Upcoming events
Events Calendar
Cranes can dance?
Did you know that cranes can dance? They are also incredibly fierce protectors as well! Families are welcome to join us for a morning of learning all about crane dancing and fighting. Participants will get to practice their crane dance moves and learn all about the tough nature of these fancy-footed birds. This interactive program is geared toward families with elementary and middle school aged children and has limited space.
Make & Take Art Activities with ACA Art Faculty
“Paper Plate Birds” and "Thumb Print Cranes" – Make & Take Art Activities with ACA Art Faculty
Come and make some colorful feathered friends with the ACA Art Instructors. Let your imaginations take flight with paper plates and colors!
Christopher Joe
A leader in Alabama birding and ecotourism, Christopher offers insights into connecting people with nature through guided birding and nature tours in Alabama’s Black Belt. https://www.connectingwithbirdsandnaturetours.com/
Woodpecker: A Year in the Lives of North American Woodpeckers
Award-winning nature photographer and author introduces his latest work, Woodpecker: A year in the life of North American Woodpeckers, combining stunning imagery with conservation insight.
Timothy Joe Art Demonstration
Art Demonstration: Art in Nature Conservation with Timothy Joe
Presented at the 2026 Festival of Cranes
Join artist and instructor Timothy Joe for an engaging soft pastels demonstration inspired by the natural beauty of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Known for his expressive landscapes and dedication to capturing the Southern environment, Timothy will guide attendees through his process—from storytelling, value, composition and color selection to layering techniques that bring light and texture to life.
This demonstration is ideal for artists, nature enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about the pastel medium. Witness the transformation of a blank surface into a vivid, atmospheric scene celebrating the cranes and wetland landscapes that make this refuge so extraordinary.
Duration: Approximately 60–90 minutes
All levels welcome. Observation only; no supplies required
Building Blocks of Crane Behavior
Join ICF’s crane behavior workshop for families, where Anne Lacy leads an engaging exploration of crane biology and conservation
Once you see your first crane, watching their behavior raises many questions. These might range from how they interact with each other and with other species, to why and when they are territorial, to how they respond to changes in their environment. Cranes are ideal subjects for behavior studies because of their large size and their social nature within a bonded pair, family group, and subadult cohorts. While scientific studies often customize the various categories, one can begin with the basic five: foraging, alert, social, comfort, and locomotion. In this workshop, International Crane Foundation staff will begin with an introduction of the behavior terms, crane morphology, and life history stages; then progress into guiding smaller groups in interpreting crane behavior using interactive videos of a family of cranes. You will emerge from this experience ready to make your own observations, understanding when a crane is performing behaviors essential to their well-being, and knowledge of how to safely view cranes without disturbing them.
Lee Hedgepeth
An investigative journalist with Inside Climate News, Lee covers the intersection of environmental issues, conservation, and Southern communities.
Southern Exposure Films
Presented by the Alabama Rivers Alliance and Wild Alabama, this powerful film series showcases short documentaries that highlight environmental issues and natural beauty across the South.
Building Blocks of Crane Behavior
Join ICF’s crane behavior workshop for families, where Anne Lacy leads an engaging exploration of crane biology and conservation
Once you see your first crane, watching their behavior raises many questions. These might range from how they interact with each other and with other species, to why and when they are territorial, to how they respond to changes in their environment. Cranes are ideal subjects for behavior studies because of their large size and their social nature within a bonded pair, family group, and subadult cohorts. While scientific studies often customize the various categories, one can begin with the basic five: foraging, alert, social, comfort, and locomotion. In this workshop, International Crane Foundation staff will begin with an introduction of the behavior terms, crane morphology, and life history stages; then progress into guiding smaller groups in interpreting crane behavior using interactive videos of a family of cranes. You will emerge from this experience ready to make your own observations, understanding when a crane is performing behaviors essential to their well-being, and knowledge of how to safely view cranes without disturbing them.
Delicate Dancers and Fierce Fighters: The Natural History of Cranes
Cranes have been a part of human culture around the world for thousands of years. These majestic birds have captivated the hearts and minds of the inhabitants on all 5 continents in which they are found. During this engaging and entertaining presentation, guests will learn all about the natural history of cranes around the world, discover their importance in culture and folklore, and hear the poignant story of Whooping Crane conservation.
Jimmy Stiles
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!
Writing With Light
Conservation photographer Michael Forsberg will share insights from his 30-year career documenting the Great Plains and beyond. In this workshop, he’ll offer tips on crafting compelling photographic compositions and teach fundamental techniques to help you feel more confident and prepared in the field.
Jimmy Stiles
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!
Dr. Andy Caven (ICF)
An issue of scale: building coalitions to address wetland habitat connectivity challenges
Vicky Smith - The Bat Lady!
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.
Dr. Matthew Niemiller - Cave Life
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.
Hillary Hankey - Avian Behavior International
Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 118
"Enhancing Reintroduction Efforts in Southern Ground Hornbills Through Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge”
Dr. James McClintock - Diving Under Antarctic Ice
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.
Robyn Bailey - Nestwatch
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.
Dr. Jon Armbruster - Auburn’s Dinosaur Egg
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.
Southern Exposure Films
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
Dr. Matthew Niemiller - Cave Life
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.
Hillary Hankey - Avian Behavior International
“Birds Tell Their Own Stories: Connecting the Public to Bird Conservation Challenges”
Dr. James McClintock - Drug Discovery in Antarctic Seas
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.
Brian “Fox” Ellis
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!
Timothy Joe - Art Demonstration
Alabama Center for the Arts - Visual Arts Building - Room 113
Dr. Jon Armbruster - Fish Under Alabama
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.
Robyn Bailey - Nestwatch
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 - Reptiles
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. James B. McClintock - Lost Antarctica
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 - Reptiles
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 Smith - Batty about Bats
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
Stephanie Schmidt - International Crane Foundation
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
Junior Duck Stamp Workshop with Tammie Clark
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. James B. McClintock - Lost Antarctica
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
Children’s Activity with ACA Staff
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 Smith - Batty about Bats!
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