CULLMAN – On Tuesday, July 14 at 6 p.m. Daphne Mowland, an educator with Wheeler Wildlife will put reptiles and amphibians on display at the North Alabama Agriplex.
Rachel Dawsey, Director at the Agriplex, has overseen the Living Landscapes program for the past two years.
She recruits speakers to come and show off animals for educational events that anyone and everyone in a family would enjoy.
Last year, Dawsey and the Agriplex hosted an event centered around birds of prey. The speaker explained how the birds positively affect the environment, and how people can, unknowingly and unintentionally do harm to the birds.
Reptiles and Amphibians program tonight (7/14) at 6pm at Agriplex Heritage Center! Show up, no need to reserve space-…
Posted by North Alabama Agriplex on Tuesday, July 14, 2015
This year at the Agriplex there will be a more grounded presentation, as the event will center around things that slither and crawl in the dirt, rather than those that soar through the sky.
"The event will feature animals that can be found in your backyard. [Mowland] will be bringing reptiles and amphibians that are native to Alabama," Dawsey said.
As far as the inspiration for having an event about snakes, something people are usually trepidatious about, Dawsey says that the snakes were requested.
"We're focused on doing family-oriented events that support backyard sustainability. I called about having the snakes because they were requested," Dawsey said.
Dawsey hopes this event helps people to see the positive effects of snakes. "A lot of people are afraid of snakes," she said.
"People might be kinder if they understand, you know, be more considerate. Rat snakes, you know, kill rats. But they don't do that if you kill [rat snakes] every time you see one in your yard, you know," Dawsey said.
This is an opportunity to learn more about the creatures that are commonplace in everyone's backyards in Alabama. Dawsey said she found several differs kinds of reptiles and turtles in her backyard, "And I don't even live in the county, I live in the city," she said.
The event will be $5 per family. A family can be 2-10 people. There are no reservations necessary for the event.
