BY SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
HALE COUNTY — When Christopher Joe’s father encouraged his children to think creatively about their 200-acre farm in Alabama’s historic Black Belt, Joe never imagined the idea would spark a model for conservation, eco-tourism and economic revival. Today, The Joe Farm attracts birdwatchers from across the nation — all drawn by restored native prairie that now thrives on the family’s land.
Joe, a conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, began reintroducing prairie habitat years ago with guidance from birding and eco-tourism experts. The results transformed not only the landscape, but the family’s livelihood. “I’m playing on the farm,” Joe told AL.com. “I’m just trying to do my part.”
Now, a major statewide initiative aims to replicate that success. In November, the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee, partnering with the Alabama Wildlife Federation and the NRCS, launched the Alabama Black Belt Prairie Initiative, a $17.5 million program to help landowners restore native prairie across the region. The goal: revive an estimated 8,000 acres of prairie habitat over five years.
Assistant Executive Director Ashley Henderson said many landowners want to restore their land but lack the knowledge or resources. “When you start changing things, you start losing species,” she said. “A lot of times, people want to restore the habitat, but they don’t know what to do.”
Long before cotton fields and plantations dominated the Black Belt, the region was covered in bunch grasses, coneflowers, black-eyed susans, and habitat for quail, turkey — even bison. Today, more than 90% of prairie grasslandsin the Southeast have vanished. Birds that depend on prairie habitat, experts say, are declining faster than any other group.
Restoration advocates believe the initiative can help reverse both environmental and economic losses in one of the poorest regions of the country. “We’re taking a natural resource and using it in a way that’s good for the land and the people,” Henderson said.
Under the program, landowners can apply for grants beginning in March. Funds can support quail habitat restoration, regenerative cattle grazing, invasive species removal, and controlled burns — all essential for prairie renewal. Up to 85% of project costs may be reimbursed.
For Joe, the benefits have been transformative. His family has welcomed more than 1,000 visitors since 2018, including school groups exploring wetlands the family recently restored through additional grants.
“If you see it, it’s been here,” Joe said. “We don’t have to do much to keep it going like this.”