Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1021328
39 ENVIRONMENT During the past two years, the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) has helped landowners restore thousands of acres in the Gulf Coast region, with assistance from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Alabama Power and Southern Company. The state's oldest and largest nonprofit conservation organization, AWF has a long track record of providing expert guidance on conservation at no cost to landowners. Because of increased concerns about conservation impacts aer the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, AWF applied to be part of the Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program, said Drew Arnold, AWF's south region biologist. Through that grants program, AWF expanded the reach of its successful Land Stewardship Assistance Program (LSAP) by hiring another biologist to more effectively focus resources and meet the needs of landowners in coastal and south Alabama. LSAP was developed in 1999 to provide "quality, boots-on-the-ground wildlife management technical assistance to private landowners across Alabama," Arnold said. "When a landowner requests assistance through the program, their goals are discussed in depth, and habitat conditions are assessed through a personal site visit," Arnold said. Aer that, a plan is prepared with recommendations, information and supplemental resources. AWF provides information about cost- share programs to implement recommended conservation practices, since lack of funds can oen be the biggest roadblock for private landowners. "By securing landowner involvement and identifying interests and concerns, we can more adequately meet the specific needs of landowners," Arnold said. AWF has developed an app, the Alabama Wildlife Federation Landowner Network, which provides AWF members with interactive tools and resources for land management, as well as a place for private landowners to connect with each other and AWF staff. For the Gulf Coastal Conservation Grants Program, AWF placed priority focus on migratory shorebird and waterfowl habitat; native warm- season grasslands; longleaf pine ecosystems with an emphasis on aiding threatened gopher tortoises; and invasive and exotic species control. Examples of habitat restoration underway include: Company supports AWF coastal conservation effor ts Butterflies pollinate plants.