Dauphin Island Times

John Ehinger's monthly birding column in the Huntsville times today discusses a couple of important developments for Gulf Coast birders. Most notable among them is the greatly expanding areas to be set aside from development activities along the coast.

Recently International Paper announced their intent to sell 218,000 acres of land across the southern United States. The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund will purchase tracts of this real estate valued at approximately $300 million. This is great news for birders all across the south. In Alabama they will be buying 14,000 acres along the Perdido River on the panhandle border between Alabama and Florida. Together with 4000 acres already owned by the State of Alabama's Forever Wild, these 18,000 acres will only serve to raise the importance of Alabama's coast to birders.

Alabama's coastline is recognized as important to neotropical migrants returning each spring from South and Central America. In fact, three state coastal areas - Dauphin Island, Fort Morgan and the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge - have been designated Globally Important Bird Areas by the American Bird Conservancy.