Mitzi Gates

204 Cahaba Rd.  
Linden, AL 36748

Phone: 334/295-5051

Email: m_gates@lindenalabama.net

Emma Macklin Lewis and Mayor Mitzi Gates

    Mayor Mitzi Gates says that it is extremely gratifying to hear from
citizens who are willing to get involved in projects the City is working
on, but according to Mayor Gates, "It is simply exceptionally exciting to
get a call from a 9-year-old citizen who wants an appointment with the
mayor to discuss her ideas for Linden's latest project."

    That is exactly what happened when 3rd grader Emma Macklin Lewis asked her grandmother, Patsy Etheridge, to contact Mayor Gates to schedule an appointment so that she could discuss some of her ideas for Linden's proposed Alabama Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Museum. Emma learned about the Museum from her grandmother, who is particularly interested in it since it will be located directly across the street from her home in the City's most notable historic building, the Old Marengo County Courthouse, an antebellum structure that is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings.

    Emma and Mayor Gates met after school recently in the Mayor's office at City Hall, and Emma expressed her interest in making sure that the Museum includes a Children's Corner. According to Emma, "The Children's Corner might include books about extraordinary animals we probably don't know that much about because that would be a really good way to encourage children to learn about wild animals, especially the ones  that might be in danger of becoming extinct."

    The mayor commended Emma on having such an outstanding idea and then asked Emma what Alabama animals might be represented in the Museum through displays. Emma, a self-described animal lover who enjoys watching Animal Planet on Channel 28, came up with quite a list including "white tail deer and turkeys -- of course -- and also rabbits, weasels, beavers, alligators, squirrels, chipmunks, bobcats, coyotes, and buffalo." Emma pointed out that not all of these animals originated in Alabama but that they could all be found here now. She said she had read about many of these animals in a book series at school when she first heard about the Museum. She also thinks including displays of eagles, hawks, and martins would be a good idea.

    Some other animal topics which might not fit into the Alabama Museum of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife but that are of particular interest to this 9-year-old include the wild horse population, the humbolt squid, the lynx, and the puffin. Emma says she will continue to research animals of all kinds by reading books and watching Animal Planet documentaries. She is very excited about the possibility of a museum dedicated to Alabama Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife locating right across the street from her grandparents, Ralph and Patsy Etheridge.