By By Kerry Whipple Bean
publisher
Anyone interested in learning more about wildlife management or longleaf restoration is invited to a day-long event at Saloom Properties near Evergreen, where several groups will host a Field Day on Thursday.
The event, hosted at Dr. Salem and Dianne Saloom’s farm, is held by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conecuh County Soil and Water Conservation District and Conecuh County Forestry Planning Committee.
Dr. Saloom said the event, which begins at 8 a.m. and will be over at 3 p.m., is open to anyone interested in a variety of subjects.
Twenty-three vendors will also be on hand for the event, Saloom said.
Saloom said he has been involved in timber farming since the early 1980s and has been working to support family woodlands ever since.
He said his farm hosts a “Forest in the Classroom, Classroom in the Forest” event for fifth graders to help promote forestry and stewardship of the environment.
Saloom’s farm is the 2009 Outstanding Tree Farm in Alabama and is in the running for a regional award, Saloom said.
The tour will feature six educational stops hosted by a variety of expert speakers including representatives from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Longleaf Alliance, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Alabama Forestry Commission.  The stops will include information on prescribed burning, longleaf establishment and management, managing forests for wildlife enhancement, food plot management, endangered wildlife habitat management, invasive plant control and turkey management.
Attendees will be served a low country boil for lunch.
Registration is free; however, participants must preregister by contacting the Conecuh County Extension Office in Evergreen, Alabama at:  (251) 578-2762 or email:  smellja@aces.edu.