Grant Will Aid in Habitat Restoration Work
West Blocton, AL -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge near West Blocton, Alabama.
In an afternoon ceremony at the refuge, Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Sam D. Hamilton joined Jeff Danter, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy of Alabama, Senator Richard Shelby, Senator Jeff Sessions, and Representative Spencer Bachus in dedicating and recognizing the refuge.
"It is a pleasure for me to help dedicate the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge," said Hamilton. "This refuge, with its incredibly diverse population of aquatic species, provides an important opportunity to protect a unique river ecosystem. It could not have come about without the hard work of a great many people."
The refuge was established through a partnership between The Nature Conservancy of Alabama and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to preserve and manage a unique segment of the biologically significant Cahaba River and to protect a number of threatened and endangered species living there.
"It has been an honor for The Nature Conservancy to work in partnership to bring this important habitat into permanent protection," said Danter. "This is an investment in conservation that will benefit not only Alabama today but future generations."
The dedication ceremony also included the presentation of a grant to The Nature Conservancy of Alabama for restoration of 185 acres of longleaf pine at the refuge. The grant was awarded as part of the Longleaf Legacy program, a partnership which began in August 2003 between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Southern Company and its operating companies, which include Alabama Power. This five-year program is focused on restoring the South
