News

Input sought for new gun range
Andalusia Star-News
Area hunting and shooting enthusiasts will be glad to know there is a plan under way to construct a new outdoor shooting range in the Conecuh National Forest. However, locals may be disappointed to know it may move to a site 15 miles further from the ...

Boing Boing
"My Favorite Museum Exhibit": Butterflies eating a piranha
Boing Boing
In fact, you can watch a real-life example (with a less-threatening fish substituted in for the piranha) in a video taken in Alabama's Bankhead National Forest. The good news: The butterflies are not really carnivorous, per se.

and more »

Top 40 Under 40: Findley Frazer, Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Inc.
Birmingham Business Journal
Bass Pro Shop in Leeds, the Cahaba River Mitigation Bank and City of Tarrant Five-Mile Creek flood study are among Findley Frazer's notable projects as director of environmental engineering of Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Inc. Frazer, 32, ...

Shelby County Reporter
Suspects arrested after high-speed pursuit
Shelby County Reporter
A few hours after calling off the pursuit, Helena detectives located the suspects' vehicle in a remote area off of Shelby County 91 in the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area. After the suspects allegedly attempted to flee and strike one of the ...
Brothers jailed after pursuits by Pelham, Helena policeThe Birmingham News - al.com (blog)

all 3 news articles »

Shelby County Reporter
World championship coming to OMSP
Shelby County Reporter
By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor Shelby County will have a ton of first-time visitors May 19 when Oak Mountain State Park hosts the second-annual International Triathlon Union (ITU) Cross Triathlon World Championships. If the past is any indication, ...

and more »

PARA calendar
Tuscaloosa News
11, at Bankhead National Forest. Instructor is Mark Harrison. Cost is $35. Indoor Community Garage Sale: 7 am-1 pm Feb. 18 at Miller Center and March 9 at the McAbee Center. Fee is $20 for vendor booth. Free admission for shoppers.

Multiple arson fires Tuesday in White Plains
Anniston Star
by Brian Anderson Multiple arson fires broke out near White Plains Tuesday night, according to a release from the Shoal Creek Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest. The US Forest Service and Alabama Forestry Commission responded to the fires ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding ‘hotspots’ in the Gulf of Mexico that are providing important habitat for at least three separate populations of the turtles, according to a study published recently in the journal Biological Conservation. 

The two sites, located in the open waters off the coast of Southwest Florida and the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, were found by a team of scientists when they compiled and analyzed loggerhead tracking data. 

The researchers' goal was to synthesize tracking data from three genetically distinct loggerhead populations to learn more about how they use the Gulf of Mexico. By identifying the specific location of regularly used habitat, the results provide invaluable information for marine planning and management for this species, whose populations in the Gulf of Mexico are well below historic levels and in recent years have continued to decline drastically in some areas. 

The maritime feeding grounds also hold the first clues about how loggerhead sea turtles spend time at sea – which is, in essence, most of their lives. 

"Up until now, management actions that affect loggerheads have often focused on their limited time at nesting beaches, or on fisheries regulations," said Kristen Hart, Ph.D., the U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist who led the synthesis. "Our findings open up important new options for marine habitat conservation, and provide valuable geographic data that can be used to strategically locate marine reserves based on the best available science, as called for in the new National Ocean Policy." 

"The use of satellite tags for tracking marine animals has opened our eyes to the secret lives of some of nature's most elusive creatures," said USGS director Marcia McNutt, "At first a scientific tool to understand the life cycle of animals, such as white sharks and leatherback turtles, who rarely come into contact with humans, these tags may now be the main hope for understanding what we can do, or what we should stop doing, in order to bring them back from the road to extinction." 

Researchers intercepted female loggerheads after their nesting forays to beaches and outfitted them with satellite tags at study sites in the Florida Panhandle, Casey Key in southwest Florida, and Dry Tortugas National Park. They then tracked the females’ migrations and used a new method to determine precisely when they had arrived at "hotspot" foraging areas, in two geographically different locations. 

Seven female turtles migrated to foraging sites off Southwest Florida, while the other three took up residence at foraging sites at the Yucatan site. Once the researchers applied the new method for synthesizing their satellite-tracking data, it became clear that these loggerhead turtles from all three populations consistently converged around two common sites. This confirmed a hunch that the researchers had developed after years of tracking turtles. 

At both of the feeding hotspots, turtles selected individual sites where they foraged in shallow or nearshore waters less than fifty meters deep. Turtles appeared to prefer their own distinct territories, where they tended to remain resident. This suggests that it may be possible to accurately predict where sea turtles will feed, information that will prove vital for managers looking to focus conservation efforts on prime foraging habitat. 

Researchers don't yet know what attracts loggerheads from around the Gulf to these specific feeding areas, although generally, loggerheads forage on the bottom of the sea floor for crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, clams or conchs. 

"The logical next step is to investigate what makes these particular sites 'prime' foraging grounds by mapping and sampling the habitat types found on the sea floor," explained Hart. "It would also be useful to tag loggerheads at these foraging sites to confirm how long they reside in these areas, or alternatively to see where they go next."

Multisport: XTERRA to host 2012 ITU Cross Tri World Championships
RunnersWeb
February 1, 2012 (Honolulu, HI) -- The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has selected TEAM Unlimited/XTERRA to produce the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama, on May 19.

tri2b
ITU: Cross-WM in Alabama
tri2b
Das WM-Rennen führt über 1,5 Kilometer Schwimmen, 30 Kilometer MTB und einem 10 Kilometer langen Geländelauf im Oak Mountain State Park. Neben der Elite kämpfen auch die U23, Junioren, Altersklassen sowie Handicap-Athleten um Edelmetall.

Cyclists on way back to area for time trials
The Daily Citizen
The Snake Creek Gap Time Trials will return to the rocky Pinhoti Trail this Saturday. This will be the second in a series of three mountain bike races put on by the Northwest Georgia Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (NWGA-SORBA); the races are ...

Cahaba River Society recognizing projects with conservation awards
The Birmingham News - al.com (blog)
By Thomas Spencer -- The Birmingham News The power company will be honored for saving water and the water company will be honored for saving power at the Cahaba River Society's annual meeting from 5:30 to 8:00 pm Thursday at the Birmingham Botanical ...

Additional Partnerships: 

State Museum of Pennsylvania Denison University

Constrictor Snakes (B-roll):  Video footage (B-roll) of Everglades National Park biologists hunting and capturing a Burmese Python in Florida. 

Editors: For frequently asked questions about this study and Burmese pythons, please visit the Fort Collins Science Center, Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida website.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Precipitous declines in formerly common mammals in Everglades National Park have been linked to the presence of invasive Burmese pythons, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The study, the first to document the ecological impacts of this invasive species, strongly supports that animal communities in this 1.5-million-acre park have been markedly altered by the introduction of pythons within 11 years of their establishment as an invasive species.  Mid-sized mammals are the most dramatically affected.

Bobcats are one of the predators that may be negatively affected by pythons, which both compete with them for prey and prey on them. Photo copyrighted by Christopher Gillette, Florida International University. This photo may be used by media and others in association with the Burmese pythons and Everglades press release. (High resolution image) Once-common opossums are now rarely seen in Everglades National Park, likely because of being preyed upon by Burmese pythons. Photo copyrighted by Christopher Gillette, Florida International University. This photo may be used by media and others in association with the Burmese pythons and Everglades press release. (High resolution image)

The most severe declines, including a nearly complete disappearance of raccoons, rabbits and opossums, have occurred in the remote southernmost regions of the park, where pythons have been established the longest.  In this area, populations of raccoons dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent and bobcats 87.5 percent.  Marsh and cottontail rabbits, as well as foxes, were not seen at all.  

"Pythons are wreaking havoc on one of America's most beautiful, treasured and naturally bountiful ecosystems," said U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt. "Right now, the only hope to halt further python invasion into new areas is swift, decisive and deliberate human action."  

The researchers collected their information via repeated systematic night-time road surveys within the park, counting both live and road-killed animals.  Over the period of the study, researchers traveled a total of nearly 39,000 miles from 2003 to 2011 and compared their findings with similar surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997 along the same roadways before pythons were recognized as established in Everglades National Park.  

The scientists who authored the paper noted that the timing and geographic patterns of the documented mammal declines are consistent with the timing and geographic spread of pythons. 

The authors also conducted surveys in ecologically similar areas north of the park where pythons have not yet been discovered. In those areas, mammal abundances were similar to those in the park before pythons proliferated.  At sites where pythons have only recently been documented, however, mammal populations were reduced, though not to the dramatic extent observed within the park where pythons are well established.    

"The magnitude of these declines underscores the apparent incredible density of pythons in Everglades National Park and justifies the argument for more intensive investigation into their ecological effects, as well as the development of effective control methods," said Michael Dorcas, lead author of the study, a professor at Davidson College in North Carolina, and author of the book Invasive Pythons in the United States. "Such severe declines in easily seen mammals bode poorly for the many species of conservation concern that are more difficult to sample but that may also be vulnerable to python predation." 

The mammals that have declined most significantly have been regularly found in the stomachs of Burmese pythons removed from Everglades National Park and elsewhere in Florida.  The authors noted that raccoons and opossums often forage for food near the water's edge, a habitat frequented by pythons in search of prey. 

The authors suggested that one reason for such dramatic declines in such a short time is that these prey species are “naïve” – that is, they not used to being preyed upon by pythons since such large snakes have not existed in the eastern United States for millions of years. Burmese pythons over 16 feet long have been found in the Everglades.  In addition, some of the declining species could be both victims of being eaten by pythons and of having to compete with pythons for food.   

"It took 30 years for the brown treesnake to be implicated in the nearly complete disappearance of mammals and birds on Guam; it has apparently taken only 11 years since pythons were recognized as being established in the Everglades for researchers to implicate pythons in the same kind of severe mammal declines," said Robert Reed, a USGS scientist and co-author of the paper. "It is possible that other mammal species, including at-risk ones, have declined as well because of python predation, but at this time, the status of those species is unknown." 

The scientists noted that in their native range in Asia, pythons have been documented to consume leopards. Consequently, even large animals, including top predators, are susceptible to python predation. For example, pythons have been documented consuming full-grown deer and alligators. Likewise, the authors state that birds, including highly secretive birds such as rails, make up about a fourth of the diet of Everglades pythons, and declines in these species could be occurring without managers realizing it. 

"Our research adds to the increasing evidence that predators, whether native or exotic, exert major influence on the structure of animal communities," said John Willson, a study co-author, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University and author of the book Invasive Pythons in the United States. "The effects of declining mammal populations on the overall Everglades ecosystem, which extends well beyond the national park boundaries, are likely profound, but are probably complex and difficult to predict.  Studies examining such effects are sorely needed to more fully understand the impacts pythons are having on one of our most unique and valued national parks."

The authors found little support for alternative explanations for the mammal declines, such as disease or changes in habitat structure or water management regimes.  

"This severe decline in mammals is of significant concern to the overall health of the Park's large and complex ecosystem," said Everglades National Park superintendent Dan Kimball.  "We will continue to enhance our efforts to control and manage the non-native python and to better understand the impacts on the Park.  No incidents involving visitor safety and pythons have occurred in the Park.  Encounters with pythons are very rare; that said visitors should be vigilant and report all python sightings to park rangers," Kimball said. 

On Jan. 23, 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a rule in the Federal Register that will ban the importation and interstate transportation of four non-native constrictor snakes (Burmese python, northern and southern African pythons, and the yellow anaconda) that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems. These snakes are being listed as injurious species under the Lacey Act. In addition, the FWS will continue to consider listing as injurious five other species of nonnative snakes: the reticulated python, boa constrictor, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda and Beni anaconda. 

The paper, Severe mammal declines coincide with proliferation of invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, was published online on Jan. 30, 2012, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors are Michael E. Dorcas, Davidson College; John D. Willson, Virginia Tech University; Robert N. Reed, USGS; Ray W. Snow, NPS; Michael R. Rochford, University of Florida; Melissa A. Miller, Auburn University; Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., State Museum of Pennsylvania; Paul T. Andreadis, Denison University; Frank J. Mazzotti, University of Florida; Christina M. Romagosa, Auburn University; and Kristen M. Hart, USGS.

Forest Service to burn 1075 acres in Cleburne Co. today
Anniston Star
by Star staff People near Dugger Mountain may see lots of smoke today and tonight as the US Forest Service plans to burn 1075 acres of the Talladega National Forest. The burn area, about 4 miles northwest of the Mt. Pleasant area in Cleburne County, ...

and more »

Teams take plunge for Special Olympics
Shelby County Reporter
28 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge as they hit the frigid water of the Oak Mountain State Park beach. Temperatures hovered around the high 40s and low 50s during the event, which was organized by the Alabama Law Enforcement Torch Run ...

and more »

CRBI plans annual meeting Monday
Rome News Tribune
by Staff Reports Debate about dams and new reservoirs — what officials with the Coosa River Basin Initiative say are the biggest threats to the health of the Coosa River system — is on tap for CRBI's annual membership meeting Monday at Georgia ...

msnbc.com
Weather Service Documents 10 Tornadoes in Alabama
Insurance Journal
The Maplesville tornado destroyed the sanctuary of the Historic Ephesus Church, tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest and damaged homes and business just north of downtown Maplesville. The weather service had previously documented eight ...
Maplesville tornado rated EF-2Clanton Advertiser
Weather Service: 10 Twisters Documented in AlabamaClaimsJournal.com
Texas and Alabama tornadoes and Oklahoma drought updatesTulsa World (blog)

all 508 news articles »

USA TODAY
Weather service: 10 tornadoes hit Alabama
USA TODAY
It also tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest, toppled a radio tower and damaged homes and businesses just north of downtown Maplesville. The deadliest twister in the storm outbreak was an EF-3 that struck in St. Clair and Jefferson County, ...

and more »

Weather service: 10 twisters documented in Alabama
WAFF
It also tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest, toppled a radio tower and damaged homes and businesses just north of downtown Maplesville. The deadliest twister in the storm outbreak was an EF-3 that struck in St. Clair and Jefferson County, ...

and more »

Visit Fish | Bass Fishing on H. Neely Henry Lake
Wired2Fish (blog)
It was first of the Alabama Power Company's many dam projects on the Coosa River in the '50s, '60s and '70s. The dam was named for a high-ranking executive in Alabama Power and thusly so was the fishery it created along the Coosa River.

and more »