The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) recently acquired 79 undeveloped acres adjacent to the Beach Club Resort on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. This acquisition adds to extensive acreage that ADCNR and its partners already purchased on the peninsula with Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Funds, including the Gulf Highlands property acquired in 2018.

The combined Gulf Highlands and Beach Club West properties amount to almost 200 acres, with more than one-half mile of Gulf frontage beach and dune habitat — previously the largest privately held, undeveloped beachfront property remaining in coastal Alabama. These properties are now part of the Alabama State Parks System, ensuring their permanent protection, public access and improved habitat management. The dune system’s quality and extent contribute to the parcel’s unique ecological benefits.

The combined properties will permanently benefit sea turtles, shorebirds, migratory birds and the endangered Alabama beach mouse. Both properties were purchased with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund as well as Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act money managed by ADCNR in collaboration with Gov. Kay Ivey.

Chris Blankenship is commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Alabama’s lead Natural Resources Damage Assessment trustee. (contributed)

“The Fort Morgan Peninsula is a beautiful and ecologically important piece of coastal Alabama,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR commissioner. “We have been intentional in acquiring and protecting much of the remaining undeveloped habitat in this highly valuable area. When all the acquisition acres are combined, the collective positive impact is phenomenal.”

The Gulf Highlands and Beach Club West acquisitions complement three parcels acquired previously with Alabama Deepwater Horizon oil spill funding. After acquisition, ADCNR donated those parcels to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; they are now part of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. Those previous acquisitions on the Fort Morgan Peninsula are Three Rivers Phase I (251 acres) and Three Rivers Phase II (236 acres), funded by NFWF, and the Pilot Town (99 acres) acquisition funded through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group. Blankenship serves as lead NRDA trustee for Alabama.

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, eight miles west of Gulf Shores, was established to protect habitat of neotropical migratory songbirds as well as threatened and endangered species. The refuge serves as the best remaining stopover and staging habitat for the songbirds during the fall and spring migration along Alabama’s coastline. Habitats in the refuge include sandy beach and dune, sandy shrub scrub, coastal marsh, maritime forest and estuarine habitat.

NFWF also funded the city of Gulf Shores’ acquisition and restoration of the 836-acre Oyster Bay Tract on the north side of the Fort Morgan Peninsula.

“Following the tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Alabama has made prudent and thoughtful investments in significant projects that enhance and protect species and habitats affected by the spill,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “We deeply appreciate the leadership of Governor Ivey and Commissioner Blankenship and the partnership with numerous project implementers in these efforts, which will have long-term benefits for both the natural resources and citizens of the state of Alabama.”

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is using Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration funding to preserve undeveloped beachfront property for the benefit of the public as well as wildlife. (Billy Pope / ADCNR)

In total, ADCNR and its partners have acquired more than 1,600 acres on the Fort Morgan Peninsula, using more than $77 million in Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration funding.

“I appreciate NFWF, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the city of Gulf Shores and my fellow NRDA trustees for our partnerships to make all this come together,” Blankenship said. “ADCNR Deepwater Horizon Coordinator Dr. Amy Hunter and her staff have done a fabulous job managing the funding sources, fostering cooperation and coordinating projects to provide the maximum benefit for coastal Alabama.”

In addition to the Fort Morgan Peninsula acquisitions, ADCNR has used a myriad of different funding sources to add more than 7,500 acres to the previous 17,000-acre Perdido River Wildlife Management Area along the Alabama/Florida state line.

Like the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the diverse habitat types found along the Perdido River support scores of upland and wetland species. These acquisitions also provide important recreational access opportunities to the community.

Given the substantial residential growth and development in Baldwin County, these strategic acquisitions protect important habitat as well as the Perdido and Mobile Bay estuaries.

For more information on these acquisitions and other Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration projects, visit the Alabama Coastal Restoration Program page at OutdoorAlabama.com.