Gulf Shore Getaway

On the lookout for Ernesto

Ernesto is moving toward the west-northwest at about 16 mph. This general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Ernesto's maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is possible during the next 24 hours.

Tropical storm force winds currently extend outward up to 90 miles from the center of Tropical Storm Ernesto.

Intracoastal development under consideration

So many proposals for new condo developments and marinas in the Gulf Shores area are on the table it's attracting the interest of residents and regulators. The concern is the sum total of the impact these proposed developments might have on the area.

Do they make it more vulnerable to storms? Are there too many economic eggs in one basket? What about the environment and preserving the natural beauty of the area? These are among the questions being asked and debated.

Residents mull over Intracoastal development
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could set regulations on condos, marinas

GULF SHORES -- Beth Via stood in front of a sketch of proposed condo developments along the Intracoastal Waterway and scratched notes on a legal pad Tuesday night.

"There's so many reasons for not paving over this," she said. "Hurricane evacuation, habitat destruction, wildlife destruction, traffic and safety on the waterway. Isn't that enough?"

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had invited south Baldwin residents to help determine the effect -- both economic and environmental -- of thousands of planned condos and boat slips developers want to build along the waterway.

Gulf Shores closes on waterfront property - to become public park

The City of Gulf Shores has announced the successful closure on a waterfront property valued at $3.5 million. The prime water front real estate formerly known as Mo's Landing will eventually become a public park operated by the city. The City of Gulf Shores will work with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to secure funding grants to allow for redesign and construction of the property.

City closes deal on Lagoon property
Council seeks state funding for waterfront park design

Mo's Landing, a former gas station and boat launch on the north shore of Little Lagoon, is now officially public property, Mayor G.W. "Billy" Duke III said.

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Alabama Photographer covers Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge

This month's Popular Photography features an article by guest Columnist George Ponder, who lives in North Alabama. In his article George discusses photography in one of his favorite photo spots, the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge

Living in North Alabama as I do, the Gulf Coast is a convenient vacation spot—only a four-hour drive from my neck of the woods. Typically, I grab the golf bag for our vacations and spend time on the golf course while the wife and kids play in the sand. This year, I decided to leave the golf bag at home and carry the camera bag instead.

For the past two years, the Fort Morgan peninsula has been our destination spot on the Gulf Coast . The peninsula lies on the eastern entrance to Mobile Bay and is the home of the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge. The opportunity to explore this refuge with a camera was too great to pass up.

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1980 and consists of approximately 7,000 acres of coastal lands that range from beach dunes to pine-oak woodlands. The refuge runs along the coasts of both the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay and is home to more than 540 species of animals ranging from herons to egrets to alligators to deer. Birds are the most visible habitant of the refuge and offer tremendous photographic opportunities. I spent my mornings roaming the refuge during our weeklong vacation and barely scratched the surface of what this habitat has to offer.

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Beach mouse in the news again

The Alabama Beach Mouse is in the news again. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is designating areas in and around Gulf Shores as "Critical Habitat" meaning these areas are critically important to the survival of the species. The designation doesn't mean the areas are off-limits to development and use; but it does mean that those areas will be carefully monitored and maintained to ensure they remain hospitable to the Alabama Beach Mouse.

Economic analysis says between $18 million to $51 million needed to protect beach mouse

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has announced the release of a draft version of an economic analysis examining costs associated with designating parts of the Fort Morgan Peninsula and areas around Gulf Shores as "critical habitat" for the endangered Alabama beach mouse.

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Gulf Shores Condo market sellers turning to auctions

Condo owners in Gulf Shores are increasingly turning to a time tested way to find buyers for their Alabama Gulf Coast vaction properties: They're selling their condos at auction.

Sold! To the highest bidder

With 3,000 condominium units listed for sale on the Alabama Gulf Coast, some sellers are shedding the traditional approach in favor of auctioning their property to the highest bidder -- a process that speeds sales, but can come at the cost of a lower selling price.

Coastal Auction Co. sold three houses recently, and two had been on the market for at least six months. Two were in Terry Cove in Orange Beach -- one with two boat slips for $592,000 and one off the water for $367,000. The third property, an unfinished house in Martyn Woods in Gulf Shores, sold for $612,000.

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