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FORT MORGAN, Ala. - For the first time since Hurricane Ivan struck the Alabama coast in September 2004, birders and other visitors are being allowed into the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
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The refuge had about 100,000 visitors annually before the hurricane, according to federal wildlife officials. Walking trails have been repaired in this favorite forested area for migratory birds, nesting sea turtles and the federally protected Alabama beach mouse.
Each spring, birds returning from Mexico take rest stops at Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan Peninsula, where birdwatchers with cameras and binoculars await their arrival.
The Bon Secour refuge extends from Fort Morgan over to Little Dauphin Island. More than 370 species of birds have been identified on the refuge during migratory seasons, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ranging from hummingbirds to herons and ospreys.
Ivan's winds and waves covered the refuge with debris from wrecked houses. Then Hurricane Katrina caused more damage last summer, said refuge manager Lloyd Culp.
Cleanup crews removed sunken boats, propane tanks, gas cans, lumber and other debris — enough to fill 576 dump trucks. Much of it had to be removed by hand to protect fragile habitats.
The 7,000-acre Bon Secour refuge is part of the Gulf Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which also includes the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. There is no entry fee.
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The refuge had about 100,000 visitors annually before the hurricane, according to federal wildlife officials. Walking trails have been repaired in this favorite forested area for migratory birds, nesting sea turtles and the federally protected Alabama beach mouse.
Each spring, birds returning from Mexico take rest stops at Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan Peninsula, where birdwatchers with cameras and binoculars await their arrival.
The Bon Secour refuge extends from Fort Morgan over to Little Dauphin Island. More than 370 species of birds have been identified on the refuge during migratory seasons, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ranging from hummingbirds to herons and ospreys.
Ivan's winds and waves covered the refuge with debris from wrecked houses. Then Hurricane Katrina caused more damage last summer, said refuge manager Lloyd Culp.
Cleanup crews removed sunken boats, propane tanks, gas cans, lumber and other debris — enough to fill 576 dump trucks. Much of it had to be removed by hand to protect fragile habitats.
The 7,000-acre Bon Secour refuge is part of the Gulf Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which also includes the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. There is no entry fee.
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