Starting November 3rd, the Ruffner gates will be open from 7am to 5pm, Tuesday through Sunday. The Ruffner Nature Center will be open from 9am to 5pm, Thursday through Sunday. We can’t wait to see you this winter!
Notes from Lead Naturalist & Wildlife Care Specialist
Leave the Leaves by Emily Hutto
Autumn is finally here! If you’re like me, it’s your favorite time of the year - sweater weather, sipping a warm pumpkin spice latte, upcoming holidays, the leaves changing color, the crisp air…and a yard full of fallen leaves to rake up….right?
Raking leaves is an autumn chore that many people dread. Hundreds of leaves, littering your yard, just waiting for you to spend hours on a Saturday raking and bagging them up when you would much rather be doing anything else. What if I told you that you didn’t have to rake up those leaves - and even better, you shouldn’t rake them up? By simply leaving them alone and not doing a dreaded chore, you could help save the environment!
Fall Native Plant Sale—Every Saturday in October!
poster by Kyle Humphrey
Fall is an Ideal Time to Plant
Why?
For starters, autumn is less stressful on plants as the summer heat subsides, and soil temps are still warm. Surrounding trees will soon give us free mulch to nourish soils. As winter dormancy sets in, the roots of the new plants will spread out and grow, and by next spring, the plants will be well established.
To usher in the Fall planting season, we are opening the Ruffner Greenhouse every Saturday in October from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. for visitors to shop for native plants from Ruffner Mountain and Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. Members will receive 10% off their purchase!
Please note: Some plant species may not be available for all dates, quantities may be limited, and in-person only—no online sales this time. Also, shopping carts and boxes are welcome and encouraged!
The Ruffner Greenhouse is located at the entrance of Ruffner Mountain's South East Lake Entrance and Nature Center; 1214 81st Street S. Birmingham, AL 35206. Parking for plant shoppers will be shared with all Ruffner visitors at this parking lot and don't worry, we will have directional signage to the greenhouse!
Request For Proposals: Adventure Course Concessionaire Opportunity at Red Mountain Park
Jefferson County Greenways is looking for qualified firms to operate and maintain adventure course facilities at Red Mountain Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The park, which features zip lines, high ropes, tree houses, and a climbing tower, attracts over 100,000 visitors annually and includes educational and historical elements. Proposals will be assessed on detail, strategic insight, feasibility, and overall quality.
Submit proposals as a PDF to Kelly@jeffcogreenways.org by 5:00 PM on December 17, 2024.
For questions, contact Kelly@jeffcogreenways.org.
Jefferson County Greenways Welcomes Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent
From left to right: Jefferson County Greenways Park Superintendent, La Fran D. Marks; Executive Director, Carlee Sanford; Deputy Superintendent, Amy Conyers
The Jefferson County Greenways Commission Welcomes La Fran D. Marks as first ever Jefferson County Parks Superintendent with Amy Conyers joining as Deputy Superintendent. “In a first for Jefferson County, we are thrilled to have the addition of Fran and Amy, whose combined veteran leadership skills will amplify the overall park experience," says Carlee Sanford, Executive Director for Jefferson County Greenways.
“History proves our community's desire to preserve valuable greenspaces. Ruffner Mountain was saved from development in 1977 by an upstart community nonprofit. Turkey Creek was preserved in 2008 by a grassroots effort, supported by Freshwater Land Trust and the Alabama Forever Wild Program, and the preserve was later operated by Birmingham Southern College. In 1999, Garden Highlands resident Ervin Batain, in a community effort, cleared a trail from his backyard to the abandoned No.11 Mine on Red Mountain, founding the 3D/No.11 Mining Camp and Nature Trail. Red Mountain Park was officially reclaimed in 2012 through a state agency, the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission. In every situation, citizens and community leaders saw the need for publicly accessible land.
However, continues Sanford, separate organizations managing each park created inefficiencies, including competition for the same donations and grants, duplication of senior staff, siloed maintenance efforts, and different membership structures.”
Leadership at the parks began working towards a solution. In 2023, legislation expanded the scope of the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission into the Jefferson County Greenways Commission, supporting the day-to-day maintenance of all three greenspaces. In 2024, the separate nonprofits' boards voted to join as the Jefferson County Greenways Foundation, supporting programs, conservation, and capital improvements. Together, the public-private partnership cares for our county’s large greenspaces and all the plants, animals, and people they serve.
The inaugural Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent will centralize and coordinate the maintenance and day-to-day operations of three cherished greenspaces: Red Mountain Park, Ruffner Mountain, and Turkey Creek Nature Preserve.
A resident of the Greater Birmingham area, La Fran Marks is a retired active-duty military officer. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Miles College, a Master's degree in Public Administration and Strategic Studies (MPA) from Troy University, and a Master's in Strategic Studies (MSS) from the Army War College. Throughout his 25 years of service, Marks has led various organizations in pursuit of national interests. "I am genuinely enthused about my return to Birmingham and the prospect of contributing to such a successful organization." Marks started as the first ever Parks Superintendent for Jefferson County Greenways Commission in April.
Amy Conyers, Deputy Superintendent, was raised in Northern Indiana and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University where she focused on Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Later, Conyers moved to Florida and started a career with Florida State Parks. There she spent almost 20 years in a half dozen parks, honing skills in managing resources, staffing, and visitor services in Florida's State Parks. “I am so excited to be a new resident of Alabama. I am learning so much about the unique biodiversity, the history, and the people that make Birmingham such a special place.” Amy joined staff as Deputy Superintendent in May.
From Jennifer Andress, Commissioner and Chair of the Search Committee: “Consolidating operations for the greenspaces is a foundational change that will allow for much-needed improvements to the three spaces. Our long-term vision is to have a strong countywide structure and dedicated public funding for green spaces in Jefferson County. We would like to ensure all our greenways are sustainable, high-quality, accessible, safe, clean, and thriving.”
Happy Moth Week!
Happy National Moth Week— one of our favorite weeks of the year!
We hope you are as excited to learn about moths as this camper from Breakthrough Birmingham when he was able to get up close to the beautiful imperial moth (Eacles imperialis).
We still have a few spots available to attend our moth program this Friday, July 26th from 8 PM - 10 PM for a guided hike, games, and a mothing sheet. Click the link below to register - it will fill up! To learn more about National Moth Week visit their website.
Happy mothing!
MAPS Bird Banding with Alabama Audubon (Second Year!)
Alabama Audubon’s Executive Director, Scott Duncan and Science and Conservation Director, Lianne Koczur examine a female cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) during the MAPS Bird Banding Program at Ruffner Mountain’s Wetlands.
We had so much fun at the bird banding program this week!
This is the second year of the bird banding program at Ruffner Mountain with partner, @alaudubon, and it has been quite successful so far!
We have banded many common birds and a few uncommon birds we were excited to find using the mountain as a breeding ground.
Led by AL Audubon Science and Conservation Director and bird banding permit holder, Lianne Koczur, we have been operating a MAPS banding station at the Wetlands. MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) is a program under @instbirdpop
The station at Ruffner Mountain is linked with the extensive network of other MAPS Program stations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The overall goal of the program is to provide long-term data on bird populations.
Starting in May and continuing through the breeding season, for each banding session, nets are set up 30 minutes before sunrise and are taken down following a 6-hour period. Captured birds are banded, sexed, aged, weighed, measured, and released. We also record all bird species seen or heard in the area.
Lianne Koczur, Science and Conservation Director at Alabama Audubon demonstrates how to release the birds after banding.
At Ruffner Mountain, we can use this data to improve habitat quality for birds and other wildlife. As we reduce the number of invasive species and improve/restore habitats, we may see an even greater diversity of birds using the space in the future. This week we found several species including a female cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and her young, a white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus), and a tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor).
Thank you to everyone who made it out on the humid, summer morning to watch Lianne and pull birds out of her bag!
All birds were handled by biologists with proper state and federal permits.