On a gorgeous April day, leaders from across the state gathered at the Bon Scour National Wildlife Refuge to commemorate gaining an additional 470 acres for the refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Conservation Fund and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources dedicated the newly conserved property at the Little Point Clear Unit of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge at a special event held Friday afternoon. The addition of this land to the Refuge will expand public recreational capabilities for fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, boating, paddling, and other opportunities enjoyed by more than 120,000 visitors a year.
Governor Kay Ivey was on hand to help cheer on those who had been working on the project.
“We are all called on to be stewards of the Earth,” Ivey said. “To me, that just means a special challenge for those of us called to live in Alabama the beautiful to pledge ourselves to make it even better.”
She spoke on how the state’s beauty was marred by the devastating effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill nine years ago.
“Our natural habitats were destroyed, and our way of life disrupted,” Ivey said. “The oil spill took a toll on our coast, but in natural Alabama fashion we have bounced back, overcome that and are moving forward to achieve Alabama the Beautiful.”
The Conservation Fund purchased the property and transferred it in two phases to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) at the request of the Service and the State of Alabama. This project was made possible thanks to funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which was established by a federal court order addressing criminal cases related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Ivey said the acquisition of land will help generations to come make significant memories.
“Said another way, this gives hope in time of loss,” Ivey said. “We’re giving hope not only for people here today, but for future generations. Looking around today you can be assured we are making progress that we can all see.”
Located on the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the newly conserved property features a variety of coastal habitats including shoreline, pine flatwoods, saltwater marsh, freshwater lagoons and wetlands, dune systems, maritime forests, and tidal creeks. The living shorelines and interior terrain provides ideal habitats for several native species, including young adult Kemp's ridley sea turtles, snowy plover, piping plover, Wilson's plover, and the endangered Alabama beach mouse.
Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the land acquired is a “safe harbor” for all manner of bird and butterfly species making journeys from South and Central America.
“The marsh will be the first land seen for thousands of miles by purple martins, plovers, and white-rumped sand pipers as they make our way to and through our area,” Blankenship said. “Eagles and ospreys will spend all year here enjoying the abundant resources. We saw several ospreys today on the tour. Great blue herons and monarch butterflies are frequent residents during the year. This is truly an unspoiled paradise for wildlife.”
The conserved property celebrated today also has the potential to benefit manatees migrating through the northern gulf, and ultimately increases protected coastal habitat at the Refuge for wildlife and public recreation by approximately 25 percent.
“This area is also vitally important to fish and shellfish,” Blankenship said. “The marsh, you see, and the bayous, bays and estuaries of the Little Point Clear peninsula produce shrimp, crabs, spotted sea trout and red fish.”
The Alabama Congressional delegation representing Baldwin County, including U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator Doug Jones, and U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne, have supported the ongoing efforts to enhance and strengthen the Little Point Clear Unit of the Refuge, and to invest in coastal improvements and address the damage caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund—created to implement a federal criminal settlement against several oil companies—supports efforts like the Little Point Clear Unit project that benefit natural resources in and around the Gulf of Mexico by remedying damage and eliminating or reducing the risk of harm caused by last decade’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“I appreciate the foresight of the people who came before me to set aside such a pristine area for conservation,” Blankenship said. “I’m honored to be part of the group of people to carry forward this legacy and to have the opportunity to add to this vision to insure that this place continues to serve the birds, fish and people that so depend on its protection.”
