Alabama Wildlife Center facts for kids
The Alabama Wildlife Center is a special place in Pelham, Alabama. It's a wildlife rehabilitation and education center located inside Oak Mountain State Park. This center is the biggest and oldest of its kind in Alabama!
The Alabama Wildlife Center (AWC) works hard to help native wild birds. They rescue, heal, and then release birds back into nature. They care for over 100 different kinds of birds from all over Alabama. Every year, the AWC helps almost 2,000 sick or injured birds. This shows how much they care about protecting Alabama's amazing bird life.
The center also teaches people about nature. Their programs help us understand how important we are to the environment. They show how our actions affect other animals and the world around us. These programs help people in Alabama connect with wild birds. They also teach why it's so important to protect them. Each year, the AWC holds over 500 events to teach about native birds and wildlife conservation.
You can visit the Alabama Wildlife Center any time of year. They offer a self-guided tour where you can learn and explore on your own.
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What the Alabama Wildlife Center Does
The Alabama Wildlife Center is a proud nonprofit organization. This means they are a group that helps others and doesn't make money for themselves. They have two main goals:
- To give medical care and help to injured or orphaned wild birds in Alabama.
- To teach people about Alabama's native wildlife. They want to help everyone appreciate and understand these animals more.
History of the Center
The Alabama Wildlife Center started in 1977. A woman named Anne Miller founded it. Back then, it was a small group run by volunteers from their homes. Since then, the AWC has grown a lot. It is now Alabama's largest wildlife rehabilitation center.
In 1980, the AWC officially became a nonprofit organization in Alabama. By 1981, it was recognized as a 501(c) nonprofit. For many years, the AWC helped over 2,000 animals each year. This included many different types of animals. They cared for mammals like foxes and deer. They also helped reptiles like turtles and alligators. And of course, they helped many kinds of birds, from large raptors to small songbirds.
In 1987, the Alabama Wildlife Center moved to Oak Mountain State Park. They set up their new home in a building that used to be a restaurant. This move was a big step for the center. It helped them do even more to help Alabama's wildlife.
Today, the Alabama Wildlife Center focuses only on native wild birds. They made this change because bird populations face many challenges. The AWC is one of only three places in Alabama licensed to care for special birds. These include birds protected by the government and birds that migrate. This shows how important their work is for protecting wildlife.
Treetop Nature Trail Boardwalk
The Treetop Nature Trail is a cool path that connects the Alabama Wildlife Center to the Treetop Nature Trail Boardwalk. It's a short, quarter-mile walk. You get to explore the beautiful nature of Alabama. If you don't want to walk, you can drive there in about two minutes.
This Boardwalk is home to some amazing native Alabama birds of prey. These birds were helped by the AWC. But because of their injuries, they can't go back to living in the wild. Now, they are special "ambassadors." They help teach visitors about their species. The Treetop Nature Trail Boardwalk has six enclosures. Each one has a different bird species and tells its unique story.
Images for kids
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Entrance to the Alabama Wildlife Center
