The Alabama Association of Resource, Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils presented a $25,000 grant to Alabama State Parks on Friday, June 21 during the Pollinator Festival at Oak Mountain State Park (OMSP).

The RC&D grant will fund development of 12 pollinator gardens at state parks throughout the state.

“We truly appreciate RC&D for funding this project, which will create a new interactive experience for State Parks visitors to enjoy,” State Parks Director Greg Lein said. “These pollinator gardens are more than just something pretty to look at and enjoy. They also improve and enhance habitat for pollinators, and that has incredible ecological benefits for all Alabamians.”

The check presentation also included a surprise for Lein as officials dedicated the pollinator garden at OMSP in his honor in recognition of his visionary leadership and unwavering passion to preserve natural spaces. The festivities were part of the first Pollinator Festival at OMSP, which celebrates National Pollinator Week and debuts the first of the 12 pollinator gardens.

“This is an unexpected honor, and I’m greatly humbled by this recognition,” Lein said.

The pollinator gardens funded by the RC&D grant will be located in 12 Alabama State Parks:

• Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham
• Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores
• Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City
• Lakepoint State Park in Eufaula
• DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne
• Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville
• Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville
• Cheaha State Park in Delta
• Chewacla State Park in Auburn
• Roland Cooper State Park in Camden
• Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort
• Lake Lurleen State Park in Coker

Tasha Simon, Chief of the Natural Resources Section for Alabama State Parks, welcomed the opening of Oak Mountain’s pollinator garden. She shared the paced park-by-park schedule of pollinator garden installations will allow park guests to see all the gardens in full bloom by 2025.

Six of the 12 will include a story trail, which will be a children’s storybook experience within the pollinator garden. Oak Mountain State Park’s pollinator garden includes a story trail, as do the gardens at Gulf, Wind Creek, Lakepoint, DeSoto and Joe Wheeler State Parks.

Alabama State Parks Chief of Interpretation and Education Renee Raney also shared, “Each pollinator garden allows educators to utilize interactive learning tools through our on-site Teacher Toolkits. The kits paired with the pollinator garden trail experience provide opportunities beyond the park and into the classroom for students and educators.” 

Bees, birds, moths, bats and other pollinators have been in decline in many parts of the country due to habitat fragmentation, pollution and invasive species. Pollinators need flowering plants and vegetation to live and forage for food, which the Alabama State Parks’ new pollinator gardens will supply.

“Healthy ecosystems depend on pollinators,” Simon said. “In fact, at least 75 percent of all the flowering plants on earth are pollinated by insects and animals. These plants stabilize our soils, clean our air, supply oxygen and support wildlife.”

At Oak Mountain, the pollinator garden was installed in an area that was devastated by a tornado in March 2021. “It was the perfect place to create habitat for our pollinators,” Simon said.

Pollinators play a critical role in ecological balance, food production, biodiversity and environmental health.

“The new pollinator gardens are sure to become popular experiences at our State Parks. We again want to express our appreciation to RC&D for providing the funding,” Lein said. “We strive for every visitor to enjoy a first-class experience in our state parks, and these gardens definitely fulfill that goal.”

Park leaders welcome guests to stay, play, and explore naturally in all 21 Alabama State Parks by making reservations through the Plan Your Adventure Online portal at Alapark.com. Advance planning is encouraged to secure preferred dates.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – As Louisiana teachers prepare to put the Ten Commandments in their classrooms, state leaders in Alabama foresee a future where it could happen here too.

“I’m sure there will be at least one bill coming forward next session. Probably one in each chamber would be my guess,” said Republican State senator Sam Givhan of Madison County.

He said he isn’t sure if that should be a priority for the state.

Back in 2002, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore made national headlines when he displayed the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Judicial Building.

Moore and the monument were both removed after a federal court ruled it unconstitutional, but Givhan said things have changed since then.

“Apparently on that issue, there’s an existing junction. I think that case would have to be reopened to put it back in the Supreme Court building, and that would be up to the chief justice.”

House Minority Leader, Democrat Anthony Daniels of Huntsville, said he would strongly oppose a Louisiana style commandments bill for Alabama, calling it ridiculous.

“Unless the Ten Commandments are going to increase grade-point averages or the curriculum for math and reading and science and history for young people, I think it’s a complete waste of time,” he said.

Daniels agrees with Givhan, saying he expects some lawmakers to introduce the bill to score political points. But he said there are more important things to do.

“We should be focusing on paying our educators more money, making certain that we’re focusing on birth-to-pre-k programs with a curriculum so that children have access to it early on,” he said. “Until we pass legislation that helps families that’s there last best chance to bring life into this world of defining a fertilized embryo as not being a child, then I don’t want to have a conversation about it.”

The dust hasn’t settled on the situation in Louisiana just yet either.

Lawsuits are expected to challenge the new bill any day now.

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