A grant from the Alabama Power Foundation will assist in ongoing restoration efforts at Bayou La Batre’s Lightning Point.
Alabama Power Mobile Division Vice President Nick Sellers recently presented the grant to The Nature Conservancy at the organization’s board of trustees meeting in Gulf Shores. The grant will support work being done by the conservancy to restore and stabilize shoreline at Lightning Point.
“Alabama Power Foundation is proud to invest in Lightning Point to help preserve the coastal shoreline and create habitats that support a wide range of fish and birds,” Sellers said. “Alabama Power has a long legacy of environmental stewardship along the Gulf Coast, and we are proud to add Lightning Point to our list of projects.”
Lightning Point is the hub for the state’s seafood and fishing processing industry, making it one of the state’s most important coastal habitats. The restoration efforts involve more than a mile of breakwaters and 40 acres of coastal wetlands.
“This project is the result of tremendous partnership between a range of people who care deeply about the bayou,” said Roger Mangham, director of The Nature Conservancy in Alabama. “We are honored to work with our friends to help protect and restore one of Alabama’s most iconic places.”
Work began after a groundbreaking in April with Gov. Kay Ivey. Construction is expected to take about a year to complete, with an additional four to five years needed for vegetation to cover the areas between the breakwaters and the existing shoreline.
The result is expected to be 40 acres of marsh, tidal creeks and upland habitats for fish, birds and shellfish. A walking path and a low-impact parking lot made with green techniques are to be added as well.
Several public and private organizations are involved with the restoration, including The Nature Conservancy, Alabama Power, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Team effort praised in new restoration project for Bayou La Batre’s Lightning Point from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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