Donation on Fort Morgan Extends ADCNR's Conservation Goals

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

A generous donation of 13 lots is enabling the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) to protect additional ecologically sensitive property on the Fort Morgan Peninsula.

The Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust donated the Fort Morgan lots to Alabama State Parks to join previous acquisitions to preserve the sand dunes and maritime forests on Alabama's beautiful Gulf Coast.

ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship said the donation from the Trust continues the effort to conserve critical habitat for a variety of animal species.

"We had the acquisition of the Gulf Highlands property back in 2018," Commissioner Blankenship said. "This past year, we acquired the Beach Club West property that was adjacent to Gulf Highlands, so now we have almost the whole undeveloped property of more than 100 acres between the Beach Club West and the Plantation Condominiums down at Fort Morgan."

Commissioner Blankenship said the forward-thinking action of the Trust made the recent donation possible.

"Some of these properties had been acquired by the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust decades ago," he said. "The Trust contacted us last fall and wanted to transfer those lots to the Department to include in our management with the Gulf Highlands/Beach Club West property. We just completed that transfer this past week. I appreciate Skipper Tonsmeire, Bill Lind and all of the members of the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust who thought it would be a good idea to transfer the properties to Alabama State Parks. I think the key to this is we were already making investments at Fort Morgan with (Deepwater Horizon) oil spill funds, and that was recognized by the Trust. I'm glad our work down there was noted.

"I also want to recognize the Trust's work started long ago. Although we came in and acquired larger swaths, the Trust's purchases were the genesis of preservation down there."

Commissioner Blankenship said the donated lots will be a protected conservation property managed for beach mouse habitat and other conservation goals. These lots will be included in the overall management for the whole Gulf Highlands/Beach Club West property and managed as one unit.

Tasha Simon, Chief of the Natural Resources Section for Alabama State Parks, said the addition of the lots donated by the Trust are valuable for the overall management goals of the Fort Morgan properties.

"Having complete boundaries makes the management goals much easier to accomplish, not including the ecological importance of these lots," Simon said. "These lots bring value to bird migration as well as the importance to the Alabama beach mouse. It also eliminates the encroachment of those lots being bought by private entities or individuals. Theses lots will be put under the protection of the Gulf Highlands/Beach Club West program."

Simon said a dune walkover, parking lot and small boardwalk with be built on the east side of the Beach Club West property to provide controlled public access to the property.