Alabama Coastal Area Management Program

The Alabama Coastal Management Program (ACAMP) was approved by NOAA in 1979 as part of the National Coastal Zone Management Program. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), State Lands Division, Coastal Section is responsible for overall management of ACAMP.

The purpose of ACAMP is to balance economic growth with the need for preservation of Alabama’s coastal resources for future generations. The program promotes wise management of the cultural and natural resources of the state’s coastal areas and fosters efforts to ensure the long-term ecological and economic productivity of coastal Alabama. ACAMP is implemented in the legislatively defined Alabama Coastal Area, which extends from the continuous 10-foot contour seaward to the 3-mile limit in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

ADCNR, State Lands Division, Coastal Section staff work jointly with staff from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to implement the federally approved program. ADCNR serves as the lead agency responsible for overall management of the program including planning, fiscal management, and education and dissemination of public information. ADEM oversees regulatory, permitting, monitoring, and enforcement responsibilities of the program.

Annual program activities include coastal cleanup, implementation of public access construction projects, planning support for local governments, and providing grant funds to Alabama’s coastal communities and partners. ACAMP’s annual grant program supports projects that protect, enhance, and improve the management of natural, cultural, and historical coastal resources and that increase the sustainability, resiliency and preparedness of coastal communities and economies.

For more information, contact Coastal Section staff at DCNR.Coastal@dcnr.alabama.gov or call (251) 621-1216.

ACAMP’s annual grant program supports projects that protect, enhance, and improve the management of natural, cultural, and historical coastal resources and that increase the sustainability, resiliency and preparedness of coastal communities and economies. The annual Request for Proposals is typically posted in January or February, with projects beginning each October.

Eligible applicants include:

• Units of coastal government including Mobile County, Baldwin County, and municipalities within those counties (and any boards, departments, agencies, corporations or instrumentalities of such coastal governments) or tribal governments within Mobile and Baldwin counties
• Alabama state agencies whose activities affect or are affected by activities in the coastal area
• Non-profits assisting coastal governments and/or state agencies with efforts to effectively exercise responsibilities and manage coastal resources for public benefit in the coastal area
• Area-wide agencies, regional planning agencies, conservation districts, and port authorities
• Alabama school districts, public colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning