CULLMAN, Ala. – Sixth-grade students across Cullman will have the chance to step outside the classroom and interact with nature during the upcoming FAWN program, set for May 6-7 and May 14 at Sportsman Lake Park.
Hosted by the Cullman County Natural Resources Planning Committee, Forestry Awareness Week Now (FAWN), serves as an educational program designed to teach students about Alabama’s natural resources and environmental conservation through hands-on learning.
The May 6-7 sessions will be for Cullman County Schools, while May 14 will welcome Cullman City Schools, private schools and homeschool students. Each day will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sportsman Lake Park.
Mary Claire Gamble, Cullman County forester with the Alabama Forestry Commission and president of the planning committee, said the program gives students a chance to experience the outdoors in a way they may not often get.
“All of the sixth graders in the county come out to Sportsman’s Lake and learn all about Alabama’s natural resources, from our trees to animals to water,” Gamble said. “In a world where video games are king and kids are getting outside less and less, I think it’s important that these kids realize how cool and fun it is outside their back door, right here in Alabama.”
Students will rotate through four interactive stations throughout the day, each focused on a different aspect of the environment. The hands-on stations include “Build a Tree,” where students will learn about tree structure and life cycles; “Skins and Skulls,” where they will examine animal pelts and skulls with local game wardens; and “Water Watch,” where they will test water quality in a nearby stream and search for aquatic life within it. Students will also have the opportunity to walk through the woods to identify trees and learn about forest management practices.
Gamble shared that this hands-on approach is what has made the FAWN program effective.
“It’s always fun because the kids are so excited to be out of a classroom, and they are just happy to be there with us,” she said. “We always have a few kids that are genuinely intrigued or already know a lot about our natural resources, so that’s always exciting for us. Most of these kids have learned in a classroom about a lot of this information, but doing a hands-on activity out in nature really makes it all click for them, which is always exciting too.”
With Alabama ranking among the most biodiverse states in the country, top five overall and number one in freshwater biodiversity, Gamble said she hopes FAWN helps students better understand and appreciate the natural resources around them.
“Realistically, we don’t want them to be able to recite everything we talked to them about during FAWN, although very good if they do,” Gamble said. “We just want them to have fun outside and show them that the world outside their back door is teeming with so much life and excitement.”
She added, “We’re really just trying to plant the seed in their mind that Alabama really is a special state when it comes to our natural resources. We want them to have fun outside and learn to be good stewards of those resources as they grow up.”
For more information on FAWN, contact project coordinator Milli Keel at 256-734-1431 or via email at projectcoordinator@cullmanswcd.com.
Sportsman Lake Park is located at 1544 Sportsman Lake Road NW, in Cullman.
