The forest draws us like a magnet – away from our computers, out of the climate-controlled space of our houses and offices, off the roads and out of our cars.

Instead of asphalt, carpet, or concrete, we find soil and duff beneath our feet. The air we breathe in the forest is the oxygen-rich exhalations of trees, not automobile exhaust or industrial fumes. Sunlight filters through myriad hues of green. Bird song and water music fill the air. The trees shelter and embrace us, awakening a sleeping ancient memory. We are home.

Pictured: High school students from Falkville, AL experience the canyon at the end of the Payne Creek trail, part of the recently opened Payne Creek Outdoor Classroom.

At Wild South, we are stewards of that home, guardians and protectors of our forests. As a grassroots forest protection organization, we aim to get as many people as possible to join us in the work of preserving the legacy of our National Forests. Without our members, donors and volunteers, we could not do the work that needs doing. We depend on the financial support of many individuals and foundations. The contributions of time, effort, goods and services of our partners and volunteers are invaluable.

When we tend the health of our forests, we tend our human health by fostering the connection with our primeval home. That connection is where the work of forest protection begins. Whether it’s a hike in the woods, a birding trip to add another species to our life list, a dip into a secluded swimming hole on a hot July day, or just a few moments of solitude and stillness, by getting out there and into the forest we learn to value what these wild places provide. If you’re like us, the more you get out there, the more you love it and want to share it.

By joining us on our educational hikes, volunteering for our various Helping Hands projects and getting involved in our conservation initiatives, you can help to improve the quality of our national legacy for everyone. Wild South offers plenty of ways to get folks out into the woods:

Wild Walks

From hardwood forest ridge tops down into the creek-carved depths of sandstone canyons, Wild South hikers explore the amazingly diverse natural and cultural history that abides in the Bankhead National Forest (AL). To help our members and the public learn more about their forests on public lands and how they can help protect them, Wild South staff and volunteers lead hikes for adults and children in the Bankhead the first and last Saturdays of every month.

Rare plants, ancient eastern hemlock forest, rock shelters used by Native Americans, wildlife of forest and stream, busted-up still sites and iron-laced sandstone bluffs are some of the fascinating features of our Bankhead hikes. Instructors with interests such as geology, botany, medicinal plants and photography are invited to lead special hikes and workshops throughout the year.

Trail Maintenance

Trail work is a satisfying combination of hiking, manual labor and camaraderie. As part of our Helping Hands volunteer program, Wild South contracts with the Bankhead District of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to maintain two hiking trails in the Sipsey Wilderness, where only non-mechanized hand tools are allowed. We also helped develop the Payne Creek trail in the Payne Creek Demonstration Area and are responsible for the maintenance of this outdoor classroom trail as well. Volunteers make it possible for Wild South to care for these 8.5 miles of trail.

Glade Restoration

The sandstone and limestone glade ecosystems that are scattered throughout the Bankhead National Forest are severely degraded due to the prevalence of loblolly pine plantations and the suppression of fire for so many decades. The restoration of these unique habitats is a goal of the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan. Wild South staff and Helping Hands volunteers provide labor for this restoration project.

Restoration Monitoring

Every few months, the USFS and Wild South organize multi-party field tours to representative sites in the Bankhead, including loblolly pine plantations that are being restored to various native forest types as part of the Bankhead Forest Health and Restoration Project. These sites are monitored to ensure that management practices are moving the stands toward their desired future condition and to observe the effects of the thinning and prescribed burning treatments. Representatives from the academic community, the Bankhead Liaison Panel, and organizations like The Nature Conservancy attend these monitoring tours, and the public is invited to participate in this collaborative approach to forest restoration on public lands.

Trash Pickup

Dump sites and garbage strewn along roadsides, trails, and at campsites are a constant and shameful problem in the Bankhead. In addition to including trash pick-up in all our hikes and volunteer projects, Wild South schedules one or two trash pick-up days a year in which trucks and trailers are heaped high with garbage and hauled away. This is another of our Helping Hands volunteer projects.

Non-Native Plant Species Inventory

Funded by a Wilderness Stewardship Challenge grant from The National Forest Foundation, Wild South is performing a walking inventory of the non-native invasive plant species in the 26,000-acre Sipsey Wilderness. Volunteers are trained for this project, in which all the trails, year-round streams and historical roads in the Sipsey Wilderness are surveyed. This is the perfect opportunity to get off trail and experience those parts of the Sipsey you’ve never seen.

Pictured: Wild South volunteer Bob Boyer on non-native invasive plant survey in the Sipsey Wilderness.

Canyon Mapping

Another way to see parts of the Bankhead that few people do is to volunteer to assist with our canyon survey project. This ambitious five-year-old initiative, consistently supported by the National Forest Foundation, aims to identify and map all areas of the Bankhead that qualify for protection by the USFS as canyon corridors. Doing this requires a walking survey of every stream and drain in every 6th level watershed in the Bankhead. If you’re in good physical condition, enjoy hiking off-trail, and don’t mind occasional heavy bushwhacking, this adventure might be for you!

Into the Wild

Many of you may be asking, “Are any of these great outdoor programs available in my neck of the woods?” The answer is there certainly could be. We are fortunate to have the resources and staff necessary to do these amazing programs in Alabama. But, elsewhere we rely on our supporters and dedicated volunteers to get others into the wild.

If you are interested in leading hikes, teaching outdoor skills, sharing your knowledge about a special place or coordinating volunteer work days on our public lands we want to hear from you. We need volunteers in all of the states where we work who are willing to share outdoor experiences with others on our behalf.

Many of you are passionate about the outdoors because of your connection to it. The best way to ensure these places that inspire you are protected is to get out there with others and share those connections. To volunteer please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and enter in the subject line: Volunteer.

Wild South’s Helping Hands Program is funded in part by a grant from The National Forest Foundation, a grant from the general fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation, the Legacy Environmental Education mini-grant, and by Wild South’s individual donors.