GULF SHORES,

Ala. -- The Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network (MSN)

will be celebrating its fifth anniversary as the region’s manatee

research program with their biggest manatee awareness effort yet;

the unveiling of an extraordinary 38-foot tall mural by renowned

artists Dwight Kirkland and Michael Colley of Black Leaf Studio,

Mifflintown, Pa.

A mural of

Alabama’s marine mammal, the manatee, will be installed at Tacky

Jack’s in Gulf Shores. The artists will begin this incredible work

of art on Thursday, Feb. 23. The work will be unveiled at an

invitation-only reception for supporters of the Manatee Sighting

Network on Friday, March 9, and will be available for viewing at

Tacky Jack’s at Gulf Shores.

“We are

honored to have such a unique way of celebrating our five-year

anniversary of manatee research in Alabama,” said Dr. Ruth

Carmichael, director of the MSN. “Both the artists and the

management at Tacky Jack’s were incredibly supportive and

enthusiastic about presenting this monumental artwork to educate

the public about the presence and importance of these unique

creatures in our local waters.

“Tacky Jack’s

has been a perfect partner – they are community-conscious and their

family-friendly atmosphere is ideal for reaching out to people who

are interested in the marine environment. The locations of their

restaurants also tend to be ‘hotspots’ for manatee sightings.

Customers looking out the windows during lunch and dinner have

reported manatees traveling, feeding and cavorting nearby,” she

added. “Black Leaf Studio came to our attention through a volunteer

who was impressed by the beautiful renderings of manatees. Artist

Dwight Kirkland has been gracious and generous, and we are

privileged to have his work represent our outreach mission.”

“After many

years of supplying artwork to support and to raise money for

various wildlife foundations, I felt it was a natural move to

donate my time and talents to create the manatee mural for DISL's

Manatee Sighting Network,” Artist Dwight Kirkland stated. “Wildlife

has always been a big part of my life as well as the subject matter

for my artwork.

“Not only is

this mural important to me from an artist stand point, but also for

what it can do for research for the manatees. It's an absolute

pleasure to create this fine art mural," he concluded.

"We are

thrilled to be working with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and believe

the Manatee Murals will be educational and entertaining for our

guests. We are happy to be able to help raise awareness of manatees

in our area, and look forward to working with Dr. Carmichael,”  Ken

Kichler, CFO of Tacky Jack’s, said.

You will be

able to view the artists’ progress on the giant mural at MSN’s

website manatee.disl.org. If you or your company is interested in

sponsoring the March 9 unveiling event, please call 1-866-493-5803

or email manatee@disl.org.