“To protect, conserve and re-establish the Southeastern United States diminishing wildlife and their habitats”
a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Sponsors / Partners
Spanish Fort Elementary Outdoor Environmental Classroom
The Southeastern Wildlife Conservation Group is developed an outdoor environmental
classroom at Spanish Fort Elementary designed to enhance the students education and
understanding of Alabama’s coastal environments and the significant obstacles they
face today. Through the knowledge of local habitats, the wildlife that calls them
home and of their vital importance to the citizens of the Alabama Gulf Coast, we
can help start out the next generation of coastal stewards on the right foot in protecting
one of our greatest resources.
Over the past year, the Southeastern Wildlife Conservation
Group has been steadily creating representative displays on campus at Spanish Fort
Elementary identifying several local ecosystems important to Alabama’s wildlife as
well as that of the citizens of coastal Alabama. Currently constructed are representations
of Alabama’s Coastal Sand Dune habitat and that of Alabama’s Coastal Wetlands.
The outdoor classroom is considered to be a continuous work in progress and will
be regularly updated and expanded to add more for the students education and enjoyment.
The current wetland representation contains a small pond feature with a walking trail
surrounding it for the easy access of all students to view the feature which includes
native plant species, mosquito fish, bluegill, tadpoles and other local wild creatures
that have already found their way into the water feature. Still more has to be done.
The wetland feature itself will be improved over the school year with the help of the students who will assist in the planting of native plant species around the classroom area giving them a hands on activity to be involved in their classrooms construction and to take pride in working hard for future students improved environmental education. In addition, the students will be designing and painting two separate rain barrels with a nature theme which will be placed at strategic locations within the classroom. These rain barrels will help irrigate the plants in the displays using rain collected water identifying to the children the importance of water conservation. The children will also be involved in the maintenance and up keep of the outdoor classroom.
Alabama Beach Mouse Habitat Restoration
In the early Spring of each year, Project Jubilee Students travel to the Bon Secour
National Wildlife Refuge in Gulf Shores, AL where they have the unique opportunity
to plant sea oats and other native dune ground covers and grasses to help rebuild
the rapidly vanishing sand dune habitat which so many coastal animal species depend
upon. The animals dependent on this habitat include but not limited to the endangered
Alabama Beach Mouse, endangered sea turtles and migratory bird species. In addition
to the beneficial direct habitat restoration outcomes, this hands on conservation
effort will give the children ownership in helping their local environments being
a part of the solution and not the problem.
Water Analysis and Weather Monitoring
The
SWCG has purchased through donations from LuLu’s at Homeport Marina a weather station
that is being installed at the school which will be used by the students to perform
data collection (temperature, rainfall, barometric pressure, humidity) and use it
in conjunction with their studies as a hands on activity in scientific analysis.
Additionally, the SWCG will provide basic water analytical equipment to the school
for the students to check the water quality of their pond in the wetland representation.
These activities will promote scientific thinking and bring awareness to both weather
and environmental conditions that affect our daily lives along the Gulf Coast.
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