By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
With National Public Lands Day coming up this weekend, Alabama celebrates the 100,000-plus acres of land that has been purchased for public use in the state since Chris Blankenship became Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) in 2017.
“Of all the things that I’ve been involved in with the Department, being chairman of the Forever Wild Land Trust (FWLT) Board has been, if not my favorite, one of my favorite duties as Commissioner,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “We have such a beautiful state of which most of it is privately owned. We have been able to add, through Forever Wild, the Deepwater Horizon (oil spill) funding and support from Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funds, 110,000 acres of public land during the time that Governor (Kay) Ivey has been in office and I’ve been the Commissioner.
“This is property that will belong to the people of Alabama forever. Of all the work we’ve done, the land acquisition is some of the most long-lasting and impactful and will be here for generations to come.”
The Commissioner pointed out important purchases of eco-sensitive properties, including along the Perdido River, the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the west end of Dauphin Island and the red hills salamander habitat in Monroe County. Purchases were made to expand and improve facilities at Alabama State Parks and several wildlife management areas (WMAs) and to add Special Opportunity Areas (SOAs).
ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, under Director Chris Lewis, utilizes Pittman-Robertson funding, derived from an excise tax on firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment, to add to the public land acreage, at times using Forever Wild assistance to provide matching funds.
In the first year of Commissioner Blankenship’s tenure, the SOA concept added the 5,894-acre Cedar Creek SOA in Dallas County, later named after former WFF Director Charles F. Sykes. Dallas County is also the location of Portland Landing SOA. Uchee Creek SOA in Russell County was another big acquisition. Other SOAs include the Blackwater in Baldwin County, Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge in Choctaw County, Thigpen Hill in Butler County, Prairie Glades in Montgomery County, the Little River State Forest in Monroe County, Upper State and Fred T. Stimpson in Clarke County, and Crow Creek in Jackson County.
“We were able to expand the Freedom Hills WMA,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “The SOAs in Dallas County and Russell County were fantastic acquisitions that provide the public with more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.”
SOAs are typically smaller than wildlife management areas and more suitable to a limited, random-draw hunting format to reduce pressure and increase the quality of the hunt.
The Forever Wild program was created in 1992 to take a portion of interest earnings from the state’s offshore oil and gas production and use it to purchase property of value for public recreation and important habitat conservation. The Forever Wild Land Trust is administered by ADCNR’s State Lands Division, led by State Lands Director Patti McCurdy.
“I believe the enduring success of the Forever Wild Land Trust program can be attributed to many factors, but the backbone of the program has always been its 15-member Board of Trustees,” McCurdy said. “So many dedicated individuals have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort over the years evaluating tracts for acquisition and providing wise stewardship of program resources. While those efforts have led to the acquisition of almost 300,000 acres, true success is measured by the program’s ability to expand the public’s access to outdoor recreation through hunting, hiking, biking, paddling, birding, sporting dog events, etc., -- all of which drive a positive economic impact – while also promoting habitat conservation.
“Managing the Forever Wild acreage and its 395 trail miles through this type of multiple-use philosophy is often challenging. I want to specifically commend my State Lands staff for the many long, difficult days spent conducting prescribed burns, invasive species management, timber management, and trail maintenance to enhance the public’s enjoyment of Forever Wild tracts. I also want to thank Director Lewis and his Wildlife staff for their ongoing efforts to ensure that Forever Wild is leveraging opportunities for program acreage to actively serve the hunters in our state. Wildlife’s management of acreage within its WMA, SOA and CHA systems is vital to furthering the public benefit of the program.”
Forever Wild has acreage in 34 counties with 95% offering some type of hunting, and the program has 173 miles of canoe trails, 82 miles of hiking trails, 47 miles of mountain biking trails, 39 miles of horseback riding trails and 54 miles of multi-use trails.
