Audubon-Datnow Preserve at Putnam Middle School

W.E. Putnam Middle School, a predominantly African-American public school located in Birmingham, is home to a surprisingly rich mature pine-hardwood forest hosting a diverse array of bird species, including White-eyed Vireos, Barred Owls, and climate-endangered Brown-headed Nuthatches. Alabama Audubon is currently leading an effort to restore this neglected native habitat through invasive plant removal, infrastructural improvements (trail maintenance; interpretive signage), and native - plant re-introduction and stewardship. We are also leveraging connections with on-site educational partners(see below), local residents, key public-opinion and political leaders, and the media to promote the site as a laboratory for native-plant education and engagement, accessible both to students and to the public at large.