Alabama Center for the Arts - Performing Arts Building - Recital Hall

 BATTY ABOUT BATS presented by Vicky Beckham Smith of A-Z ANIMALS consists of a power point presentation that covers myths about bats, their adaptations, their feeding strategies along with the eco-services they provide to us, the various food they eat, prey and predator relationships, and various places they live and roost.  It also covers the difference between micro and mega bats. There are various mounted bats, life size silhouettes as well as live bats that will be used during the presentation. Vicky holds USDA, USFWS and state permits that allow her to house and use the bats for educational purposes.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Performing Arts Building - Recital Hall

Cave Life of Wheeler NWR: An Underappreciated and Unique Biodiversity

Dr. Niemiller is the head of the Cave Bio Lab at UAH, which employs field, laboratory, and computational approaches to study the ecology, evolution, and conservation of life in caves and other subterranean habitats. Current research includes population surveys and status assessments of state and federally-listed cave and groundwater species throughout the United States and Alaska, developing environmental DNA approaches for population monitoring and community studies of groundwater life, and genetic and genomic studies of cave and groundwater fauna, among others.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 118

 "Enhancing Reintroduction Efforts in Southern Ground Hornbills Through Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge”  

Alabama Center for the Arts - Performing Arts Building - Recital Hall

DIVING UNDER ANTARCTIC ICE

Through his spectacular images, Dr. McClintock takes you SCUBA diving in sub-freezing waters and introduces you to the bountiful sea life in the most fascinating and challenging seas in the world.

Hidden Heroes: The Role of Citizen Scientists in Studies of Avian Reproduction

Robyn will discuss how ordinary people around the world contribute important bird observations to long-term databases. These contributions help scientists understand how environmental changes affect bird populations. Specifically focusing on North America's nesting birds over the past six decades, Robyn will highlight the pivotal role of citizen scientists in this research. She also offers practical tips on how everyone can make a difference in supporting bird conservation in their daily lives.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Performing Arts Building - Recital Hall

Auburn’s Dinosaur Egg: A Short and Long Tale

About 83 million years ago, an almost completely developed dinosaur died. Still encased in its egg, it somehow got washed out to sea, sank, and was buried. In 1970, Prescott Atkinson, then 17 years old, was looking for fossils west of Selma when he found the egg sitting on a pedestal of clay. In the over 50 years since then, the egg has traveled around Alabama and to France to unlock its mysteries. It is one of the rarest things in the world as it is the only ornithomimid egg; it is shaped more like a duck egg, while most dinosaur eggs are elongated. It is heavily textured, and it is among the thickest eggs ever found despite also being one of the smallest dinosaur eggs. As the eastern US’s only intact dinosaur egg, it unlocks just a bit of what is a very poorly known time in our area. The short life and the long history of the egg will be discussed.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 113

Southern Exposure Films will be shown hourly from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 118

Cave Life of Wheeler NWR: An Underappreciated and Unique Biodiversity

Dr. Niemiller is the head of the Cave Bio Lab at UAH, which employs field, laboratory, and computational approaches to study the ecology, evolution, and conservation of life in caves and other subterranean habitats. Current research includes population surveys and status assessments of state and federally-listed cave and groundwater species throughout the United States and Alaska, developing environmental DNA approaches for population monitoring and community studies of groundwater life, and genetic and genomic studies of cave and groundwater fauna, among others.

 “Birds Tell Their Own Stories: Connecting the Public to Bird Conservation Challenges”

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 118

DRUG DISCOVERY IN ANTARCTIC SEAS

Explore the exciting field of marine natural product drug discovery and efforts to find new chemicals to cure a variety of human diseases from Antarctic marine animals.

Storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis portrays Audubon in a dynamic performance that engages listeners in scientific inquiry and natural history, art appreciation, and ornithology. Come spend an hour in the studio of one of America’s greatest naturalists and wildlife artists. Listen to tales of his adventures in the wilds of America!

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 113

Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 118

Fish Under Alabama: How Fish Came to Live in Caves

Some of the most inhospitable environments are caves. With no light, any cave organism relies on food that comes from the outside. Despite these conditions, fish have moved into caves many times all over the world. For a long time, we believed that cave organisms had to have small distributions because their lack of eyes and pigments would mean that they would not be able to survive outside of their dark environments. However, one of Alabama’s two cavefishes, the Southern Cavefish, is distributed across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. Turns out that the underground world is a lot more complex than we had thought.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Performing Arts Building - Recital Hall

Hidden Heroes: The Role of Citizen Scientists in Studies of Avian Reproduction

Robyn will discuss how ordinary people around the world contribute important bird observations to long-term databases. These contributions help scientists understand how environmental changes affect bird populations. Specifically focusing on North America's nesting birds over the past six decades, Robyn will highlight the pivotal role of citizen scientists in this research. She also offers practical tips on how everyone can make a difference in supporting bird conservation in their daily lives.

Jimmy Stiles Herpetologist and Nature Lover:  Mr.  Stiles will share information about the reptiles and amphibians of Alabama.  This hands-on experience is always a hit!

Alabama Center for the Arts - Recital Hall

Dr. McClintock will be giving a presentation based on his many research trips to Antarctica:

From Penguins to Plankton – Antarctic Climate Change and what it means for Alabama

Alabama Center for the Arts - Recital Hall

Jimmy Stiles Herpetologist and Nature Lover:  Mr.  Stiles will share information about the reptiles and amphibians of Alabama.  This hands-on experience is always a hit!

Alabama Center for the Arts - Recital Hall

Vicky will bring live native bats and Egyptian fruit bats for you to meet.  There will be plenty of photo opportunities as she shows off the special flying mammals.  Vicky holds USDA, USFWS, and state permits that allow her to house and use the bats for educational purposes.

Alabama Center for the Arts- Recital Hall

Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Population:

In the 1940s, Whooping Cranes, once found throughout North America, faced near extinction as a result of increased threats from habitat loss, hunting, and more. It wasn’t until 2001 that Whooping Cranes returned to the eastern United States following a collaborative reintroduction program led by the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Today, over 70 Whooping Cranes make up this population, and winter in Alabama each year. Please join Stephanie Schmidt, Whooping Crane Outreach Coordinator for the International Crane Foundation, to learn about the Whooping Cranes of the Eastern Migratory Population and the work ICF and crane conservation partners are doing to safeguard their future. Following this presentation, you will be able to identify Whooping Cranes by sight and sound, understand the historic threats towards Whooping Cranes that led to their decline, know the ins and outs of the reintroduction program and the current work crane conservation partners are doing to protect cranes in Alabama and throughout their flyways and find out how you can be an ambassador for cranes in Alabama.

Alabama Center for the Arts- Recital Hall

Tammie Clark is a National Board Certified teacher in Early to Middle Years Art, a Decatur City Schools Elementary art educator for 23 years and the 2022 Alabama Art Educator of the Year and SE Art Educator of the Year. She received her BS from the University of Alabama in 1990 and her MA at Alabama A&M University.

Alabama Center for the Arts - Room 113

Dr. McClintock will be giving a presentation based on his many research trips to Antarctica:

From Penguins to Plankton – Antarctic Climate Change and what it means for Alabama

Alabama Center for the Arts - Recital Hall

Join us for a nature-inspired painting party during Festival of the Cranes weekend on Sat., Jan. 13, 2024!

We provide the supplies, and you provide the inspiration. Each participant will receive a canvas panel on which to paint their favorite animal, plant, or insect, and we’ll have paint and brushes onsite for everyone to borrow. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Open to children from 4 to 99! Free and open to the public.

ACA Visual Arts bldg., Room 113

Vicky will bring live native bats and Egyptian fruit bats for you to meet.  There will be plenty of photo opportunities as she shows off the special flying mammals.  Vicky holds USDA, USFWS, and state permits that allow her to house and use the bats for educational purposes.

Alabama Center for the Arts- Recital Hall