In 2018, the Alabama Coastal Foundation assisted filmmaker and journalist Ben Raines in producing the documentary "The Underwater Forest," which explores the discovery of an ancient cypress forest discovered 60 feet underwater in the Gulf of Mexico off the Alabama coast.

Six years later, the foundation is still working to have the area federally protected by Congress under official legislation.

However, just last week, Raines traveled to Washington D.C. with Congressman Jerry Carl to testify on the importance of federally protecting the forest at a legislative hearing for the of Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee on Jan. 18.

At the hearing, Raines showcased portions of the documentary and explained the process of his discovery and what lies beneath the water in the underwater forest.

"The scientists we brought out there have now determined that the forest is 70,000 years old, even older than we thought," Raines said. "Many of the tree stumps we found are 10 to 12 feet across, with a circumference of 30,000 feet if you can imagine."

Raines said that now the forest is functioning as a coral reef, with tree stumps along the bottom that are now being colonized by crabs and other marine life. Additionally, Raines said there is an ancient river that runs between the forest, separating the trees.

However, Raines stressed that he believes it is important to have this area federally protected to allow the forest to thrive and flourish.

"One of the first things that happened when I first wrote about the forest is a furniture company offered me $10,000 for the coordinates, and that has only accelerated," Raines said. "The idea that these furniture companies who have already applied for permits within the state of Alabama would be allowed to take these things (trees) up to make coffee tables is absurd. This really is a natural wonder, like the Grand Canyon or something like that."

Raines closed his presentation by defending why he believes that federally protecting the forest would not only benefit the researchers, but also the community as a whole.

"It's a unique peek into the past, and there is nothing else quite like it on Earth," Raines said. "One of the most unique things about it is it's data we can't get anywhere else, but people can go enjoy it, see it and experience it."

How did we get here?
According to ACF director Mark Berte, the Foundation began introducing legislation to Congress in 2020 to have the area designated as a National Marine Sanctuary. The organization will be hosting an event showcasing the documentary on Jan. 19 to garner new support for the cause.

"At the time, Bradley Byrne, who is now the president and CEO of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, was serving as our U.S. representative. Each year since then, that same legislation has been introduced by Congressman Jerry Carl," Berte said. "The good news is that each year we have had more people, no matter their political perspective, learn about this amazing natural wonder and take action to let others know so it can be protected."

Berte said he first became aware of the area in 2016, and it quickly became a passion project.

"One of the advisory council members, Ben Raines, let me know about that discovery back in 2016, and ACF started to raise support to make a short documentary," Berte said. "'The Underwater Forest' was premiered throughout the state in 2017 and won many awards, but our focus [now] has been on the snowbirds because they have connections with members of Congress from other states."

Shortly after it's premiere, the film won several awards, including Best Ecological Short Documentary, at the American Filmatic Arts Awards in New York. Additionally, Raines won the Alabama Filmmaker Award at the Fairhope Film Festival in 2017.

While the exact location of the underwater forest has not been released publicly, Berte said if the area becomes protected the location would be made public.

He agreed with Raines, stating that he thinks having the area federally protected would ensure its safety from potential destruction caused by spectators.

"The legislation will protect the location so our area can benefit in terms of eco-tourism," Berte said. "It will allow fishing, scuba diving and research but stops anyone from trying to take any part of the natural reef. This is a unique habitat that supports a wide range of marine life, similar to coral reefs."

As for what's next, Berte said the organization is currently looking for additional support from states outside of Alabama.

"We have all of the elected officials, chambers of commerce and civic groups supporting this effort locally. We are reaching outside of Alabama to have at least two U.S. representatives, one Republican and one Democrat, from each state to co-sponsor this important nonpartisan legislation," Berte said. "A lot of people have invested a lot of time to bring this goal into reality this year. National Marine Sanctuaries work to conserve habitats and the marine life they support, so designating this status to the Underwater Forest will help protect the forest from adverse impacts."

"The Underwater Forest" is currently streaming for free on YouTube and has amassed over one million views since it was posted in 2018.

For more information, or to support this cause visit www.joinACF.org.