ADCNR Receives Governor's Tourism Award

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

At the Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism this week, one of the highest awards went to an unusual recipient. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) received the 2025 Governor’s Tourism Award for its contribution to Alabama’s burgeoning tourism industry.

Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell said the award presented to ADCNR was special in several ways.

“Our agency rarely gives awards to partner organizations, but ADCNR has provided leadership for the industry for many years,” Sentel said. “This is overdue recognition for the unique leadership this agency provides the tourism industry. In many ways, we are sister organizations, and the Tourism Department wouldn’t be nearly as successful as it is had it not been for ADCNR. 

“The level of professionalism in this agency is second to none and provides leadership that all of Alabama’s hospitality and outdoor recreation industries benefit from.”

ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship accepted the award Sunday night at the banquet at The Lodge at Gulf State Park.

“It’s a great honor to accept this award on behalf of our 1,200-plus Department staff and employees, who have a passion to protect our great natural resources and provide public access to these great outdoor recreation opportunities,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “ADCNR strives to conserve our native habitats, wildlife and fisheries and to provide as much access as possible to Alabamians and visitors.

“It means so much that Governor (Kay) Ivey and Lee and the tourism community have recognized the substantial investment we have made to upgrade the recreational assets of Alabama. We have worked hard to obtain funding and build partnerships with cities and counties all over Alabama to do amazing work for our citizens and visitors. The economic impact to these communities from outdoor rec is substantial, and I truly am so thankful for the good work that has been done and will continue over the next few years.

“Partnering with Tourism on many different projects, including the Year of Alabama Trails, provides outreach for both departments and allows for the awareness and expansion of outdoor activities throughout the state.” 

Tourism’s Year of Alabama Trails is actually a two-year promotion because of the vast number of trails available in the state, including 500 miles in Alabama State Parks and almost 400 additional miles in the Forever Wild Land Trust, which is also managed by ADCNR.

Alabama’s 21 State Parks display the wide diversity of landscapes in the state, from the mountains in northeast Alabama to the Tennessee River Valley to the southern Appalachians at Oak Mountain State Park, down through the River Region through the Black Belt all the way to the Gulf Coast.

ADCNR’s Essential for Alabama: Outdoor Recreation Expansion Program report highlights what Commissioner Blankenship and former Deputy Commissioner Ed Poolos, who was recently named head of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), have accomplished in recent years, including the procurement of funding for a wide variety of projects to enhance the outdoor experience for residents and to attract visitors from across the nation and the world. More than $400 million has been dedicated to public access and outdoor recreation projects under their leadership. This investment is actively transforming Alabama into a premier destination for outdoor recreation.

This funding has been used for significant statewide infrastructure and access projects at ADCNR's Public Fishing Lakes, State Parks, coastal beaches, public boating access areas and multi-use trails. This expansion program, unprecedented in Alabama's history, was created to address the increasing interest and participation in outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, camping, shooting sports, hiking, mountain biking, paddling and boating.

State Parks has $228 million in projects underway or completed, including upgrades at DeSoto, Lake Guntersville, Gulf, Meaher, Monte Sano, Wind Creek, Rickwood, Joe Wheeler, Oak Mountain, and Lakepoint state parks. Several completed projects include the rebuilding of Gulf State Park Pier, Monte Sano Campground upgrades, new cabins on Lake Shelby at Gulf State Park, renovations of the lodge rooms at Lakepoint and a total rebuild of the Oak Mountain State Park Campground.

“We have three of the largest State Parks projects underway that will greatly improve our system for Alabamians and visitors alike,” said Commissioner Blankenship. “We’re doing a total makeover at Lake Lurleen State Park near Tuscaloosa with $14 million in funding. We also have a new executive campground being built on the site of the old golf course as part of the Gulf State Park Campground expansion, a $24 million project.

“The new lodge and hotel at Cheaha State Park atop Alabama’s highest point will be a showpiece for the state. The $28 million project is being built with mass timber construction to perfectly blend into the mountain landscape and highlight the forest products industry in our state. We specified that project must use mass timber construction and cross-laminated panels with timber that was sustainably harvested and milled in Alabama.”

Commissioner Blankenship is in Rhode Island this week to receive another award. The States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) will present the Commissioner with the Outstanding Service Award at the SOBA Education and Training Symposium in Providence.

“Alabama has more navigable waterways than any other state in the nation,” he said. “We have invested more than $66 million in funds to build new boat ramps, renovate many existing boat ramps, expand parking areas and improve other facilities that will make it easier on our citizens and visitors to access the great resource for fishing, boating and other recreation that we are so blessed with in Alabama.”

ADCNR has also championed efforts to create a comprehensive ecotourism model with the Outdoor Recreation Expansion Program, which includes projects for sustainable access to our state’s abundant wildlife and fisheries and its iconic locations like the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Cheaha State Park and the Alabama Gulf Coast’s sugar-sand beaches. This initiative improves the quality of life for Alabamians, enhances tourism, and strengthens Alabama's overall economy by attracting skilled labor and companies who judge potential relocation sites by the quality of life and the availability of outdoor recreation activities, not to mention the beauty of the natural landscape.

Sentell said the recent conference at The Lodge at Gulf State Park allowed tourism professionals from all over Alabama, including cities, counties, and regions, to celebrate the growth of the tourism industry in Alabama, which has exploded since he became Director in 2003.

“We’re estimating that the industry in Alabama will have $25 billion in sales this year,” Sentell said. “When I started 20-some years ago, we were at about $5 billion. Because of the growth during Governor Ivey’s leadership, we have been able to project that we will reach that $25 billion number. In the last 10 years, that has grown from $12 billion.

“The outdoor recreation component of tourism has grown dramatically in the last decade because of expanding opportunities in the outdoors, including hunting, both freshwater and saltwater fishing, hiking, and biking and numerous other activities like enjoying our beautiful beaches. I’m proud to say that ADCNR assets have played a major role in our ability to reach the $25 billion in sales.” 

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