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Habitat Restoration at Audubon-Datnow Forest Preserve, W. E. Putnam Middle School
November 13, 2021 , 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Pre-registration is requested for planning purposes by 12 p.m. CST on Friday, November 12th.
Registration is now closed.
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Join Alabama Audubon for a day of outdoor work and service at the Audubon-Datnow Forest Preserve at Birmingham’s W.E. Putnam Middle School (1757 Montclair Road). With an abundance of mature pines, understory natives, and large oaks, Putnam’s ten acres represent much-needed urban habitat for red-tailed hawks, yellow-rumped warblers, and climate-endangered brown-headed nuthatches, and an ideal on-site outdoor classroom for students. In fall 2019 we established a large prairie/meadow area with many native plant species, in 2020 we added a split-rail fence to enclose the meadow, and in April 2021 we added two chimney swift towers. Together, we’ll continue to make that habitat even better by planting more native plants in the prairie/meadow and removing invasive plant species (e.g. Chinese privet, sacred bamboo/Nandina, English ivy) from the property.
The details: Meetup is at 9 a.m. in the school’s side parking lot off Briar Meadow Rd. If we aren’t in the parking lot when you get there, walk around the back of the school and meet us in the Jones Valley Teaching Farm area. We will be back there working at the meadow beside the swift towers. All are welcome! Feel free to come and go as your time allows.
If you have a drain (sharpshooter) spade, pruning shears, pruning saws, or loppers, please consider bringing them along; you’ll also want work gloves, although we’ll have extra pairs on hand. Long pants and sleeves are recommended due to poison ivy.
Trip leader: Alabama Audubon’s own Chris Oberholster leads this volunteer event. His cell is 205-966-1547 (day of event only, please). If you have questions, please email us. In the event of inclement weather, feel free to contact the trip leader the morning of the event.
Want to join our Habitat Volunteer Corps? Visit alaudubon.org/volunteer for more info and to sign up to help us maintain the Audubon-Datnow Forest Preserve throughout the year! Learn more about our ongoing work at Putnam here.
If you or your organization require proof of community service hours, please email us prior to the event for documentation.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Through more than seventy-five years of conservation work in one of our nation’s most ecologically rich states, Alabama Audubon has seen firsthand how diversity strengthens natural communities. We believe that the same principle applies to human communities, which is why our organization is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all Alabamians to learn about and enjoy wild birds, their habitats, and the natural world. One of the best ways to support that belief is by valuing and actively seeking to strengthen diversity among our staff, our board, and our membership. To that end, Alabama Audubon welcomes the whole of our community to our work, and strives to make our programs, classes, and events open and accessible to all.