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For Immediate Release 05/04/04
Plans were announced today for the improvement and enhancement of a public
access site on the shore of Mobile Bay within the City of Mobile. A seven
and a half acre site on the east side of the Dauphin Island Parkway and
adjoining the north side of the Mobile
Yacht Club will be improved and made available for public use under the
terms of a Memorandum of Agreement concluded between the Alabama Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources State Lands Division, the City of
Mobile and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 3:00 PM on May 5, 2004 to
formalize the agreement and kick –off activities that will ultimately result
in a new park for the citizens of Mobile. The site, donated to the State of
Alabama by Ms. Helen W. Wood of Daphne, will be made available for use as a
public access site and park for the
citizens of Alabama. Alabama State Lands Division Coastal Section and the
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program will assist the City of Mobile with
developing and enhancing the site and the City will maintain it. Initial
improvements will include control of nonnative
vegetation, planting of native species, removal of asphalt paving and
replacement with permeable material and the addition of safety lighting and
benches. A section of boardwalk is planned on a perimeter of the parking
area. Future enhancements under consideration are a boardwalk skirting the
marsh area, and an observation kiosk and
interpretive signage for wildlife watching. Cheri Arceneaux of the Dauphin
Island Sea Lab and Terry Plauche of Plauche and Johnston, Landscape
Architects contributed initial conceptual sketches. Plauche and Johnston are
developing initial site plans under contract to the Mobile Bay National
Estuary Program.
“The Department of Conservation has a
continuing interest in expanding and improving public parks in Coastal
Alabama. Ms. Wood’s generous gift and the willingness of our partners to
work together will provide access to greater numbers of people and allow a
greater number of people to get out and enjoy outdoor Alabama.” said
Commissioner Barnett Lawley of the Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources. David Yeager, Director of the Mobile Bay National Estuary
Program, expressed similar
comments. “In an area where such access is lacking this public access site
is an important factor in improving public stewardship of the resources that
surround us. Access promotes pride and the sense of ownership so necessary
for public participation in conservation.” Mayor Mike Dow of the City of
Mobile expressed his pleasure with the
arrangement noting “partnerships like this are wins for all of us, and
especially the people of Mobile. In a time when budgets are declining, joint
projects like this help to make the most of available dollars.” Mobile City
Councilman Clinton Johnston was also pleased and noted “improvement of this
site and city-maintenance will make an asset out of what might have been a
liability left unimproved.”
Although the Natural Heritage Section of the Department of Conservation’s
State Lands Division has already made some preliminary assessment of the
native and non-native plants at the site, additional work by the State Lands
Division, the City of Mobile and the
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program can now begin in earnest. The park will
be named Helen W. Wood Park in honor of the donated site by Ms. Wood.
For More Information:
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program 431-6409
City of Mobile – Gina Gregory 208-7590
Department of Conservation State Lands Division 929-0900
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