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17 11, 2020

The benefits of recycling oyster shells

By |2020-11-19T20:51:12+00:00November 17th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Most restaurants on the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast have oysters on the menu. Fried, grilled, broiled, baked, or in soups and stews, oysters are one of the most popular seafood choices harvested from our coastal waters. With so much oyster eating going on, have you ever thought about what happens to all those oyster shells?   The Alabama Coastal Foundation, along with restaurant partners, created an oyster shell recycling program to put the shells back into the water. After the empty shells are collected from restaurants, they are [...]

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10 11, 2020

Sea oats are the dominant players in our natural storm protection

By |2020-11-19T20:44:12+00:00November 10th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Earlier this year we were reminded of how fragile our beautiful coastline is. Hurricane Sally visited and definitely overstayed her welcome with hours of hurricane-force winds and torrential rain battering our beaches, homes and businesses. Do you know what is the greatest natural protection we have from storms? The sea oats and other vegetation that help hold our dunes together.   The stately sea oats can create a root system as much as 10 times the size of the rest of the plant. All of those roots hold on to sand. As sea oats [...]

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3 11, 2020

3 ways to celebrate America Recycles Day November 15

By |2020-11-19T20:40:24+00:00November 3rd, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Way back in 1977, the National Recycling Coalition created America Recycles Day to encourage fellow Americans to commit to the act of recycling. On November 15 each year, this day is celebrated as a way to bring awareness to the importance of recycling.    Are you ready to get started on a recycling lifestyle? First of all, take the Keep America Beautiful #BeRecycled pledge.    LEARN: I will find out what materials are collected for recycling in my community.   ACT: Within the next month, I [...]

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28 10, 2020

Our Green Team business partners are important to the Leave Only Footprints program

By |2020-10-14T19:11:37+00:00October 28th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Having great business partners is just good business. And the Leave Only Footprints Green Team business partners are the best. The most obvious are the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach keeping the beaches clean each night.   But there are also some not-so-obvious partners that help spread education and information about the program. Let’s take a look at all the partners in our Green Team.    The cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach  provide daily beachcombing services and collection of items left on the beaches after sunset. This helps endangered [...]

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21 10, 2020

Why we need to be Dolphin SMART on Alabama’s Gulf Coast

By |2020-10-14T19:03:11+00:00October 21st, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Dolphins are amazing! We know how smart they are. But do you know how to be Dolphin SMART?    Stay at least 50 yards from dolphins.  Move away cautiously if dolphins show signs of disturbance.  Always put your engine in neutral when dolphins are near.  Refrain from swimming with, touching or feeding wild dolphins.  Teach others to be Dolphin SMART.   Being Dolphin SMART is very important on Alabama’s  Gulf Coast. Bottlenose dolphins love our warm gulf waters and back bays, and we humans love to observe them. Dolphins [...]

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14 10, 2020

Why marine debris is scary stuff

By |2020-10-14T18:54:30+00:00October 14th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Can you imagine a floating island of trash that covers an area twice the size of Texas? While it isn’t actually an island, the Great Pacific garbage patch is a large system of ocean currents containing marine debris particles in the central north Pacific Ocean. These particles of plastics and floating trash contain an estimated 87,000 metric tons of plastic. Wow!   Here on the Gulf of Mexico we aren’t dealing with a problem as massive as the Pacific. But we do have marine debris [...]

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7 10, 2020

Celebrate National Seafood Month with fresh Alabama seafood

By |2020-10-14T18:52:50+00:00October 7th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Here on the Alabama Gulf Coast, we celebrate seafood year-round. Even so, we’ll acknowledge that September is National Seafood Month and celebrate a little extra with fresh-from-the-gulf seafood.    Do you know how to make sure you are eating fresh Alabama Gulf Seafood? We have a few tips to share regarding ordering in a restaurant or buying from a market.  Don’t be shy. Ask where the seafood comes from. This applies to restaurants and markets. Some locations provide a tracking system for your seafood. The most popular are Gulf Wild and Fish Trax. Look [...]

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23 09, 2020

Protect nesting sea turtles at the beach this fall

By |2020-09-23T16:31:23+00:00September 23rd, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

Sea turtle nesting season on Alabama’s Gulf Coast is between May and October. During this time, mama turtles come on shore to lay their eggs. After approximately 55 days, the baby sea turtles hatch and head to the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of these endangered creatures hatch on the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach each year.   Sea turtle nesting season is also the busy tourist season on Pleasure Island. Volunteers comb the beaches each morning and keep a watchful eye out for turtle tracks in the sand. If they spot tracks and a nest, it will [...]

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16 09, 2020

Purple is an important color in the Beach Flag Warning System

By |2020-09-23T16:17:00+00:00September 16th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

There are many things to be aware of when you’re enjoying a day playing and swimming at the beach. If you take precautions with sunscreen and water safety, observe the warning flags, and practice the Leave Only Footprints program, a fun day at the beach will remain fun!   Those familiar with the Alabama Beach Warning Flag System probably know what the green, yellow and red flags indicate. But do you know what the purple flag means? The purple flag is flown when dangerous marine life [...]

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9 09, 2020

Eco-friendly fishing practices for your fall beach trip

By |2020-09-23T16:12:32+00:00September 9th, 2020|Blog|0 Comments

As you plan your fall fishing trip to Coastal Alabama, take some time to consider how you can Leave Only Footprints - or in this case, leave only a boat wake.    Marine debris is a world-wide problem and we can all do our part to help alleviate it. Trash in the water spoils the natural beauty, but more importantly, it is hazardous to all types of marine life. A few of the consequences of marine debris include habitat damage; wildlife injury, illness and death; navigation hazards; and vessel damage [...]

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