Goat Tree Reserve

The “Goat Trees” are located eastward down Cadillac Ave. from Shell Mound Park. This reserve protects an area of long-standing oak trees which according to legend, served as shelter for the island’s wild goats that climbed the trees at night to rest and avoid the roaming alligators below. Today, these trees host many of the warblers, vireos, tanagers, and other migrants that visit the island in the spring and fall.

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DIBS purchased the four lots in 2002. Minimal clearing was done to open the dense underbrush to provide access to birds and birders along pathways maintained by DIBS. In 2016, a sign was erected to dedicate this park to Dr. John Porter, Jr., founding volunteer Executive Director of DIBS, formally called FODIAS- Friends of Dauphin Island Audubon Sanctuary.