State acquires additional 79 acres by Beach Club in Fort Morgan

State acquires additional 79 acres by Beach Club in Fort Morgan

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) recently acquired 79 acres of undeveloped land 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 area of the Gulf Highlands and Beach Club West properties includes nearly 200 acres, with more than one-half mile of Gulf frontage beach and dune habitat. It was 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 combined properties will permanently benefit sea turtles, shorebirds, migratory birds and the endangered Alabama beach mouse.
“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 that are now part of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
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. These will have long-term benefits for both the natural resources and citizens of the state of Alabama,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and of NFWF.
In total, ADCNR and its partners have acquired over 1,600 acres on the Fort Morgan Peninsula, using more than $77 million in Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration funding.
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.
More information on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration projects visit OutdoorAlabama.com.