Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo credit: Dystops photostream on flickr.

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama is currently 2,997 acres. I’m a big advocate for land preservation and am very happy to hear that this refuge could expand to eventually more than 200,000 acres - that’s 312 square miles!

A proposal (once on page, scroll down) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would allow the federal government to buy land from willing sellers along the river corridor. National Wildlife Refuges are important for preserving wildlife and conserving land.

Learn More
“Big plan for Cahaba River: U.S. refuge could grow to more than 200,000 acres“.
General location map.

History
Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2002. It’s home to five federally listed species including Cahaba shiner, goldline darter, round rocksnail, and cylindrical lioplax snail.

The Cahaba River is 200 miles long and is Alabama’s largest river. The largest known stand of the imperiled shoals lily (Cahaba lily) can be found at the Refuge. There’s even an annual Cahaba Lily Festival.

Quick Facts
Quick Facts: Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge (PDF)

Friends Group
Friends of the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge

Photo credit Dystops photostream on flickr.

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Students from Spring Mills Elementary School in Highland, Michigan screened our new movie, First Snow in the Woods: The Movie. Spring Mills Elementary School is part of the Huron Valley School District.

I took some quick video with my small pocket sized Flip video camera. Watch the video to see the children’s reaction to First Snow in the Woods: The Movie.

We want to thank the wonderful staff, including Media Tech-Librarian Mrs. Phyllis Brantingham, teacher Mrs. Sheryl McGraw, and Ms. Jenny Rayner, and the talented students at Spring Mills Elementary School for their very helpful comments and insight and for welcoming us into their school.

First Snow in the Woods: The Movie will be available in early fall. Clink here to watch the trailer for First Snow in the Woods: The Movie.

Keep posted. More video clips from Mrs. McGraw’s class will follow.

Share This Video
Share this video with your friends by clicking on the “Share/Save” button below. Please feel free to comment too!

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At Carl R. Sams II Photography, Inc. we are concerned about wildlife, including black bears. Under the direction of Lynn Rogers, the Wildlife Research Institute has been conducting black bear research for over 40 years.

Do you want to see how a black bear travels through her territory? This enlightening video shows Lily the black bear traveling her territory and intently sniffing trees, branches, bedsites, and other bears’ scats. At one point she paused to feed a bit on water parsnip roots.

View more videos of Lily the black bear.

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Coyote photo by Carl R. Sams II

A massive urban wildlife study of the Chicago region will be launched by scientists at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I found this timely as just this morning my next door neighbors live trapped a woodchuck that’s been eating their flowers and scaring their cat.

About the Massive Urban Wildlife Study
After reading the article “Scientists to Launch Massive Urban Wildlife Study” on WBEZ.org Chicago Public Radio, I learned that researchers are putting cameras at more than 100 sites in the Chicago region. The idea is to track how and where animals move in urban areas, and use this data to influence city planning.

It sounds good to me and sounds great for the preservation of urban wildlife.

Learn more about the massive urban wildlife study.

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Coyote photo by Carl R. Sams II

I read the article, “Pentagon Making Room for Wildlife at Military Bases“, today in The New York Times.

The article points out that as residential development encroaches upon military bases, the Pentagon finds itself in the precarious position of managing habitat and preserving wildlife.

“The military has a tremendous interest in keeping candidate species off the list and helping endangered species recover and get taken off the list,” said Bob Barnes, the nonprofit Nature Conservancy’s DOD (Department of Defense) liaison. The presence of listed species, he said, restricts what the military can do on its land.

It sounds like a beneficial program for natural areas and wildlife.

Learn more.

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Wildlife like the Lynx may someday benefit from bridges for wildlife. Photo by Carl R. Sams II

Interested in preserving wildlife?

Enter a design competition to help save animals crossing Interstate 70 on Vail Pass in Colorado. 

According to the article “Can you design a bridge for wildlife on Vail Pass?” in the Vail Daily,  a group of conservationists is trying to build momentum behind the idea of a wildlife crossing bridge at west Vail Pass. The idea is that it could make crossing safer for both people and animals.

According to the article, the area is one of the five most endangered wildlife linkages along the spine of the entire continent.

Learn more

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