Kreher Preserve & Nature Center
Where Leisure Meets Learning
Our partnership with Hike It Baby continues this year on January 3 at 3:30pm as we discover and learn about nests. On the first Thursday of each month we will lead a hike for our smallest explorers. All are welcome and there is no charge. We will meet at the covered pavilion and head our from there. To learn more about Hike It Baby, check out their website at https://hikeitbaby.com/.
This fun, family-friendly Halloween event takes our guests on a magical hike in our Enchanted Forest where they will be greeted and entertained by our costumed forest friends. Admission is $5 per person. This event is not recommended for children under 3 who might be afraid of costumed characters. Reservations are required.
Buy tickets and sign up for a set time slot. Group hikes will lead out every 10 minutes starting at 5:30 p.m. with last hike leaving out at 7:30 p.m. Hikes will last approximately 45-50 minutes. You will need to arrive and check in at pavilion a minimum of 15 minutes before your hike slot. Children’s activities will be available until hike starts including pumpkin bowling and various crafts. Wear your Halloween costume and comfy walking shoes. Bring a flashlight. Event will end at our amphitheater with a campfire , fortune teller and photo opportunities.
Join the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center staff for a one-hour presentation on the AUsome amphibians and reptiles found in our state and beyond. Children and adults will enjoy this entertaining hands-on program with live animals. Admission is $5/person. Children 3 and under are free. Pre-registration is not required.
Proceeds benefit the nature center. Sponsored by Auburn Opelika Tourism Bureau
The Kreher Preserve and Nature Center was recently featured on an episode of RFD TV’s Simply Southern show. The show highlights unique places around the state of Alabama each week. The episode originally aired August 19 but will return on air on November 18. In the meantime, you can follow this link below to watch, the KPNC is featured around the 10:00 minute mark.
Come get to know the key tree species in your community. This program will teach you the basics of tree identification as well as some key characteristics of tree species you encounter everyday. We will hike through the trails of the Kreher Preserve and learn the names of these leafy neighbors. Program is $5 for non-members, $4 for members. Children 3 and under are free.
Fire on Plains CANCELLED
Due to weather conditions, we are unfortunately canceling the Fire on the Plains event on Saturday. After discussing the event with our fire ecology expert, Dr. John Kush, he reported that “The FoP event is being cancelled, not due to rain, as is the usual suspect, but the lack of rain, high fuel loads, and safety concerns for the attendees as well as the forest. The lack of measurable rain over the past week has left the fuel load at the Preserve very dry. Based on a prescribed burn conducted Wednesday on the Preserve and observing fire behavior, a very difficult decision was made to postpone the event until late autumn/early winter. In addition, the forecasted weather frontal system is going to bring swirling winds that will brings even more uncertainty to using fire on Saturday.”
We want to thank you all for your interest and support of this event. If you are interested in using fire as a management tool, there are several areas on the preserve property that have been burned in the last few weeks that you can visit as a reference for the effects of fire based on different forest cover. We are happy to answer any questions that you have on these areas.
We hope to see you at the Kreher Preserve soon!
Forest Friends registration begins March 6 at 10:00 a.m online at https://secure.touchnet.net/C20021_ustores/web/classic/store_main.jsp?STOREID=175
Forest Friends is an interactive educational preschool program designed for children and their parents. The program meets for six weeks beginning either March 27 or 30 from 9:30-11:00am and will cover themes from the ‘Wonder of Water’ to ‘Noisy Nests’ and ‘Animal Detectives.’ Each week children will engage in their natural world through learning, crafts, hikes, and other activities. Cost is $45 per child and includes a t-shirt. KPNC membership is required at the Magnolia ($35) level. For any questions, email us at preserve@auburn.edu.
http://www.wsfa.com/story/37462294/auburn-university-nature-center-added-to-alabama-birding-trails
The Alabama Birding Trails has announced that Auburn University’s Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, informally known as the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, will be designated as an Alabama Birding Trail location as part of the regional Piedmont Valley Birding Trail.
Approximately 80 different bird species can be found on the property throughout the year, including the belted kingfisher, Mississippi kite and indigo bunting. The preserve habitat hosts migratory birds in the spring such as warblers, vireos, tanagers and orioles. Fall and wintering birds such as nuthatches, kinglets and woodpeckers are frequently observed.
Visitors to the Kreher Preserve are also able to observe various species of raptors including hawks, owls and vultures. Nesting bald eagles are present on nearby properties and are frequently observed flying into and over the preserve.
“The Kreher Preserve and Nature Center is enjoyed by the university community as well as thousands of locals and visitors every year,” said Janaki Alavalapati, dean of the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. “We hope that by adding it to the Alabama Birding Trail even more families will be exposed to the opportunity to enjoy this unique discovery center with its miles of beautiful trails, natural habitats and educational programs.”
Preliminary findings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation estimates that in 2016, more than 101 million Americans—nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population—participates in some form of fishing, hunting or other wildlife-associated recreation such as birdwatching or outdoor photography.
“The economic impact of outdoor and wildlife-related recreation is a boom for the U.S. economy representing nearly 1 percent of the gross domestic product,” said John Wild, president of the Auburn Opelika Tourism Bureau.
“With the addition of the Kreher Preserve and the Lee County Fishing Lake to the growing list of birding sites in Lee County, including the Wood Duck Preserve and Chewacla State Park, we anticipate the new designations will draw more people to the Auburn/Opelika area who will also visit our hotels, enjoy meals in restaurants and make retail purchases while they are here.”
The Alabama Birding Trails is a partnership of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development and the Birmingham Audubon Society. It highlights many of the birds found in Alabama and encourages economic development through a tourism-based model.
More information about Alabama Birding Trails can be found online.
-Written by: Jamie Anderson
We are sad to announce that we will be postponing fire on the Plains due to the rainy forecast. We are planning to reschedule for later in the spring. So, check back for a reschedule date.
Join us at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center on Saturday, February 10th from 10 am-1 pm for “Fire on the Plains!”. There is no charge for this interactive, all-ages, educational program that will explore how fire shapes the natural landscape of the forest. Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Extension faculty, Fire Ecology Experts and the Alabama Forestry Commission will assist with prescribed fire demonstrations teaching how good fires can help prevent bad fires from occurring. Guests will be able to assist with the prescribed burns (weather permitting).
Fun and educational activities will also be available at our longleaf pine ecosystem including a longleaf game for the children. The Auburn Fire Department will be available to answer any questions you have about fire safety and to explore their truck and equipment. Smokey the Bear will teach us how to prevent wildfires and have a safe camp fire.
Camp fire demonstrations will be available for participants at our amphitheater with music from the Fireside Pickers. Hot cocoa, coffee and s’mores kits will be available for purchase along with Firetruck Bar-B-Que’s food firetruck for lunch purchase.
FIRE ON THE PLAINS
The Kreher Preserve and Nature Center is excited to once again offer Spring Break Camps for the children in our community. There will be two Spring Break camps this year, one will be held on March 12, 13, and 14th and the second on March 19,20, 21st. Both camps will be from 8:00am-3:00pm for 1st-6th graders with the theme being, Nature Getaway. Registration for these events begins on January 22nd. Check our interactive calendar for more details.
