The following letter was written by Glen Coffee, who was just elected to our DIPOA. Please take a few minutes to read this very important and informative letter. The Governor of Alabama has added his support to this effort.

Dear Neighbors,

I don't know how much you know about the Corps' Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program Study (MsCIP) and the Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan so permit me to explain.

To summarize, the MsCIP Study was authorized by Congress to restore conditions in the three coastal Mississippi Counties that were adversely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan is a product of the MsCIP Study and directs repairs of erosion damage to the chain of barrier islands that form Mississippi Sound. As you know, Dauphin Island is the lead island in the chain and all of the sand that feeds the chain of islands originates from Dauphin Island, which in turns gets the sand from the Fort Morgan peninsula. However, Dauphin Island is not presently included in the barrier island restoration plan. If we can get Dauphin Island added to this effort, the engineering studies that would be performed offer a lot of promise in helping address the Island's coastal erosion problems at no cost to the Town. The attached letter that the Town sent to Gov Riley asking him to intervene on our behalff sums up the issues and explains why Dauphin Island needs to be added to the Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan.

Also attached are the letters that Gov Riley sent in turn to Alabama's Congressional delegation conveying his support to have Mobile County and Dauphin Island added to the MsCIP. The next step needed is for our Congressional representatives to take the necessary action to have Mobile County and Dauphin Island added to the MsCIP.

We have successfully developed a wide support base that is expanding everyday and involves more interest off the Island than on it. We have political interests, academic institutions, environmental organizations, commercial interests, and regular citizens like you and I getting behind this effort. We plan to eventually meet with Congressman Bonner and Senators Session and Shelby to show them the strong support base behind this need.

We are also trying to get the residents on Dauphin Island and the absentee owners of property on our Island to send letters to our Congressional interests. Attached is the letter we have drafted requesting our immediate Congressional delegation to take action to have Dauphin Island included in the Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan.

While Gov. Riley's letter is a major step forward, our Congressional representatives now need to act. We as constituents need to show them our support for this effort by sending letters telling them how important it is to include Dauphin Island in the Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Plan. To make it easy for our folks to send letters, the proposed letter includes the addresses of Congressman Bonner and Senators Sessions and Shelby. The letter could also be sent to other Alabama members to Congress. Property owners living in other States may wish to write their Congressman as well. For property owners living in Mississippi, Congressman Gene Taylor is a key person. It would be helpful for each property owner to "tweak" the letter to convey their personal thoughts, etc. so that it does not look like a form letter.

Our goal is to flood our Congressman's offices with letters on this matter. Please take the time to take the appropriate action. I'm sending you this message with the hope that you will pass this informaton along to anyone who may help in these efforts. Please send me an electronic copy of the letters you mail so we can include them in a "briefing package" that we will use to handcarry these guys in the near future in a meeting(s) with them. It would be great to have a thick book of letters that were sent to them on this matter.


This started out as a "grass roots" effort. I have been surprised at how it has taken off in much less than 2 months. Thanks.


Glen Coffee
Project Manager/Biologist
Discovery Services, LLC
407 Diard Circle
Dauphin Island, AL 36528
251/861-7475
251/861-7475 fax
251/599-6925 cell

Please help join this effort by sending letters to our elected representatives, which you can download right here and please feel free to modify them to make them more personal.