Officials with the University of North Alabama and the Land Trust of North Alabama have recently signed a learning agreement that provides pathways for collaboration between the two entities.

UNA, Land Trust of North Alabama Sign Learning Agreement

Aug. 08, 2023



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Officials from the University of North Alabama and the Land Trust of North Alabama (LTNA), which is based in Huntsville, have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding that provides pathways for collaboration between the two entities. 

“Two pillars of the Land Trust of North Alabama’s mission are the provision of environmental education and stewardship of our great natural places,” said Marie Bostick, LTNA Executive Director. “With the recent donation of Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve and its close proximity to UNA, there was a clear opportunity to partner and create hands-on field experiences for students studying subjects such as education, earth science, and recreation management. We are thrilled about this collaboration and look forward to more in the future.” 

As part of the collaboration, UNA and the LTNA will partner on: 

  • Public histories of selected LTNA properties to be used for interpretive programs and materials, as well as cataloging the legacies of the lands that are conserved;
  • Resource development and/or coordination for formal and informal environmental education programming centering on biotic and abiotic elements of local ecosystems.
  • Opportunities for UNA students to develop and deliver presentations on the local environment, specifically LTNA preserves; and
  • Use of LTNA properties, particularly Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, as living laboratories for all possible fields of study. 

“This agreement is unique in that it provides expanded learning opportunities for UNA students across a variety of academic programs to gain experience and insight into their fields, which will better prepare them for their future in the workforce,” said Dr. Katie Kinney, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We look forward to growing this collaboration.”

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.