Sunday, December 30, 2007I told myself I wasn't going to fall into the trap of feeling compelled to write a "Top 10" list of outdoors stories of the year, being that this will be my first New Year's spent at the Press-Register. I really wanted to do something original and maybe even a little thought-provoking.
I started thinking about just what did happen this year in the outdoors in southwest Alabama and across the state and realized it was a pretty original and thought-provoking year.
THE BAD -- I think the Conservation Department blew a great chance to give the people of Alabama a first-class boat ramp on the coast when it passed the buck to the Baldwin County Commission to decide whether the City of Orange Beach could build a three-ramp facility on about five acres of state-owned land on Perdido Key.
Politics got in the way of what should have been a no-brainer call on the state and local levels.
The Baldwin commission's 2-2 vote on asking the state for permission to begin the permitting process shut down Orange Beach's efforts for now, but I am encouraged by that city's commitment to providing much-needed launch facilities on the Alabama coast.
Despite opponents' disingenuous environmental arguments against the ramp's proposed location, I still believe it is without a doubt the best place to build a new launch facility.
Click here to read the full article from the Mobile Press-Register.
