The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is expanding wildlife conservation efforts by buying 79 acres of the Fort Morgan peninsula. ADCNR said the price of this underdeveloped beach front property was $16 million, purchased with funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, and the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.
The property purchased by the agency lies right against the Beach Club West resort on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. Combined with the Gulf Highlands property acquired in 2018, the agency now owns close to two hundred acres of beachfront property for the sake of conservation. These properties are now part of the Alabama State Parks System. That is meant to ensure their permanent protection, public access, and improved habitat management.
In a news release, ADCNR Commissioner, Chris Blankenship said, “The Fort Morgan Peninsula is a beautiful and ecologically important piece of coastal Alabama. We have been intentional in acquiring and protecting much of the remaining underdeveloped habitat in this highly valuable area. When all the acquisition areas are combined, the collective positive impact is phenomenal.”
Animals including sea turtles, migratory birds, the endangered Alabama beach mouse, and shore birds all call the Alabama Gulf Coast home. However, with the expansion of development and infrastructure these animals are finding it harder and harder to make the gulf coast their home. With this land purchase, Alabama wildlife will get a safe place to thrive and grow for everyone to enjoy.
The Gulf Highlands and Beach Club West properties complement three other land parcels already purchased by the ADCNR with Alabama Deep Water Horizon oil spill funding. However, parcels Three Rivers Phase I (two hundred and fifty-one acres), Three Rivers Phase II (two hundred and thirty six acres,) and Pilot Town (ninety nine acres,) have since been donated to the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and funded through the National Resources Damage Assessment, which is part of the National Fish and Wildlife Service.
Eight miles west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, lies Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, a habitat created to protect neotropical migratory songbirds as well as endangered and threatened gulf coast species. The wildlife refuge serves as a stopping point for the songbirds in the fall and spring as they make their way along Alabama’s coastline. Some habitats that can be seen here are sand dunes, shrub scrub, marsh, and a maritime forest and estuarial habitat.
Regarding the new land purchase, Executive Director and CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation says, “…[this project] will have long term benefits for both the natural resources and citizens of the state of Alabama”. In total, ADCNR and its partners have acquired over 1600 acres on the Fort Morgan Peninsula for the benefit on the wildlife native to our beautiful state and the communities that help make it up.
For more information, visit the Alabama Coastal Restoration Program page at OutdoorAlabama.com.
