Discovering Alabama is happy of offer viewers the several “Virtual Field Trips” included here. They were produced as the pilot phase of a proposed larger project for additional short video clips succinctly targeting individual objectives of Alabama’s K-12 academic requirements. Unfortunately, funding did not become available for the larger project, and Discovering Alabama has moved on to many other opportunities serving Alabama schools, teachers, and students. Indeed, Alabama teachers are pleased that Discovering Alabama’s regular full-length programs, address multiple K-12 content requirements. Moreover, each of Discovering Alabama’s regular programs is, in fact, a special full-feature Virtual Field Trip.
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Emmy® award winning public television since 1985.

Forests

A forest is a setting in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts because its parts—soil, water, wildlife, and various plants, including trees—work together to form a self-perpetuating natural community, or ecosystem. Alabama is one of the most forested regions in the world. The state contains scores of forest communities, in which there is an abundance of natural habitats and a great variety of native plants and animals. The virtual field trips below describe the importance of Alabama forests and highlights pertinent forest history and key concerns for the future. ​More information, maps and show listings.

wildlife

The state’s diverse natural habitats and committed conservationists have brought Alabama recognition as a national leader in wildlife resources. The virtual field trips below trace the concept of conservation, establishing laws for wildlife protection, and funding programs for wildlife restoration. ​More information, maps and show listings.

rivers

Alabama has more than 70,000 miles of streams and rivers with an annual freshwater flow greatly exceeding that of all but a few other states. This remarkable abundance of water resources has attracted the attention of many leading scientists, who today proclaim Alabama the “aquatic state.” These experts have determined that Alabama’s river habitats are among the most biologically diverse in the world. The virtual field trips below overview Alabama’s major rivers, highlights their significance in Alabama’s history, and explores key issues confronting the environmental health and biodiversity of the state’s streams and freshwater resources. ​More information, maps and show listings.

geology

These videos offer an overview of Alabama’s natural qualities from the state’s Appalachian highlands to its coastal wetlands. Alabama’s great variety of terrain, its wild habitats and native plants and animals, rank among the most naturally diverse in the nation. As other parts of our country lose their native qualities, Alabama’s wildlands help to make our state exceptional. If Alabama is to retain its wildlands for the future, her citizens must learn to respect and value these increasingly rare natural characteristics. More information, maps and show listings.