MEDIA CONTACT:
Anna Beck, Director of Communications and Special Projects
Huntsville Botanical Garden
abeck@hsvbg.org
256-830-4447, ext. 226
Huntsville Botanical Garden unveils plans for new Children’s Garden experience about birds, habitats
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Dec. 8, 2020) – The Huntsville Botanical Garden unveiled plans today for Tweetsville, a new experience in its Children’s Garden centered on birds and their habitats. The 18,000-square-foot area will be completed in two phases with the first phase scheduled to open in February 2021.
Tweetsville will feature immersive elements designed to inspire children and adults alike to explore the role that birds play in the regional ecosystem of North Alabama. One key element will be a bird watch station. The bird watch will look out on an enclosed landscape designed to attract local and migrating bird species, allowing guests to observe the birds in their natural environment from behind a one-way glass. Other interactive elements will include giant bird nests to teach learners about bird behaviors and model tiny homes to demonstrate how guests can attract birds in their own backyards.
“Tweetsville represents the Garden’s dedication to connecting people to their environment in new and surprising ways,” said Sue Wagner, chief executive officer of the Garden. “This is an authentic experience that invites guests of all ages to foster a deeper understanding of how plants, animals, and people rely on each other to create a healthy environment. By sparking curiosity about birds and their native habitats, we can inspire guests to deepen their personal connection to the natural world and become stewards of the green spaces around them.”
With both guided learning resources and areas for free play, Tweetsville will offer a hands-on educational experience that encourages children and caregivers to learn and discover together. The experience also presents new opportunities for public engagement at the Garden through future programming such as field trips, classes, youth camps, and special events.
The Garden has long been a popular destination for birders and bird enthusiasts, as well as a supporter of protecting birdlife. The Lewis Birding Trail winds through the Garden and is open for guests’ enjoyment year-round, and the Garden is listed as a birding hotspot in eBird, a global birding data project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The first phase of Tweetsville, including the bird watch station, is scheduled to open to the public in February 2021 and will be included with regular Garden admission. More information about Tweetsville can be found at hsvbg.org/Tweetsville.
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