SPEAKER: Chandra Wright and Susan Johnson, Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama

TITLE: Weathering Disaster: The Sustainability and Resilience of Gulf State Park

ABSTRACT: Gulf State Park is one of Alabama’s most popular state parks, drawing more than 2 million annual visitors, and encompassing 6,150 acres of coastal ecosystems. This talk will cover diverse topics including the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project funded by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which resulted in the restoration of the dunes, expansion of the trail system, rebuilding of the Lodge, and building a new Interpretive Center and Learning Campus. The speakers will discuss how the park is serving as an international benchmark for environmental and economic sustainability and introduce the audience to current and future programs at the Learning Campus.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY: Chandra Wright is the Director of Environmental & Educational Outreach for Gulf State Park. In this role, she serves as an advisor internally for the environmental and educational initiatives at the Lodge, Learning Campus and Interpretive Center. She also shares the unique stories of sustainable design and operations within Gulf State Park with a variety of audiences. Susan Johnson is the Meeting Manager for the Learning Campus. Susan serves as the first point of contact in assisting clients with the venue’s bookings and reservations, working to define clients’ needs for meeting spaces, programs, and lodging to create a natural immersive Learning Campus and Gulf State Park experience. 

EVENT DETAILS: Faculty, students, and the public are invited to attend this program. Advanced registration is not required. Refreshments will be available after the seminar. Parking is available on the third and fourth floors in the South Quad Parking Deck across from the CFWE Building on Duncan Drive. To receive announcements about future seminars, download the 2024 Fall Seminar Calendar or request to join our email list at cfwecom@auburn.edu.

Contact the seminar host or Robert Gitzen at rag0012@auburn.edu if you would like to attend via Zoom or access a recorded version of the seminar.