Auburn University
Auburn University

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center

1214 81st St. South
Birmingham, AL 35206
Phone: (205) 833-8264
Fax: (205) 836-3960
Email: info@ruffnermountain.org
Web: http://www.ruffnermountain.org

Mission:
The mission of Ruffner Mountain Nature Coalition is to protect and manage Ruffner Mountain's land as a sanctuary for native species of plants and animals; and through its educational and passive recreational programs foster within the community an appreciation for the value of the natural world and an understanding of the interdependence of all living things.

Specific issues:
Conducting a cultural resource inventory. Developing a wetland. Conducting ongoing environmental educational classes and workshops for all ages, individuals and families.

A new LEED certified Tree Top Visitor Center and Education Pavilion is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by mid-summer 2009. A 3-acre wetland with an ADA accessible boardwalk on the Irondale side of Ruffner Mountain has been completed. $5.5 million dollars is being spent on new facilities and expanded programs.

Newsletter/Magazine:
Mountain Views

Affiliations:
Association of Nature Center Administrators

Comments:
One of the largest remaining forests in this area, Ruffner Mountain provides a permanent home for Cardinals and Carolina Chicadees, a summer home for Red-eyed Vireos and Summer Tanagers, and a stopover for migrating birds like the Magnolia Warbler. In conjunction with nearby East Lake, an estimated 200 different birds could be found here.

For more than 50 years, Ruffner Mountain was a bustling iron-ore mining community. Nature has reclaimed the mountain, but remnants of our industrial history remain to be explored and explained. Now, the mountain is 1,011 acres of green space in the urban environment, a unique and priceless connection to the natural world.

Our award winning nature education programs have helped generations of Birmingham residents learn about the natural world. We offer curriculum-based programs for schools both on-site and in the classroom, and a wide variety of weekend programs for the community. Scout programs and service projects are available, and scholarships are offered to insure that all children, regardless of family income, can participate.

Listing Last Updated - February 2009