Wildlife and Conservation News | April 2020

Red Hills salamander photo by Dan Brothers

Securing Habitat the Red Hills Salamander

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently awarded Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division nearly $9 million in land conservation grants to assist with the purchase of two land tracts that encompass critical habitat for the federally threatened red hills salamander. Funding for the grants was authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act. In total 4,911 acres of critical red hills salamander habitat in Monroe County, Alabama will be purchased with these grant funds and additional funds provided by The Forever Wild Land Trust. The land acquisitions offer habitat protection in areas where red hills salamanders, an endemic species found only in Alabama, live. The land purchase will not only benefit red hills salamander but will also provide outdoor recreation opportunities .

Find more information about the purchase of these tracts and red hills salamanders on the Outdoor Alabama website.

A pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks at a backyard feeder

Backyard Birding Adventures!

Many parents are looking for activities to entertain their children during the current Shelter-in-Place directives. One great way to entertain your kids is to go on a backyard adventure! Take the kids outside and see what birds you can find in your very own yard. Backyard birdwatching is a great way to teach kids about the different species that can be found in Alabama and how to identify them. Springtime is a great time to catch migrant species as they travel through Alabama to their breeding grounds. Have your kids make a list of the different species they see. Birdwatching is also a great way to practice their math skills! Have your kids count the number times they see each different species and turn that into a graph to see which birds are seen more often in the yard. For art class, have your kids draw their favorite bird that they have seen and share their drawing on our Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Facebook page. We would love to see their favorites!

If you need help identifying species while on your adventure head over to our Watchable Wildlife page for assistance.

Planting Clover: The Inside Scoop

Perennial clover fields are highly preferred forage for a variety of game and non-game species. White-tailed deer, eastern wild turkey, grassland birds, small mammals, and pollinators such as honeybees, all benefit from clover stands. Clovers are a high source of protein that provide an important food source for bucks and does during peak antler growth and gestation. Turkey, and other birds such as eastern meadowlarks, and even small mammals will often use clover fields for vegetative cover from predators, nesting, as well as feed on insects that find a home within. In addition to providing a palatable nutrition source for wildlife, clovers are legumes that add nitrogen back to the soil for other plants to utilize as well.

When establishing perennial clover stands, it is common practice to establish a cover crop during the first year of planting a stand. Planting a cover crop adds diversity to a stand during the first winter, a time when most clover varieties are establishing their root systems below, before promoting stolen or stem growth above ground. Cover crops can also provide a supplemental source of grain forage that wildlife can utilize, while easing pressure for the establishing clover. The most common cover crops planted with clover include winter grasses such as cereal rye, wheat or oats. However, these winter grasses can quickly tower above the clover in spring, adding unnecessary competition at a time when clover should be receiving optimal sun light. Removing these grasses in March and April using selective herbicides or by mowing can remove this competition, aid in clover establishment, promote more stolon growth, and provide a more vigorous and healthier stand. Maintenance of clover fields during establishment years will increase success and longevity of a stand. A well-maintained clover stand may last over 5 years as long as grasses and other competitors are kept to a minimum, providing a multitude of benefits to wildlife well into the future.

Contact your local WFF District Office to speak with the WFF Technical Assistance Biologist in your area if you are in need of additional guidance on managing your property.

Indiana Bats discovered in the crevices of the cave walls

A New Indiana Bat Hibernaculum Discovered

The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (AWFFD) has discovered a new Indiana Bat hibernaculum in central Alabama. AWFFD was assisted by The US Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Solutions and Innovations, and the Southeastern Cave Conservancy in this discovery. Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) are a federally endangered species and exceedingly rare in Alabama. This is now one of only four active Indiana bat hibernacula known in the state and the cave becomes the southernmost known hibernaculum for the species throughout its entire range.

The numbers of Indiana bats in Alabama caves are small, less than 50 individuals each, as Alabama is on the periphery of the species’ range. In the core of the bat’s range (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri) numbers at hibernacula can be many thousands. Still, these Alabama bats represent an opportunity to learn more about the species in the southernmost portion of their range. Since they live in forests different from those to the north, they may have different preferences for where to forage and roost. The timing of their breeding biology may be advanced in the warmer climate of Alabama. What we have observed through previous research suggests they awake from hibernation and depart on their spring migration earlier than their northern relatives. This has important implications for conservation of the species.

To learn more about Indiana bats in Alabama check out our Watchable Wildlife website.

Chinese tallow tree, an invasive plant found in Alabama

Native, Non-native, or Invasive?

Conservationist, land managers, and nature enthusiast often use the terms native, non-native, or invasive when describing a species of animal or plant. These terms describe the origin of the species and if it has a positive or negative effect. Native is defined as species that has historically and naturally been in an area without the intervention or movement of humans. Alabama is home to thousands of native species, including white oaks, longleaf pine, pileated woodpeckers, barred owls, cottontails, and much more. Non-native species are those introduced to other places outside their historical or natural past. Non-natives have a neutral effect and sometimes positive effect, but not a negative effect on the environment. Some common, non-native species of Alabama are the nutria, house mouse, Japanese maple, mimosa, chinaberry, and more. These species historically and naturally did not exist in Alabama but now are common. Human involvement is the most common way a species of animal or plant is moved or transferred to an area it did not historically exist. Invasive species are non-native species that cause harm to the ecosystem it is in. Feral hogs are a prime example of an invasive species. Historically feral hogs were not present in Alabama, or surrounding states. Due to intentional introductions by humans, feral hogs are now present in every county in Alabama and cause major problems to our ecosystems and the public. Tallow tree or Popcorn tree is an invasive tree species that grows at an exponential rate, in a short period of time this invasive can smother out natives and take over areas. Control of the invasive species mentioned and others including Japanese climbing fern, Kudzu, Privet, and more, will differ.

If you are interested in controlling invasives or promoting our native species of Alabama contact your local WFF District Office to talk to the WFF Technical Assistance Biologist in your area.