BY MARLA RUSKIN
ALABAMA WILDLIFE FEDERATION
Joseph Beal, an Eagle Scout with Troop 111 in Prattville, recently completed his Eagle Scout Project for the Alabama Nature Center (ANC) in Millbrook. He built two climbing walls for the resident ANC education animals to be used for snake enrichment.
Joseph Beal raised all the funds necessary to build the project, and was assisted by members of his troop in the construction of the snake enrichment climbing walls. He said he chose the ANC because they “have had a number of projects in the past and were very oriented towards the preservation of the wildlife as well as education.” He chose to build the climbing walls because the ANC “staff that I talked to showed that they thought that the snakes would find them very beneficial for their health.” Joseph’s best accomplishment “was completing the design for the project. It ended up going through many redesigns as different complications arose.”
“Our animal care staff are very excited to have the new snake climbing walls that Joseph built” said Kristen McCord, ANC Assistant Director of School Programs and Animal Curator. “These provide both exercise and enrichment for our animals as well as educational opportunities for our visiting guests.”
The Alabama Nature Center, a hands-on outdoor education facility located at Lanark in Millbrook, Alabama, is a joint project of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and benefactors Isabel and Wiley Hill. The Lanark property, State Headquarters for the Alabama Wildlife Federation, contains 350 acres of striking forests, fields, streams, wetlands and ponds that are traversed by five miles of trails and boardwalks including a tree top viewing platform.
In addition to the trails, boardwalks, and pavilion, the Alabama Nature Center includes the NaturePlex, a 23,000 square foot structural facility that serves as the Welcome and Education Center. The grounds at Lanark contain five destinations: AWF Headquarters, Historic Lanark, Lanark Pavilion, ANC and the new NaturePlex. The Alabama Nature Center has a great partnership with the following: Alabama Power Foundation, City of Millbrook, Hyundai, International Paper Company, The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, The Hobbs Foundation, US Forest Service, Vulcan Materials Company Foundation and Walmart.
Alabama Wildlife Federation is the state’s oldest and largest citizens’ conservation organization dedicated to the conservation and wise use of Alabama’s wildlife and related natural resources. To learn more visit www.alabamawildlife.org
