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NANFA Regional Outreach Program Bruce Stallsmith June 2000 field trip to the Little River, Cherokee Co., Alabama May 2001 field trip to Paint Rock Creek, Alabama (with photos!) August 2001 trip to the Sipsey River, Alabama (with photos!) May 2002- Little River, Alabama trip (with photos!) October 2002- Cahaba River, Birmingham, Alabama (with photos)
Q&A with Bruce Stallsmith NANFA: Can you tell us about your background and interest in native fishes? Bruce: I arrived at my interest in native fishes from keeping tropical fishes, and fishing locally, where I grew up in suburban Maryland. I've become increasingly concerned with environmental degradation over the last 30 years, and one way I act on that concern is to encourage others to notice the local aquatic fauna and ecosystems. Currently I am part of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where my primary charge is the operation of the freshman biology sequence. I'm lucky to be here, since the Tennessee Valley is ground zero for much of the biodiversity in North America! The southeast offers many opportunities both to view and experience the natural world, especially aquatic systems. We have had an active field trip program for the last 3 years, visiting areas such as the Little River system in Cherokee County, Estill Fork of the Paint Rock River in Jackson County and the Flint River sys tem in Madison County. We've also traveled to Georgia and Tennessee for outings with NANFA members from those states. NANFA: Please describe the boundaries of your region. Bruce: I live on the far northern edge of Alabama, in a slice of the state that's more similar to Tennessee than it is to Mobile in the far south. For me, saying that I'm representative for the Tennessee Valley would make more sense. The same is true of Casper Cox in Chattanooga; in truth he's a Tennessee Valley representative too, only 100 miles from me. Hopefully we can reactivate people in the Mobile Bay area and re-establish a region in the central Gulf Coast centered on Mobile Bay. NANFA: Thanks, Bruce! |