Through my research and teaching I work with several institutions in the Birmingham area. Below is information about several of the projects and/or institutions with which I work.

Friends of Oak Mountain.
I serve as a scientific advisor to Friends of Oak Mountain (FOM), a coalition of citizen and non-profit organizations who care deeply about Oak Mountain State Park. This park is located 25 minutes south of Birmingham, and at 9000+ acres, is the largest state park in Alabama. The park has a tremendous amount of biological diversity, especially its expanse of mountain longleaf pine forest. I advise FOM on issues of forest ecology and biodiversity conservation in the park. Working closely with several members of the group, we drafted the "A Call for a Biodiversity Conservation Plan for Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama" (see link below) Finished in June 2004, this document makes a strong and detailed case to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), within which State Parks is administered, that clear guidelines are needed for managing the natural areas of the park in order to ensure that the biological diversity that make the park unique is preserved for future generations. Whether DCNR will adopt the recommendations and begin the process of developing a biodiversity conservation plan (BCP) remains to be seen.

"A Call for a Biodiversity Conservation Plan for Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama."

Oak Mountain State Park Interpretive Center Steering Committee.
Samford University has spearheaded a move to build an interpretive center at Oak Mountain State Park. Several groups are involved with the planning of this center including DCNR and Alabama State Parks, Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and Friends of Oak Mountain. As is currently envisioned, research and educational activities in the park will be integrated and coordinated through the Interpretive center. Due, in part, to my role in ecological research in the park, I was invited to join the committee in these initial planning stages.

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