Chris Blankenship, the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), will retire at the end of the month, Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Blankenship, a native of Dauphin Island, has spent much of his career working with ADCNR, having first been hired as a conservation enforcement officer in 1994. He would go on to serve as deputy commissioner and director of ADCNR Marine Resources Division from 2011 to 2017.

On June 1, 2017, Ivey named Blankenship acting commissioner of the ADCNR. Just over two months later, on Aug. 11, Ivey named Blankenship the permanent commissioner.

"For Alabama to remain 'Alabama the Beautiful,' we must prioritize our great outdoors and abundant natural resources," Ivey said as part of a press release on Tuesday. "The Ivey Administration has made historic progress to do just that, and Chris has been at the front of that mission since day one. 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."

The governor's office cited investments of $525 million in outdoor recreation improvements under Blankenship's tenure, including more than $350 million in upgrades throughout Alabama State Parks.

Blankenship also helped oversee funding from the Gulf of Mexico Security Act (GOMESA), which the governor's office said steered more than $318 million to fund 143 projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Much of the GOMESA funding has helped fund numerous projects across Baldwin County, such as the Fly Creek Nature Preserve in Fairhope and the Bayfront Park Project in Daphne.

Under Blankenship, the ADCNR also oversaw funding for projects funded by the RESTORE Act, signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012, which dictates the use of fines following the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster that occurred in 2010. The governor's office said that there have been more than $1.27 billion in oil spill recovery projects completed, underway or approved in the Coastal Alabama area.

"I would like to thank Governor Ivey for giving me the opportunity to serve as Conservation Commissioner," Blankenship said. "It has been an honor, and I was blessed to be part of the Ivey Administration for the past nine-plus years. I have learned so much from her and the other Cabinet members. Her leadership style has allowed and encouraged me to lead my agency with the freedom to undertake comprehensive and progressive initiatives. 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."

Ivey said that Ben Stimpson Jr. will lead the ADCNR through the remainder of her tenure as governor. Stimpson, who is from Mobile and is a first cousin of former Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, previously served as director of corporate operations for Scotch Gulf and Canfor Southern Pine.

"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve Governor Kay Ivey and the people of Alabama as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources," Stimpson said. "Alabama's natural resources and outdoor heritage are among our state's greatest treasures, and I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of the Department to protect and preserve them for future generations. I am grateful to Governor Ivey for the confidence she has placed in me and look forward to serving her Administration and our state."