The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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March 12, 2026 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - When the largest youth archery competition in Alabama, the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Alabama State Championship, kicks off on April 9, the Bray brothers from Decatur will be ready to compete at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl located at 220 Hall St. in Montgomery. About 2,000 student archers in Grades 4-12 from schools across the state will compete, starting at noon on Thursday, April 9, and shooting until the last flight is finished on...
There’s no doubt what we do makes an impression on our young people and those who look up to us. Just as I remember buying my first new gun, I also remember my first new knife. Not only was I enamored by the knife itself, but I was also very interested in the paperwork that came with it. While most would only throw away the unnecessary stuff, I made it a point to find out about my new Buck knife. It talked about how to take care of it and how to sharpen it. But what caught my attention was t...
The network of 38,000 inexpensive US lakefront campsites you've probably never heard of Ask most campers to name a federal campground system and they will say National Parks, maybe National Forests. Very few will say Army Corps of Engineers. That is a mistake. Outwander.com explains. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the largest federal campground network in the country: 994 campgrounds across 226 lake projects in 37 states, with 38,552 individual campsites bookable through...
Angela Lock // Shutterstock Most commonly seen birds in Alabama Stacker compiled a list of the most common birds seen near feeders in Alabama using data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch. Birds are ranked by the percent of sites visited from Feb. 28 to Mar. 13. Ties are broken by the average group size when seen, any further ties were not broken. Data was collected at 47 count sites in Alabama. States with less than 10 count sites were not included in rankings for each...
On Friday, March 20, 2026, representatives from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the Town of Dauphin Island will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. to celebrate renovations to the Billy Goat Hole Public Boat Ramp. The media and public are encouraged to attend. During the Billy Goat Hole renovation project new boat ramps and docks were installed approximately 30 feet further from Bienville Boulevard to allow more room for vehicles to maneuver safely...
March 19, 2026 - BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. - A new NOAA Fisheries economic snapshot paints a stark picture of the U.S. Gulf shrimp industry, revealing a long‑term decline in profitability, shrinking participation, and mounting structural challenges that threaten the future of one of the Gulf Coast's most iconic fisheries. The report, released as part of NOAA's Shrimp Futures Initiative, shows the industry has lost $268 million in revenue since 2021, with total earnings plunging from $489 million to j...
The results of CWD (chronic wasting disease) monitoring from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division include nine whitetail deer that tested positive in the 2025-2026 season. The good news is the disease remains localized in northwest Alabama with eight additional positives in Lauderdale County and one new in Colbert County. Olivia Sciandra, WFF's Wildlife Health Program Coordinator, said the recent 2025-2026...
A long-anticipated event occurred last Friday when the most used boat ramp in south Alabama, Billy Goat Hole on the east end of Dauphin Island, was officially opened with a crowd of citizens and dignitaries gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremonies. The Billy Goat Hole renovation project included new ramps that will accommodate four boats at a time and docks that were installed approximately 30 feet further from Bienville Boulevard to allow more room to maneuver for vehicles with boats pulling...
March 3, 2026 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is excited to announce the winners of the 2026 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest. The annual contest highlights some of the best photographers in the state as well as the beauty of Alabama's natural landscapes and wildlife. "Alabama is a uniquely beautiful state that offers a wide variety of outdoor photo options," said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. "From our abundant natural landscapes...
RJM Behind the Lens // Shutterstock Most commonly seen birds in Alabama Stacker compiled a list of the most common birds seen near feeders in Alabama using data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch. Birds are ranked by the percent of sites visited from Jan. 31 to Feb. 13. Ties are broken by the average group size when seen, any further ties were not broken. Data was collected at 60 count sites in Alabama. States with less than 10 count sites were not included in rankings...
Central Alabama's scenic Lake Martin is cranking up a year of celebration that includes the Tallapoosa River impoundment's 100th anniversary. To kick off the festivities last week, BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) brought its Bassmaster Elite tournament series to Wind Creek State Park to test the fishing prowess of their top professional anglers on the 44,000-acre lake known for its spotted bass population. In fact, it was those spotted bass that lifted Fisher Anaya, a 21-year-old Elite...
As the sixth largest estuary in the continental United States, Mobile Bay is a perfect example of Alabama's great biodiversity with a variety of plant and animal species so vast it's hard to grasp. With a surface area of 413 square miles in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the health of Mobile Bay is of primary importance for a variety of entities, including the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP), which recently updated its "State of the Bay" publication. Mobile native Jason Kudulis was rec...
My hunting season is over. I have scheduled a couple of fishing trips, but they are a few weeks away. Until then, I am surrounded by everything man-made. I don’t mind this too much after a season of God-made stuff, but I need to return to the God-made stuff quickly. But not for the hunting or fishing, but for the God of the stuff. You see, most of the time when I go to the woods I am going for the purpose of pursuit – whether that is for the purpose of scouting or hunting. When I’m in the woods...
The Etowah Public Shooting Range is closed until fall for renovations, but it will be well worth the wait. The range near Gadsden, operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, will get a total makeover and will become one of only three WFF shooting ranges to be staffed by certified range personnel. A 3,000-square-foot building that will be used for training and education classes will also be constructed. "The...
How one state’s hunters are taking aim at rural hunger On the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, a line of large chest coolers waits outside Wise Brothers Processing. Inside them, skinned deer lie packed in ice, ready to be cut into cubes, ground up, or made into sausage, depending on the customer’s order. Once ready, the meat is wrapped and placed in the freezer for the hunters to take back home. This is all pretty standard for deer hunters, the way animals they shoot become meat to feed their fam...
This past summer, I experienced a treat I didn't expect would happen again in my lifetime. A covey of bobwhite quail made their summer home in the acreage around our home in Baldwin County. I cherished each "Bob-White" mating call I heard and caught glimpses of them entering several areas with thick vegetation. That thick vegetation that provides protection for brood-rearing is one of the key ingredients for quail to survive and thrive, according to Caleb Blake, the Upland Game Bird Coordinator...
If you have an Alabama saltwater fishing license or are on the saltwater registry, don't be surprised if you get a call with a caller ID of the University of South Alabama (USA) or Alabama Creel, AL Creel for short. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) has partnered with USA to conduct a portion of the AL Creel survey that provides the data needed for fisheries management decisions. Kevin Anson, MRD Director, said the creel survey...
Nature is the new thrill ride: Why wildlife is the travel moment Americans are chasing The sight of a whale breaching or the Northern Lights stretching across the Alaskan sky has become a vision many Americans hope to experience. These moments, once considered bucket list extras, now stand out as the experiences travelers say matter most. According to a new survey from Holland America Line, which has been exploring Alaska for nearly 80 years, wildlife encounters and outdoor experiences are...
Jason and I eased up the hill toward the place of our morning hunt. He had come a few days earlier and took a leaf blower to the trail to make sure we had the quietest walk possible. Just over the crest of the hill, only about 400 yards from where we parked, was his hunting house. A house might be an exaggeration. It was only about 4x8 and was in need of a remodel since the year he first built it, but it was still a luxury for any hunter during the cold days of November. As soon as we got...
January 11, 2026 - GULF SHORES - The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a series of public hearings-three in person and one virtual-to gather public input on Draft Reef Fish Amendment 58A, a proposal that would significantly revise how several shallow‑water grouper species are managed in the Gulf. The hearings will take place January 8–21, 2026, with each session scheduled from 6:00 p.m. to no later than 9:00 p.m. local time. Why Amendment 58A Matters The amendment focuses on...
Alabama State Parks has developed a new program that encourages youngsters to join in the fun the State Parks System provides by becoming Junior Park Rangers. The program is open to children of all ages, with activities designed especially for ages 5-12. Participation is free. Families, school groups and youth organizations are all welcome to join. If the youngsters have no prior outdoor experience, the Junior Park Ranger Program is a great place to start. For kids who are accustomed to the outd...
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group has released its 2025 annual update detailing ongoing restoration efforts in coastal Alabama tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which devastated Gulf ecosystems in 2010. The update was presented on January 21, 2026, and is now available for public viewing on the Gulf Spill Restoration YouTube channel. The Alabama Trustee Group is part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process, which coordinates long‑term recovery a...
The Alabama Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) will hold its first meeting of 2026 on Saturday, February 28. The meeting will take place at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Richard Beard Auditorium, 1445 Federal Dr., in Montgomery, Alabama. Registration for those wishing to address the board will be from 8-8:30 a.m. The meeting will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Attendees with printed information they wish to share with CAB members should bring 16 copies of the material for...
The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) will close the state's 2025 private angler red snapper fishing season at midnight on Wednesday, December 31. Alabama's 2025 federal allocation of red snapper was 664,552 pounds. "This was the first year under state management that we opened the red snapper season for seven days a week," said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. "Most of the season was under this format and it provided...
Dec. 23, 2025 - FLORIDA - Jan. 2026 marine fisheries seasonal closures Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish closes in Gulf state waters Jan. 1 Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will close in Gulf state waters on Jan. 1. Harvest will open on March 1, 2026. To learn more about current recreational triggerfish regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine, click "Recreational Regulations," "Reef Fish" and "Triggerfish" or download the Fish Rules App. Recreational harvest of shallow water grouper...
