Leave Only Footprints Intitiative:
Keeping Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Clean
Maybe you’ve seen the signs along the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach about the Leave Only Footprints initiative? They’re attached to posts near garbage cans and recycling bins all along the Alabama shoreline. And while they do make it easy to throw out trash after a sunny day relaxing on the beach, they’re only part of the Leave Only Footprints initiative.
Around fifteen years ago, community leaders realized we had a serious problem. The sea turtles weren’t nesting like they used to, and birds were so comfortable around humans, they got bold, sometimes taking food right out of peoples’ hands. The harmony of our local sea life and wildlife was imbalanced. We were met with a challenge on how to balance beach fun for people with a healthy ecosystem for wildlife.
Every year, more than six million people visit Alabama’s beaches to vacation and enjoy our white-sand beaches, amazing fishing, water sports, shopping and the many other activities our destination offers.
Together, our two communities, area business and concerned citizens organized in 2007 to create a beach sustainability program to protect our valuable natural assets. In 2015, the Beach Litter program was added to further protect the health and safety of the beach, surrounding waters, animals and, of course, beachgoers.
The program has been a huge success! Local hotels, condos and businesses have all pitched in, promoting the program with flyers and pamphlets to educate guests. Staff and volunteers have committed to preserving the beach through several initiatives. Additionally, eco-volunteers have done an amazing job to protect the dunes and sea turtle nests. The whole community has rallied around healthy beach living, and there has been great progress.
In 2016, the area earned two noteworthy awards: The Alabama Tourism Department Partnership Award commends the successful partnership between the Leave Only Footprints initiative with the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. It recognizes the importance of the campaign on sustainability, protection of valued natural resources, and continued tourism success. The Alabama PALS Governor’s Award recognizes the commitment to litter control, recycling, local cleanup efforts, environmental education and volunteerism.
How can you support the Leave Only Footprints initiative?
Clean Up Your Trash
Continued success depends on your commitment to supporting these efforts. Of course, keeping the beaches litter-free is a great start. Use those recycling bins to help control our landfill use.
Remember to Take Your Belongings
As you leave the beach each day, take everything with you! Don’t leave chairs, beach toys, towels, or tents behind. Every morning at dawn, crews dispose of any remaining beach gear so that these items don’t get swept into the Gulf and protect the turtles as they navigate between land and water.
Don’t Touch or Feed the Wildlife
It might seem innocent enough to feed part of your sandwich to the friendly bird who comes close, but it’s really harmful to the bird. Their natural diet does not include sandwich bread. Even more importantly, when you hand-feed a bird, it can become dependent on those handouts to survive and struggle when those handouts are no longer available.
Keep Your Distance from Dolphins and Other Sea Life
Seeing a dolphin or shark in its natural habitat in the water is a rare and unique experience. While those encounters make for great stories and photos, interactions with them can be harmful to them and their habitat. If you happen to encounter sea life such as these animals when out on the water, be sure to keep your distance and not disturb them. Boats can be especially dangerous, so always keep an eye out and never steer towards them. When we interrupt their natural life, we could be disrupting their migration pattern, breathing, breeding, feeding and sheltering. When we feed them, we reinforce begging behavior, and they lose their natural, healthy fear of humans.
Don’t Disturb Sea Turtle Nests
All three species of sea turtles found on our coast are on the endangered list, and any human contact with a sea turtle or its nest is extremely harmful. Disturbing sea turtles and their nests is a federal offense. If you see a sea turtle on the beach or in nearby waters, move away from it so that you don’t disrupt its natural behavior. Turtles need us to stay away to survive. Other sea turtle initiatives in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach include lighting changes on the beachside of resorts and houses, removing beach gear and structures after dark, and muted lighting on flashlights. Respect the rules to help the turtles make a comeback!
Don’t Dig Big Holes in the Sand.
If you dig a hole, fill it before you leave the beach. Holes are hazardous, particularly to sea turtles and humans. Large holes also become a hazard to our first responders during rescues.
Recycle.
The less garbage that goes into landfills, the healthier our community can be. Recycle what you can to cut down on waste.
Learn more about the Leave Only Footprints initiative and how you can help.
