, never held a fish, never touched a fish. This is just one opportunity that we provide at the catfish pond, sometimes we have them with their shoes off catching tadpoles or looking for aquatic life along the edges,” said Hicks.
This introduction to nature often leads to a continued interest for children to unplug from technology and seek out activities like fishing, looking for frogs and hiking.
Preservation for Future Generations
The educational drive of the AWF pays homage to the organization’s founders, the local landowners. These foundational stewards of the organization relied on a balance of harvesting natural resources for survival while also protecting them through regulation and choices to ensure ample game and fish populations exist for generations to come. The opportunities that exist for new-to-nature visitors and those who already love the outdoors develop a future for these values that are central to the region.
“It helps develop the next generation having that understanding of natural resources, how they fit with our social and economic well-being in the state, and it positions them to be the next group of conservation leaders here in Alabama,” said Gothard.
The community engagement in this effort makes a difference too. The 15 annual Wild Game Cook-Offs hosted by the AWF showcase how responsible hunters and anglers utilize their game and fish while giving local chefs bragging rights in the community. It’s also a fundraiser for continued conservation efforts.
These preservation efforts that started with the Alabama Nature Center are now expanding beyond Elmore County. The center spearheads statewide initiatives on oyster restoration and there are plans to expand the facility into southern Alabama.
Anietra Hamper is a career television news anchor and investigative journalist who turned award-winning outdoor writer specializing in fishing and outdoor adventure. Anietra travels the world fishing for a wide variety of species in new destinations.
