We are in the process of adding a new Environmental Education Building

and 20 new guest rooms!

All space should be ready by November 2007.

We'll be adding brand-new...

Meeting Rooms

Banquet Space

Hospitality Suite

Lakeside Guest Rooms

Classrooms and Science Labs

And Much More!

With this new facility, Alabama 4-H’s Natural Resources and Environmental Education program will be better

equipped to teach Alabama youth and educators about protecting and enhancing the environment in a facility

unlike anything currently in Alabama.

The $7-million facility is being constructed with funds raised by the Campaign for Alabama 4-H through the

Alabama 4-H Club Foundation, Inc. More than 500 corporations, foundations, organizations and individuals

have supported the Campaign for Alabama 4-H to date, giving $5.8 million. The campaign also supports 4-H

programs statewide.

*  The Environmental Science Education Center will be 17,500 square feet of interior space covering two floors.

     It will be constructed of stone, concrete, wood, glass and steel.

*   A large multifunction room seating 350, and 3 seminar rooms will be available for classes, meetings and conferences.

*  An additional 1,050-square-foot observation deck will be nestled in the treetops and accessible from the main floor.

*  Two large laboratory classrooms will support the 4-H Center’s Environmental Field School, along with shared

    laboratory preparatory area. Both laboratories will have direct access to the outdoors so children can explore

    outside and come inside to laboratories filled with technical and audiovisual support.

*   Water collected from the building's roof and stored in a cistern will be used for the toilets throughout the building

     and for the fire protection sprinkler system.

*   Displays featuring lake and land habitats will be featured in the corridors and lobby adjacent to the laboratory areas.

*  The building is designed to meet the latest in air quality and indoor environment guidelines and be energy efficient.

The LEED Green Building rating system is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction

and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools

they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their building’s performance. LEED promotes

a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and

environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection

and indoor environmental quality. To attain gold LEED certification, buildings are required to achieve a

total of 39 points – the Alabama 4-H Environmental Science Education Center will qualify for 45 points.

The building has been designed by Davis Architects of Birmingham, the state’s oldest architectural firm,

and will be constructed by B.L. Harbert International, also of Birmingham.

It is expected to open in November 2007.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby addressed the public during groundbreaking ceremonies on Tuesday, Oct. 17,

for the Alabama 4-H Environmental Science Education Center, the first sustainable building in the Southeast

specifically designed to teach environmental issues in a building designed using sustainable practices.

The event was held at at the Alabama 4-H Center on Lay Lake near Columbiana, Ala.  In addition to

Sen. Shelby, other dignitaries who spoke were Auburn University President Ed Richardson and

Alabama A&M University President Robert Jennings.

“Alabama 4-H will be bringing national prominence to the state with this new facility,” said Jack Odle, chairman

of the Alabama 4-H Club Foundation, Inc., the non profit fundraising arm of Alabama 4-H. “It will be the first

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) commissioned environmental education building in the

Southeast and will be an example of sustainable awareness nationally.

“We are certainly proud that Sen. Shelby recognizes the important step Alabama 4-H is making to the youth of

our state by constructing a facility like this, and we are pleased he will be joining us. Sen. Shelby has been a

strong advocate and friend of Alabama 4-H and we greatly appreciate his commitment.”

4-H is the youth development component of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. 4-H helps young

people from rural and urban areas explore their interests and expand their awareness of our world while providing

opportunities to develop a great sense of who they are and who they can become. This mission is achieved through

research-based educational programs of Alabama’s land-grant universities Alabama A&M and Auburn, and an

ongoing tradition of applied, hands-on/minds-on experiences that develop the heads, hearts, hands and health of

Alabama youth.

For nearly 100 years, Alabama 4-H has been a guiding force in the lives of youth, instilling in them leadership,

citizenship and life skills. 4-H is the largest youth development organization in Alabama, with nearly 100,000

youth participating in programs, projects and events statewide.