MOBILE, Ala. — For those who wish to pursue a law enforcement career in Alabama’s outdoors, an opportunity will soon be available at the University of South Alabama, where the Blankenship Scholars program will award endowments to approximately 10 students annually to further their studies and career.
Named for a Career That Started on the Water
The program is named in honor of Chris Blankenship and family. Blankenship has served as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since he was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in 2017.
His career at ADCNR started much earlier, as a law enforcement officer with the Alabama Marine Resources Division. Those roots in enforcement are what prompted the endowment program.
Blankenship served as Director of Marine Resources before being promoted to Commissioner.
What USA’s President Said
“Without a doubt, Chris Blankenship’s leadership in conservation and natural resources has been unrivaled,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “He has worked tirelessly to implement the governor’s vision to make sure every corner of Alabama benefits from the investments that have been made over the past decade. Clearly, no one is more indebted to Commissioner Blankenship than those of us in south Alabama, where the beautiful Gulf meets the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.”
“Just as Chris’s stewardship of our wildlife and marine resources has been exceptional, he has done so much to upgrade and expand our state parks, which will benefit Alabamians for generations to come,” Bonner said. “It is only appropriate for the University of South Alabama to create the Blankenship Scholars so that our current and future students who want to follow in Chris’s path can do so with this endowment. We are extremely proud to count Chris Blankenship among our more than 100,000 alumni, and we salute him for his tireless and dedicated service to Alabama.”
What Blankenship Said
Blankenship said he is grateful for the recognition but also sees the scholarships creating pathways into a field that needs people.
“I’m excited the University of South Alabama would like to create a program where we can train and attract more conservation enforcement officers,” Blankenship said.
“Our current officers are wonderful, and I am also excited that these scholarships will be able to help us fill those roles with officers that come in with even better enforcement training and conservation knowledge.”
A Job That Requires Two Skill Sets
Conservation enforcement is a distinct branch of law enforcement, and the reason a dedicated scholarship pipeline makes sense lies in what the job actually requires.
Conservation officers and marine resources enforcement officers are sworn peace officers with full arrest authority, and they perform that work largely alone, in remote locations, often on water, frequently at night, and almost always in contact with armed people — hunters and anglers legally carrying firearms. Backup is typically distant.
At the same time, the substance of the job is biological. Enforcing size and creel limits, seasons, gear restrictions, tagging requirements and habitat protections requires a working knowledge of species identification, life cycles, harvest regulation and the reasons behind the rules. An officer who cannot distinguish between similar species, or who does not understand why a size limit exists, cannot enforce the law competently or explain it to the public.
Recruiting people who arrive with both halves of that skill set — law enforcement preparation and conservation science — is the persistent staffing challenge in the field, and it is precisely what an academic scholarship program is positioned to address.
Where South Alabama Fits
The university’s location is central to the program’s logic. Mobile sits between the Gulf and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, one of the largest and most biologically diverse river delta systems in the United States. Students in the program will be studying within reach of estuarine, marine, riverine and coastal forest environments — the working environments of the officers the program aims to produce.
About the Program
The Blankenship Scholars program will award endowments to approximately 10 students annually. Additional details on eligibility and application are expected from the University of South Alabama.