A native son was honored Monday when the Christopher Blankenship Eco-Tourism Area & Kayak Launch was unveiled to the public on Dauphin Island at Aloe Bay. The honoree was reared on Dauphin Island and started work as a deck hand on Capt. Mike Thierry’s Lady Ann charter boat as a teenager. He continued his Dauphin Island connection as an enforcement officer with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD). In 2017, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey appointed him as ADCNR Commissioner.