Mobile, Alabama (April 17, 2001) - The Alabama and Mississippi Chapters of The Nature Conservancy announced today a nationally unique initiative to protect and enhance the natural diversity found in the Grand Bay region of southern Alabama and Mississippi.
Shell Oil, Williams, ExxonMobil and BP Amoco were present to announce their role in the project.
The program, called the Grand Bay Conservation Initiative, will initially focus on implementing a prescribed fire management plan. The majority of the plant communities found in Grand Bay are fire-dependent, meaning natural or prescribed fire is necessary for their continued survival.
Prescribed fire is the most effective way to maintain these diverse natural communities and will help combat threats of serious wildfires in the area. Due to the lack of natural fires, heavy woody vegetation has replaced the once vast grasslands that dominated the local landscape. These heavy fuel loads are becoming an increasingly serious wildfire hazard.
To address these concerns, The Nature Conservancy, with the critical support of oil and gas companies, will implement prescribed fires on private properties in the area. The Conservancy will also arrange training sessions for partners, local volunteer fire fighters and others interested, to develop greater local capacity.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and International Paper Company are providing additional financial assistance with the community outreach and training aspects of the project.
The cooperative approach by The Nature Conservancy and Shell, Williams, ExxonMobil and BP Amoco is a critical step in reaching priority conservation goals of the region for several reasons. The initiative will:
� Reduce threats of area wildfires to these gas industry facilities;
� Enhance the safety of the local community;
� Increase public understanding of prescribed fire benefits, and
� Restore the exceptional natural areas that once dominated Grand Bay.
"This unique public - private project will enable The Nature Conservancy to address one of the most critical conservation strategies of the Grand Bay project, controlled ecological burning," said David Ruple, the Conservancy's Grand Bay Savanna Project Director.
Grand Bay Savanna, a 300 square mile area in southern Alabama and Mississippi,
contains one of the largest and least disturbed wet pine savanna in the nation and is home to more than 70 rare plants, animals and natural communities. Due to its wealth of natural diversity, it is designated as one of The Nature Conservancy's "Last Great Places" around the world. For information about field trips to the area, contact The Nature Conservancy at (334) 473-4009.
