Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 2017, is retiring at the end of September. He’s been with the department for since 1994.
“For Alabama to remain ‘Alabama the Beautiful,’ we must prioritize our great outdoors and abundant natural resources. The Ivey Administration has made historic progress to do just that, and Chris has been at the front of that mission since day one,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “God has truly blessed the state of Alabama, and for more than 30 years, Chris has been a part of protecting and enhancing our natural resources. I congratulate him on a job well-done, and I know he has a lot left to give. I am confident our state will continue benefitting from his contributions in the years ahead.”
Ivey appointed Blankenship as commissioner, and since then $525 million has been funded in outdoor recreation improvements, with Alabama State Parks seeing upgrades of more than $350 million. From the Gulf of Mexico Security Act (GOMESA), more than $318 million has been allocated to fund 143 projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
“I would like to thank Governor Ivey for giving me the opportunity to serve as Conservation commissioner,” Blankenship said. “I have been deeply blessed to have served with fantastic and passionate people for 32 years in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, beginning as a conservation enforcement officer in 1994. Truly, I believe there is no governor who has done more for the state’s conservation efforts than Governor Kay Ivey. I am confident that we are leaving the agency and our resources better than we found them and I will be watching for more good work during the remainder of Governor Ivey’s term.”
Ben Stimpson Jr. will be commissioner beginning Oct. 1. He is the former director of corporate operations for Scotch Gulf and Canfor Southern Pine, and he most recently served as a member of the Conservation advisory board.
