PROJECT ABSTRACT:

The Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF), through the Native Grassland Establishment and Capacity Building project, provides technical assistance, outreach, and educational information to landowners, natural resource professionals, and contractors to establish or enhance native grassland habitat throughout Alabama.  The project is very important as it provides strong support for multiple state and regional conservation plans, including the Alabama State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), East Gulf Coastal Plain Joint Venture (EGCPJV), America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI), and National Bobwhite & Grassland Initiative (NBGI).  AWF focuses on private lands that are located in the high and medium priority areas of the NBGI Bird Conservation Regions 27, 28, and 29; Upland- and Pine-Hardwood Communities, Pine-Dominated Communities, and Eastern Interior Grassland Communities identified by the EGCPJV for bird conservation; and Glades and Prairies, Anthropogenic Habitats, and Dry Longleaf Pine Forests of Alabama’s SWAP.      

PRIMARY ACTIVITIES:

• Provide technical assistance to landowners, contractors, and natural resource professionals to artificially (i.e. plant) establish native plant species.
• Provide technical assistance to landowners, contractors, and natural resource professionals to convert exotic grass fields to native plant communities.
• Provide technical assistance to landowners, contractors, and natural resource professionals to restore Black Belt prairies.
• Provide technical assistance to landowners, contractors, and natural resource professionals to naturally establish grassland habitat in forest communities, including upland hardwoods and longleaf pine.
• Write and disseminate information regarding the ecological value of native grasslands.
• Conduct and participate in field days and seminars to demonstrate native grassland establishment, enhancement, and maintenance practices.
• Collaborate with project partners to increase native grasslands beneficial to grassland-dependent wildlife.

FUNDING:

This project is funded, in part, through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Project Contact Information

Mr. Claude L. Jenkins, Resource Stewardship Biologist

Alabama Wildlife Federation, 3050 Lanark Road, Millbrook, AL 36054

Phone: 334.399.7694 Email: cjenkins@alabamawildlife.org

PARTNERS

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Southern Company, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service