Blankenship Event Center Unveiled at Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

The new Blankenship Event Center was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting event at the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area, much to the surprise of Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), and his wife, Allyson.

The new 5,000-square foot Blankenship Event Center is located on ADCNR’s State Lands Division property at the Field Trial Area in Hale County, which has become the premier location for sporting dog events in the nation. The Field Trial Area once served as the State Cattle Ranch and includes 3,342 Forever Wild Land Trust acres and State Land’s adjacent 998 acres.

The area is managed for a wide variety of sporting dog events as well as recreational opportunities that include youth deer, dove and duck hunts, youth fishing events, physically disabled hunts and ADCNR Campus Conservation Program activities. In 2025, the Field Trial Area hosted more than 30 sporting dog events, including two national events – Vizsla Club of America National Gun Dog Championship and the AKC National Gun Dog Championship. During 2025, the area offered 11 physically disabled deer hunts, 11 youth deer hunts, 6 youth duck hunts and 2 youth dove hunts.

The Blankenship Event Center can be converted into an open-air meeting space and features bathrooms and a limited kitchen facility. A new 4,000-square foot pavilion was also constructed adjacent to the center. All facilities at the center, pavilion and parking area are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.

“The Field Trial Area is a special location in Alabama’s Black Belt region,” ADCNR Commissioner Blankenship said. “Each year the property hosts youth duck and deer hunts, physically disabled hunts, public fishing events, multiple sporting dog events and is one of the locations for the Black Belt Birding Festival. It’s a multi-purpose area enjoyed by nearly 4,000 visitors each year.” This year alone the property hosted more than 2,700 dogs for various trial and hunt test events.

The Commissioner said he had called the Field Trial Area one of the premier locations for sporting dog events in the Southeast, but he was corrected by a veteran field trial handler.

“He said this was THE premier field trial area in the country,” Commissioner Blankenship said. “For Patti and the staff to surprise me and Allyson by attaching our family name to this fantastic facility is certainly a great honor and very much appreciated!  I was shocked and just couldn’t believe it at first when they uncovered the sign.”

Commissioner Blankenship said an allocation from the Alabama Legislature and a contribution from Innovate Alabama combined with ADCNR funds allowed ADCNR to make extensive improvements to the Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area.

“Without those contributions from the Legislature and Innovate, we wouldn’t have been able to do all the things we’ve done,” Commissioner Blankenship said at the ribbon cutting. “I want to talk about what we have out here. This was a Department of Corrections facility for a long time, called the Cattle Ranch. Our Field Trial Area was fantastic, but our facilities here needed an events center and other facilities that were commensurate with how nice and wonderful the Field Trial Area is. We started working on this several years ago to build something that we were proud of, something first class. We didn’t want to build anything small. We wanted to build something that would draw events to this part of the state – the regional and national events that bring thousands of people into these communities.”

State Representative Curtis Travis addressed Commissioner Blankenship and shared a conversation they’d had a year before the ribbon cutting.

“You told me you had something good coming to this area,” Representative Travis said. “I think you were a little short. This is fantastic. It’s a proud day for me to stand here and realize what we have accomplished. I’m from right up the road. To continue to see this (sporting dog events) going on, there’s going to be some wonderful things and create great economic opportunities by using recreation and our natural resources.” 

“It’s truly a blessing and honor to stand here today as we dedicate this beautiful event center, a place where a vision, hard work and community have come together in a remarkable way. This center is more than a field; it’s a field of dreams and a determination of shared heritage. It represents a place where sportsmen, family and friends will gather for generations to come. It’s a place where competition meets camaraderie and where the great outdoors continues to connect us with the value of patience, preparation and respect for God’s creations.”

Representative Travis honored all those who made the improvements and construction possible, including the planners, donors, builders and believers. 

“You saw the opportunity to build something that will serve the community, strengthen partnerships and promote excellence,” he said. “May every event here be guided by fairness, good spirit and safety. May all who gather here find joy in competition, pride and stewardship and peace in the beauty of nature. This Field Trial Area is testimony that when we work together with a vision, we can build something lasting, something that honors both people and purpose. May the trials that happen not only strengthen dogs and handlers, but the bonds of community that hold us all together.”

A variety of other improvements have been made during the construction project, including a horse barn expansion, new field restroom facilities and electrical hook-ups for camping sites as well as paving and road improvements. 

Commissioner Blankenship commended Director Patti McCurdy, whose State Lands Division oversees the Field Trial Area, for her willingness to expand the possibilities to make the area one of the most highly coveted spots to hold field trial and hunt test events in the nation. When competitions are announced, the positions are filled within minutes. She recognized former Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley, who was in attendance, for his vision and determination to make the Field Trial Area a reality at a time when some said it couldn’t be done.

McCurdy said she was reflecting about witnessing the transformation of the property that began under former Commissioner Lawley, continued through efforts of former Commissioner Gunter Guy and then reached fruition with much needed facility additions under Commissioner Blankenship’s leadership.

“This is just one example of his (Commissioner Blankenship) commitment to driving, not just outdoor recreation opportunities, but positive economic impacts for local communities,” she said, citing visitors renting accommodations, buying groceries, eating at restaurants and supporting various local businesses. “That means so much in the Black Belt. I live in the Black Belt, so every bit of this means a lot to me.”

McCurdy commended her staff and conservation enforcement officers, who are multi-taskers at the Field Trial Area. These officers, most degreed biologists and foresters, with help from additional field staff plan and implement land management activities ranging from active prescribed burn rotation to holding youth and disabled hunts while also making facility and infrastructure improvements. 

“They treat every blade of grass out here as their own,” McCurdy said. “To be able to manage a property with so many different user groups and so many different goals is an amazing accomplishment, unless you’re a part of it, it’s hard to describe.”

State Lands Chief Enforcement Officer Jeremy Doss said the Field Trial Area improvements will enhance all future events, especially those sporting dog events that use horses.

“The expansion of the barn area and stables will accommodate 48 horses, which is a large facility,” Doss said. “It was a big project, but a big addition too. Everything from lighting to plumbing has been replaced and a bathroom added. More than 2.5 miles of new fencing has been added to better protect dogs from the roadways. We also built five new camping sites and have more under construction.”

Doss said that what sets the Field Trial Area apart includes multiple factors.

“I think the acreage is one thing,” he said. “The management of the acreage is another. Our ability to perform habitat enhancements – approved by the Forever Wild Board – including prescribed burns, bushhogging, and the prepping of about 2,500 acres a year to create specific ground conditions necessary to meet the individual requirements of each of the various sporting dog events.

“Everybody is trying to hold their events here, and that’s a wonderful problem to have. It shows that we are moving in the right direction. To accommodate the growing demand, this year we are going to run two different trials on different areas of the property and also continue scheduling youth hunt events simultaneous with periods of sporting dog event usage.”

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