Gulf Coast Center For Eco-Tourism perfect bridge between schools & GSP in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

Gulf Coast Center For Eco-Tourism perfect bridge between schools & GSP

The city of Gulf Shores has a new community environmental education hub that fittingly occupies a 12 acre site between its city schools and Gulf State Park.
The new Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism & Sustainability campus, paid for with Restore Act funds from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will serve as a regional hub for experiential environmental education as well as camps, classes, public events, and other eco-tourism related events beginning in July.
Designed by ArchitectureWorks of Birmingham and Fairhope based WATERSHED, the campus will allow the city to perpetuate sustainable tourism, and its connection to the natural environment that surrounds the center.
“This is a place for hands-on learning, ecological awareness, and joyful connection with the outdoors,” said project architect Roger Mainor.
“We used historical climate responsive elements like deep porches, dot trots, and thermal chimneys so that visitors don’t have to retreat to the air-conditioned interiors to be comfortable. It was important that the campus invite visitors to explore and appreciate the unique ecology of the gulf coast,’’ added Rebecca Bryant of Watershed.
Eco-Center structures are designed to frame views, invite breezes, and support its nature-based camps, STEM field studies, bike programs, organic gardening, and ropes course, while the staff pursues LEED Gold and Fortified Commercial Silver certifications for resilience and sustainability.
“What’s happening today is really just a snapshot of all the community programs and the coming together that we hope this space will help facilitate in generations to come,” said executive director Travis Langen. “I was just so thrilled that this much wild land and nature is protected already. Our job is to help interpret it and help ensure that it remains protected for generations to come.’’
Developed through a partnership between Gulf Shores, Gulf State Park, and the Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism & Sustainability, the project puts Gulf Shores in a position to become a regional center for environmental education – a place where people can learn about coastal ecosystems while developing practical skills in sustainability and conservation. And importantly, it’s open to all. The facility can be booked by public or private groups for camps, classes, events and programs (Info: gulfcenter.org).
“Everybody who lives here lives here by choice, because we have this great environment,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said at the ribbon cutting. “We have that and we have to protect it.”
“What we need to be doing here in coastal Alabama is educating the next generation on how special of a place this is and how to take care of it and make a difference moving forward,” said Chris Blankenship, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources commissioner.
The complex will be used for camps beginning in July with programming that will include innovative practices developed in partnership with world renowned diver and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment.
With sister programs in Hawaii, California, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Maldives, Ambassadors of the Environment immerses participants in the natural world and inspires them to become leaders in their home communities.
Eco-center camps start July 7 and will include time at Lake Shelby, and the beach in Gulf State Park. Activities will include hiking, biking, kayaking, arts/crafts, cooking, and the eco-center’s star attraction, the new ropes course (for ages 10 & over).
Email [email protected] or call 251-210-8721 for more info.