Phillip West keeps Alabama’s beaches beautiful
Phillip West walks a trail at Orange Beach. West and his team have dramatically improved the cleanliness of the beach area through a program called Leave Only Footprints. (Karim Shamsi-Basha/Alabama NewsCenter)
He left only footprints in the sugar-white sand.
I walked behind Coastal Resources Manager Phillip West as he hiked the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Orange Beach. After he made it down the pier at a scenic lake, he looked through his binoculars at what used to be an eagle’s nest.
“Eagles started building this nest six weeks ago, but all of a sudden they’re gone. I think it’s the ospreys. They fight over food,” West said.
Alabama Bright Lights: Phillip West works to keep beach pristine from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
West oversees the trail system at Orange Beach, which includes 15 miles of hiking and biking through six distinct ecosystems. Visitors can see a butterfly garden, freshwater marshes and hardwood swamps. Wildlife on the trails ranges from bobcats to white-tailed deer to an alligator named George.
In addition to the trail system, West manages beach cleanup, recreation projects, disaster recovery and grants. One program encourages people to leave only footprints on the beach, instead of tents and chairs and towels and other belongings.
The program is profoundly titled: Leave Only Footprints.
“This year we are kicking off a new initiative for beach management called the Clean Beach Initiative, that entails having Beach Ambassadors,” West said. “One element of the program is the ‘Leave Only Footprints’ initiative, which is a new rule that requires people to have to remove all their personal items from the beach on a daily basis. We thought it was going to be a tough sell, but when you see the condition of the beaches compared to what they were, you realize it’s working.”
Something is definitely working. The beaches look the best I have seen in years, and visitors and locals alike are cooperating with the leadership of West and his colleagues.
“The Beach Ambassadors drive along the beaches in marked jeeps, with the mission of ensuring the beaches remain safe and beautiful. People have been receptive. Everyone wants to protect our beaches,” West said.
West considers the 40-50 miles of beaches at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach worthy, not only for the visitors, but for the residents as well.
“Over five million people come visit Gulf Shores and Orange Beach every year. We want them to see the beach look this good, to see the waterways much cleaner, and to feel good about Alabama’s gulf coast,” West said.
I asked West why he does this. After all, it results in a 24/7 kind of job.
“Knowing that we had a hand in people enjoying our beaches is a good feeling. We do it for everyone,” West said.
We left the trail system and I looked back at the white sand.
I saw only footprints.
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
