Gulf Shores Nature Preserves

In 2017, the City of Gulf Shores purchased 836 acres of critical habitat in the Bon Secour River watershed with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. The purpose of the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund is to support projects that remedy harm to natural resources resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.   

This allowed the City to create two new nature preserves - the Oyster Bay Nature Preserve and the Emmet O. and Vina Wenzel Wetland Preserve. By creating these preserves, there will be no future development possible.

Project Facts: 

  • The City was awarded $9.8M in NFWF funding for the acquisition, conservation, and restoration of the property.
  • The five-year habitat plan restoration work will improve conditions and encourage habitat utilization by fish and wildlife, eliminate or control invasive species, and continue maintenance of the habitats through best management practices. 
  • Adaptive management strategies will be used during implementation of the restoration/management project to achieve the best results.  Monitoring will be conducted during implementation to record the progress of the restoration/management activities.
  • The City will work to provide passive recreational opportunities that foster an understanding and appreciation of the areas natural resources.
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Questions?

For more information concerning this project, please contact Dan Bond, Environmental/Grants Coordinator, at (251) 968-1124.