DOI Gulf Restoration Projects
Funding Source
NRDA
RESTORE
GEBF
| Funding Source | Project Name | Project Description | Total Authorized Budget | DOI Funded Amount | DOI Bureaus | NRDA Restoration Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEBF | Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment | This project will build on previous studies to conduct a scientific feasibility study to assess the current and future function of Dauphin Island, develop options for restoration, and evaluate the feasibility and cost associated with restoration actions. Specifically, the assessment seeks to evaluate restoration alternatives and to better understand how various restoration alternatives can optimize the island’s resiliency to storm events, enhance wildlife habitat and bolster the island’s lifespan. The proposal will utilize the expertise of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey to perform a science-based, technical assessment and a review of potential restoration activities. Dauphin Island is a strategically significant 14-mile barrier island in the northern Gulf of Mexico, serving as the only barrier island providing protection to the state of Alabama’s coastal resources. It provides valuable habitat for living coastal and marine resources and protects important Mississippi Sound resources through storm surge protection and the regulation of salinity structure for estuarine fisheries, oysters, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and shrimp. The island is also a significant trans-Gulf migratory bird fall out area and provides habitat to numerous solitary and colonial beach nesting birds. This planning effort will lead to the identification of cost-effective, sustainable restoration alternative(s) for Dauphin Island. | $4,277,600 | $2,401,299.79 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| GEBF | Improving Sea Turtle Hatchling Survivorship through Long-Term Predation Management | This project will establish a long-term sea turtle nest predation management program on Florida’s sea turtle nesting beaches with the goal of increasing nest survivorship and hatchling production by reducing predation rates on high-density nesting beaches. Nesting for nearly 90% of green and loggerhead turtles in North America takes place in Florida and nest predation is one of the highest causes of sea turtle mortality on nesting beaches, contributing to the loss of tens of thousands of sea turtle eggs and hatchlings annually. Implementation of predator control plans has been shown to be a cost effective measure to significantly reduce the number of nests lost due to predation and to improve hatchling survivability. A Predation Management Working Group comprised of representatives from the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other experts will be formed to oversee the long-term management program and will be responsible for identifying predation “hot spots” and prioritizing predation management activities. Project activities reflect priority restoration needs for sea turtles described in the Florida GEBF Restoration Strategy. The Natural Resource Damage Strategic Framework for Sea Turtle Restoration identifies the need for predation reduction on nesting beaches as a priority activity and the federal recovery plans for loggerhead, green, and leatherback sea turtles recommend predator reduction when nest predation rates are greater than 10%. A significant number of surveyed nesting beaches in Florida have nest predation rates over 30%, up to as high as 60%. The proposed predator control program would support other state, local, and private initiatives to recover sea turtle populations in Florida. | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | USFWS | Not Applicable |
| GEBF | Little Dauphin Island Restoration Assessment | This project will provide funding to study both nearshore and onshore restoration options for a future project to enhance and protect Little Dauphin Island. Included in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Little Dauphin Island is an important nesting and foraging area for several coastal bird species, including several imperiled shorebird species. Protecting and enhancing Little Dauphin Island is a priority for the state of Alabama and the USFWS. Habitat quality has deteriorated in recent years due to loss of beach habitat through erosion. This project will examine several options to restore and enhance the east side of the island. A technical analysis is needed to determine the feasibility, scope and costs of various restoration techniques. Project deliverables include plans and specifications for preferred restoration alternatives. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District will perform the analysis and design of this project. Little Dauphin Island is a noted nesting and foraging area with high concentrations of colonial and solitary beach nesting birds. This project represents a first phase in ongoing efforts to restore Little Dauphin Island and ensure its continued ecological function in the Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay complex. | $1,481,500 | $200,228 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| GEBF | Panhandle Dune Restoration | This project will restore and enhance up to 21 miles of degraded dune habitats across the Florida Panhandle. This project will complete site-specific habitat restoration activities at individual dune sites across the Panhandle. Outcomes of the project will restore the connectivity of the coastal dune system, benefiting several species including shorebirds, sea turtles and endangered beach mice while also strengthening the system against the threat of future harm. | $6,390,000 | $6,390,000 | USFWS | Not Applicable |
| GEBF | Wulfert Bayous Bird Nesting Habitat Restoration | This project will restore and enhance 39 acres of wetlands and priority wading bird nesting habitat in Wulfert Bayous, a 68-acre parcel on Sanibel Island, Florida. The recently acquired property will be managed as part of the adjacent Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The project was identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a high priority for restoring populations of wading bird species impacted by the oil spill. | $5,309,000 | $5,309,000 | USFWS | Not Applicable |
| NRDA | Alabama Dune Restoration Cooperative Project | This project restores 55 acres of primary dune habitat via planting native vegetation and installation of sand fencing in Baldwin County, Alabama. To prevent erosion, the project relies on plants and other natural resources, not hard structures. | $737,202.33 | $737,202.33 | USFWS; BLM | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Analysis of Open Ocean Habitat Use, Threats, and Animal Movements | This activity will synthesize available information on movement and habitat usage of Open Ocean resources and stressors affecting these resources. Examination of the overlap between stressors and resources will help identify locations where stressor reduction projects may have greater impact, and serve as a baseline against which the Trustee Implementation Group's stressor reduction work may be evaluated. Additionally, this activity will identify gaps in stressor, animal movement, and habitat usage data and make recommendations for data collection. | $901,802 | $314,325 | USGS; USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor Habitat Acquisition | This project includes acquisition of important coastal habitat that will be conveyed to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to be managed as part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, including at least 1,322 acres of tidal wetlands, thorn scrub, and coastal prairie and almost two miles of frontage on a tidal inlet. The Department of the Interior and Texas are working together to implement this project. | $2,241,000 | Not Applicable | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Barrier Island System Management Program | Barrier Island System Management (BISM) program enables barrier island projects to be integrated components of a long-term, system-wide restoration strategy that actively incorporates Adaptive Management (AM). The BISM program also facilitates implementation of components of a holistic Louisiana Sediment Management Plan (LASMP) that supports increased restoration project longevity leading to a more sustainable barrier island system. In addition, adoption of Adaptive Management (AM) principles minimizes costs, maximizes benefits, while achieving barrier island restoration targets. This Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity addresses multiple fundamental objectives identified within the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Programmatic MAM Strategy and is intended to: * support evaluation of regional restoration outcomes for barrier island restoration within the Louisiana Restoration Area through data aggregation and analysis; * identify and reduce critical information gaps related to the placement of sediment within the Wetland Coastal and Nearshore Habitat (WCNH) system; and * inform and improve the impact of barrier island restoration activities. This program also includes all three Fundamental Objectives established for barrier islands in the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP). The objectives are to maintain protective function (wave attenuation) of barrier islands; support natural processes of barrier island evolution through barrier island restoration projects; and maintain habitat heterogeneity to support resilient nearshore and coastal ecosystems. This effort will specifically advance development of the Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely (SMART) Objectives associated with these Fundamental Objectives, identified as a need within the Programmatic MAM Strategy. In addition, as a programmatic and adaptive management approach to barrier island management, BISM advances a Fundamental Objective to maximize the combined benefits of the various Restoration Types and approaches across the overall restoration portfolio (PDARP Section 5.5.1); and to evaluate the efficacy of various strategies in land creation/restoration (diversions, marsh platform creations, barrier island restoration, ridge restoration). | $1,622,927 | $2,427 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Beach and Dune Habitat Protection at Gulf Islands National Seashore | This three-year project protects beach-dune habitat and wildlife – especially shorebirds – at the Florida District of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Specifically, this project 1) identified bird nesting areas to close off with temporary fencing and survey for human and predator impacts, nesting activities, and fledging success, 2) educated visitors on sensitive habitat, 3) slowed down vehicles in the park to lessen collisions with wildlife, and 4) mitigated impacts to birds from predators. | $1,870,906 | $1,870,906 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Beach Enhancement Project at Gulf Islands National Seashore | This multi-year project involves removing asphalt fragments and road base material of all sizes from over 500 acres in the Perdido Key, Fort Pickens, and Santa Rosa areas of Gulf Islands National Seashore. The material was removed using mechanical equipment and, in sensitive areas, hand tools. Where vegetation was destroyed during the removal process, it was replanted. This project is nearly complete. | $10,836,055 | $10,836,055 | NPS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Bike and Pedestrian Use Enhancements Project, Davis Bayou, Mississippi District, Gulf Islands National Seashore | This project involved the design and construction of bicycle/pedestrian lanes along Park Road which goes through the middle of the Davis Bayou Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi. The 1.8-mile-long section of road also had traffic-slowing features installed and guardrails upgraded in areas. The 0.4-mile-long remainder of this project is being completed using other (non-Deepwater Horizon NRDAR settlement) funds. | $6,996,751 | $6,996,751 | NPS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Bird Nesting and Foraging Area Stewardship | This region-wide project will steward and monitor beach and bay shorebirds by reducing predation and human disturbance of nests and chicks of coastal nesting shorebird species injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It will also reduce disturbances to birds during stopover and overwintering periods, which could help increase bird productivity and survival. We will implement this project in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Activities will vary by location and could include: • Stewardship of nesting areas to reduce human disturbance (e.g., exclusion devices and vegetated buffers, virtual fencing around nesting areas, and/or beach wrack and distance buffers); • Lethal and nonlethal predator control; • Vegetation management; • Nesting platforms; • Placement of symbolic and/or permanent fencing; • Signage; • Development of site management plans; • Rooftop management; • Comprehensive monitoring coverage; • Lowered vehicle speed limits or reduced vehicular access; • Bird banding and recapture/re-sighting; • Patrols by wildlife stewards or law enforcement (including training and support); and • Targeted community engagement, outreach, and education. | $8,510,750 | Not Applicable | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Bird Stewardship and Enhanced Monitoring in Mississippi | This seven-year project involves regular surveys of shorebirds out on the Mississippi barrier islands of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Shorebird nests will be protected from human disturbance using temporary fencing; predators will also be managed where warranted. The project also involves: surveying winter migrant birds; banding birds and tracking their movement; observing nesting activities and fledging success; and educating visitors on birds and bird habitat on the islands. | $6,105,500 | $1,575,000 | NPS | Birds |
| NRDA | Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge Recreation Enhancement - Mobile Street Boardwalk Restoration | This project will enhance the Mobile Street Boardwalk at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The degraded boardwalk will be replaced and be compliant with the Architectural Barrier Act and American with Disabilities Act laws. It will provide access to the beach, ensuring safe public access and enhancing the quality of visitor experience. The old parking lot will be also be repaired. To better facilitate visitor access, a kiosk and wayfinding signs will also be installed. | $3,227,212 | $3,227,212 | USFWS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge Trail Enhancement Project | This project will repair and enhance the Jeff Friend Trail. An aged boardwalk and gravel trail will be repaired and improved to meet American Disability Act standards, to ensure safe public access and to enhance the quality of visitor experience. An observation platform will also be constructed along the trail, and two handicapped parking spaces will be widened to better accommodate visitors. | $545,110 | $545,110 | USFWS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Characterizing Gulf Sturgeon Spawning Habitat, Habitat Use and Origins of Juvenile Sturgeon in the Pearl and Pascagoula River Systems | This project will identify potential Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat within the Pearl and Pascagoula River systems. This information is needed to assist resource managers in prioritizing restoration activities, protecting areas of important habitat, and increasing habitat connectivity within these river systems. Additionally, the habitat characterizations developed through this project can be applied to other watersheds across the range of this species. This project represents a fundamental first step toward achieving the overarching goal of improving the status of Gulf sturgeon in habitats most likely to have been affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $2,761,000 | $2,740,500 | USFWS; USGS | Sturgeon |
| NRDA | Characterizing the Barrier Island Geomorphic State | The activity will characterize the resistance/resilience of Louisiana barriers based on a synthesis of geomorphic state literature and an assessment of available data while engaging with a technical advisory group (TAG) established by the Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity. In coordination with the TAG, new derivative datasets may be developed if applicable to support evaluation of restoration outcomes within the Louisiana Restoration Area. | $703,592 | $353,641 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Habitat Usage and Population Dynamics | The Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle Habitat Usage and Population Dynamics project will study sea turtles using coastal Alabama waters to help determine their habitat use, distribution patterns, vital rates, connectivity with other areas in the Gulf of Mexico, and potential impacts of anthropogenic activities along the Alabama coast. The AL TIG will use this information in restoration planning for sea turtles in coastal Alabama. | $1,631,696 | $1,631,696 | USGS; USFWS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Colonial Nesting Wading Bird Tracking and Habitat Use Assessment—Two Species | The Colonial Nesting Wading Bird Tracking and Habitat Use Assessment—Two Species project will track individual target wading birds in Coastal Alabama to help determine their movements and habitat use. Data collected by the project will provide useful insights into local factors affecting wading bird survival and reproduction, assisting the AL TIG with planning more effective restoration of bird species injured by the DWH oil spill. | $1,547,500 | $1,547,500 | USFWS; USGS | Birds |
| NRDA | Common Tern Nesting Colony Restoration in Manitoba | The project will protect and enhance nesting habitat and reestablish breeding colonies for common terns in Manitoba, Canada by implementing a suite of restoration, stewardship, and conservation techniques. Project activities will be conducted over a five to seven year period and include: (1) engaging and training indigenous youth and other community members in common tern conservation and management practices; (2) surveying nesting islands and surrounding waters to monitor for predators and/or human disturbance; (3) managing predators and/or nesting site competitors; (4) managing human disturbance; (5) enhancing nesting areas; (6) establishing new seabird nesting colonies; and (7) developing and distributing educational materials. | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Conceptual Model to Inform Open Ocean Ecosystem Indicators | This activity will develop a conceptual model (CM) that will help organize what is known and not known about how restoration activities implemented by the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group (OO TIG) affect the resources and habitats that are the focus of OO TIG restoration (i.e., fish and water column invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, mesophotic & deep benthic communities, and sea turtles). The CM will illustrate the linkages among the resources and habitats, the threats and stressors that are a focus of the OO TIG’s restoration work, specific OO TIG restoration actions, and the outside drivers or uncertainties that could affect restoration outcomes. The objectives of this activity are to support evaluation of restoration outcomes within the OO Restoration Area; synthesize existing knowledge relevant to restoration of the OO TIG restoration types; and assess uncertainties that are most important to reduce for restoration planning, informing restoration decision-making, and assessing restoration outcomes. The CM process will build on the OO TIG Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) ecosystem objectives and indicators effort underway to inform the selection of indicators of restoration progress and provide information on those stressors that have the greatest impact on resources. Specifically, the conceptual model will aid in the refinement of indicators at the resource and ecosystem levels by providing information on variables likely to be sensitive to OO TIG restoration activities. This effort will help the OO TIG finalize its ecosystem-level indicators and evaluate how current and future projects may contribute to meeting ecosystem-level objectives. It will also identify data and other information gaps with recommendations on how best to fill these science needs, addressing priorities identified in the OO MAM Strategy. | $347,349 | $154,938 | USGS; USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Conservation and Enhancement of Nesting and Foraging Habitat for Birds | This project will conserve, create, restore, and/or enhance nesting and foraging habitat for the benefit of multiple Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured bird species across a range of habitats and locations in the project area. For the proposed locations in Texas (Matagorda Bay Bird Island [aka Chester Island], San Antonio Bay Bird Island), Mississippi (Round Island), and Alabama (Pilot Town), the work completed will include restoration planning and implementation. The Louisiana component will involve engineering and design (E&D) for restoration work in the Chandeleur Islands. | $22,500,000 | $1,445,000 | USFWS; USGS | Birds |
| NRDA | Dauphin Island West End Acquisition | This project will entail acquiring approximately 838 acres of privately-owned beach/dune habitat at the west end of Dauphin Island. The beach and dune areas serve as nesting habitat for the least tern and the snowy plover. The acquisition will include an appropriate land protection instrument to ensure that the purpose of restoration is maintained in perpetuity. The Department of the Interior and Alabama are working together to implement this project. | $7,938,770 | $22,320 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Developing a Gulf-wide Comprehensive Plan for In-water Sea Turtle Data Collection | This project will develop a strategic plan for coordinated in-water data collection across the Gulf of Mexico and establish standardized monitoring protocols. The plan will include standardized methods for data collection and a survey design to improve the understanding of population trends and important population parameters. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $655,000 | $74,000 | USGS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Development of a Diatom and Bacteria Community Assessment Tool for Coastal Mississippi | The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG) has approved two traditional agricultural related nutrient reduction projects to reduce nutrient loading in river systems, including in the Pascagoula River, Lower Pearl River, and the coastal basins. Excess nutrients can lead to hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, habitat loss, and fish kills in Gulf Coast estuaries. Currently, status and trends of nutrient conditions are evaluated using water chemistry data. Development of a diatom and bacterial community assessment tool as an indicator of stream health will inform restoration planning efforts. | $695,000 | $500,000 | Nutrient Reduction | |
| NRDA | Documenting Sea Turtle Nesting in Louisiana | This activity will compile and collect data relative to sea turtle nesting and nesting habitat in Louisiana to further inform the approach identified in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment: Strategic Framework for Sea Turtle Restoration Activities Version 1. The data will be used to enhance sea turtle hatchling productivity, and restore and conserve nesting beach habitat. The specific objectives are to: 1) establish a baseline of sea turtle nesting effort and locations on Louisiana's coastline; 2) characterize the nesting beach environment; 3) inform future decisions related to the need for systematic nesting surveys; and 4) refine restoration objectives for nesting sea turtles. | $2,618,000 | $2,568,000 | USGS; USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge Vegetation Management and Dune Retention | This project includes removal of invasive vegetation and installation of native plants on 12 acres, and additional re-treatment of 13 acres, to enhance bird nesting and foraging habitat. The project will also include the installation of sand fencing to reduce shoreline erosion. | $1,032,922 | $1,032,922 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Enhanced Management of Avian Breeding Habitat Injured by Response Activities in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi | This project will place markers at sensitive nesting is intended to protect eggs, chicks and adults. The project is located across three Gulf states: Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. In Florida, site enhancements are located in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties. In Alabama, sites are located in Baldwin and Mobile counties. In Mississippi, sites are located in Jackson and Harrison counties. The Department of the Interior and Florida are working together to implement this project. | $3,903,377.56 | $1,756,719.37 | USFWS; NPS | Birds |
| NRDA | Essex Bayou Habitat Restoration Engineering | The project will include the Engineering and Design necessary to restore and conserve coastal and nearshore habitats in Essex Bayou. The Engineering and Design is necessary to understand the factors that contribute to high salinities within Essex Bayou and the Slop Bowl Marsh system and develop solutions that will create a more stable estuarine system. | $372,000 | Not Applicable | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Evaluation Framework for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Restoration | The project will develop a feasible and cost-effective framework to evaluate the cumulative outcomes of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) restoration projects for marine mammals and sea turtles in the Open Ocean Restoration Area. This will be done using a Structured Decision Making (SDM) process that incorporates expert elicitation techniques to quantify the benefits of Open Ocean restoration actions. The project will first compile existing data from marine mammal and sea turtle Open Ocean restoration projects, as well as population assessments, trends and abundance information, threat/stressor data, and environmental driver data. Compiling this data across all marine mammal and sea turtle activities will allow for the development of objectives and performance measures to evaluate restoration activities. The outcome of the first task will be an initial evaluation framework. The second task will include the SDM facilitator and technical team working through each portion of the framework, using appropriate tools. This step may involve the use of formal mathematical modeling and data quantification, where data are available, and expert elicitation will be employed, when data are not sufficient for analysis and quantification. The result of this analysis will be an initial evaluation of the benefits of Open Ocean TIG restoration. The third and final step of the project will be identifying the key uncertainties in the mathematical models used in the evaluation framework and determining whether reducing these uncertainties will affect recommendations for future restoration actions. Ultimately, the project will result in an initial evaluation of Open Ocean marine mammal and sea turtle restoration to date. The outcomes of this Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity will help us to better understand and report restoration benefits to the public, adaptively manage existing projects, and select new restoration projects. | $2,091,562 | $1,325,274 | USGS; USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Grand Bay Land Acquisition and Habitat Management | Habitats within the 28,262 acre project area include coastal marsh, beach, freshwater marsh, pine savannas and flatwoods, forested freshwater scrub-shrub, and open water including tidal creeks and bayous. Acquisition from willing sellers and enhancement of these habitats will help restore injuries to wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitats in Mississippi injured by the spill, as well as provide benefits to wading birds and other bird species injured by the spill. | $16,000,000 | $5,621,912 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Birds |
| NRDA | Graveline Bay Land Acquisition and Management | The project will preserve and enhance up to 1,410 acres of habitat through acquisition from willing sellers and preservation. Target habitat includes estuarine marsh, shoreline (beach), and other coastal riparian habitats which provide foraging, loafing, and nesting for bird species injured in the spill. Restoration measures will serve to decrease habitat fragmentation and increase habitat connectivity to other large conservation parcels in the area. The Department of the Interior and Mississippi are working together to implement this project. | $11,500,000 | $231,000 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Birds |
| NRDA | Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida) Night Sky Restoration (Planning and Design) | This project measures night time light pollution from the perspective of Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida over a period of two years. Information gathered includes: skyglow, illuminance, spectral composition of light, location of brightest lights, and type of lights and light fixtures being used in the brightest areas. A Final Report/Plan will summarize findings and recommend how lights might be changed in the area to improve conditions of natural darkness in a way that sea turtles and other wildlife might benefit. | $432,093 | $432,093 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Gulf Islands National Seashore Ferry Project | This project partially funded the fabrication and delivery (in 2018) of two 150-passenger ferries for use between the City of Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, and the Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida. | $4,020,000 | $4,020,000 | NPS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Atlas | The project will develop a web-based central platform to access and view existing and future sea turtle data that are currently dispersed across various entities. This data is needed to inform restoration planning, and will be available to stakeholders, restoration planners, and restoration managers to facilitate prioritization of restoration needs and activities. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $5,700,000 | $82,000 | USGS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Gulf-wide Status of Nesting Sea Turtles and Beaches Data Inventory | This activity will identify knowledge gaps in information needed to understand the status of sea turtles at three life-history stages across the Gulf of Mexico: adult nesting females, incubating eggs, and hatchlings. The information will be used to identify restoration needs and assess progress in restoring sea turtles injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This activity will conduct an inventory of existing monitoring programs and data for nesting sea turtles populations and the nesting environment. It will also evaluate the applicability of data to restoration planning and assessment, and sufficiency of data to support restoration objectives and ecosystem level benefits. Products will include an inventory and evaluation of existing information, a prioritized list of existing data for acquisition from historical and ongoing monitoring programs, and prioritized recommendations for future data needs. | $250,000 | $250,000 | USGS; USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Improve Native Habitat by Removing Marine Debris from Mississippi Barrier Islands | This three-year project will identify and remove marine debris from the Mississippi barrier islands of Gulf Islands National Seashore, including some submerged items. Methods to remove debris could include everything from volunteers collecting small- and medium-size debris, to contracting out debris pile removal from the islands, to contracting out the dismantling and removal of large or potentially hazardous debris using professional crews, specialized equipment, and barges. | $3,000,000 | $2,944,489 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Improving Habitat Injured by Spill Response: Restoring the Night Sky | This project will retrofit existing lighting to make it more turtle friendly at locations in Florida and Alabama. The Department of the Interior is working with Alabama and Florida state agencies to implement this project. | $3,889,125.71 | $579,948.24 | USFWS | Birds; Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Informing Gulf Sturgeon Population Status and Trends as a Baseline to Evaluate Restoration | This project entails two work elements, both requiring desktop analyses and training with no field work: (1) Conducting a Gulf sturgeon stock assessment; and (2) Developing a standardized data collection and storage program for Gulf sturgeon data. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $910,000 | $769,000 | USFWS; USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Invasive Goat Removal to Restore Seabird Nesting Habitat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines | This project will increase the nesting success and productivity of seabirds on Battowia and Pillories Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines through conservation actions that improve and restore available seabird nesting habitat. This project is anticipated to take five to seven years and includes (1) compilation of available baseline biodiversity data to inform goat eradication efforts; (2) monitoring rodent presence/absence; (3) eradication of free-roaming invasive goats via relocation and/or hunting; and (4) conduct public outreach campaign to encourage stewardship activities and communicate project outcomes. | $900,000 | $900,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Invasive Plant Removal at Gulf Islands National Seashore | This five-year project involves surveying the Fort Pickens, Santa Rosa, and Perdido Key areas of Gulf Islands National Seashore for invasive plant species, and treating them mechanically or chemically, as appropriate. An Invasive Vegetation Management Plan was prepared that presents species, their locations, and treatment strategies for each. Treatment efficacy is monitored annually and future treatment strategies are adjusted accordingly. | $875,765 | $875,765 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Johnson Beach Access Management and Habitat Protection | This project will improve beach-dune habitat along the two-mile Johnson Beach Road in the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. It includes: replacing roadside parking with three new lots; replacing old dune walkovers with new ones; installing fencing to prevent trampling of habitat; converting the last half mile of road to a bike-pedestrian path; installing speed humps, crosswalks, and educational signage; and monitoring bird nests in the area and minimizing impacts to them. | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Jones Bay Oystercatcher Habitat Restoration | The project will restore habitat to support American oystercatcher nesting and foraging habitat in Jones Bay, approximately 0.5 miles west of the community of Tiki Island in Galveston County, TX. The project will restore a total of about 1 acre of nesting habitat on five small existing islands, create six intertidal reef sites totaling approximately 1.5 acres to support foraging needs, and add a breakwater to prevent erosion. American oystercatchers will use the restored area as both foraging grounds and nesting grounds. | $2,671,000 | $2,662,000 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Juvenile Gulf Sturgeon - Gulf-wide Population Dynamics and Habitat Use | The project will address the existing need to better understand baseline status and conditions of Gulf sturgeon habitat. By studying juvenile Gulf Sturgeon habitat use and preference in estuaries in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) the project enables restoration managers to identify and prioritize habitats most in need of restoration and create a framework for monitoring the results of restoration in an adaptive management context. | $2,578,000 | $2,533,000 | USFWS; USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | LA TIG-Lower Trophic Level Inventory | The project will develop a plan to inventory and assess the lower trophic levels of the Barataria estuary. Lower trophic level organisms include phytoplankton and animals such as zooplankton, worms, and small clams. They form the base of the estuarine food web and are an especially important food source for juvenile fish that live in the estuary. Additionally, they help to break down detritus, oxygenate sediments, and maintain healthy levels of nutrients in sediments. The organisms that live in the sediment also serve as excellent biological indicators of environmental conditions, including ecological recovery and ongoing impacts of buried Deepwater Horizon oil. | $8,387,458 | $1,855,312 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Laguna Atascosa Habitat Acquisition | This project acquires approximately 1,300 acres of tidal wetlands, thorn scrub, and coastal prairie that will be conveyed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be managed as part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. The Department of the Interior and Texas are working together to implement this project. | $5,208,078.64 | $435.64 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Laguna Vista Rookery Island Habitat Protection | The project will construct approximately 2,250 linear feet of shoreline protection, flotation channels, nearshore fill, revetment, and site fill in the lower Laguna Madre, Cameron County, Texas. This project will protect and restore habitat to the 11-acre Laguna Vista Rookery Island, enhance portions of the island by adding sediment, and protect the island from erosion. Restoration of shoreline areas to pre-erosion conditions will use in-situ material along the island shoreline shoreward of the nearshore breakwaters and will occur primarily above the mean high water (MHW). Plantings of native vegetation will also occur. | $2,100,000 | $150,000 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project: Increment One | The Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project is a large-scale restoration strategy for the southwestern shoreline of Lake Borgne that would re-establish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat that has degraded. The comprehensive project would restore approximately 4,100 acres of marsh habitat and be implemented in three increments, though multiple design and construction phases. Increment One of the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project is a marsh creation project located in St. Bernard Parish. The project limits would extend approximately four miles from Shell Beach on the southern rim of Lake Borgne to Lena Lagoon on the east. This project will dredge sediment from Lake Borgne to create approximately 2,922 acres of marsh. Lake Borgne Marsh Creation - Increment One: 30% project design, including geotechnical investigation; topographic, bathymetric, and magnetometer survey; cultural resources; UXO analysis; and borrow area investigation, is complete. The project is progressing toward 60% design, at which time landrights will be initiated. | $114,642,153 | $482,458 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Large Scale Barataria Marsh Creation – Upper Barataria Component | The project is undergoing engineering and design to build marsh in the Barataria Basin south of The Pen on the Barataria Landbridge to create new wetland habitat and restore degraded habitat. | $181,380,000 | $480,000 | USGS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Little Lagoon Living Shoreline | The Little Lagoon Living Shoreline project includes plant installations along a portion of Little Lagoon within Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. These activities will help restore and protect federally managed habitats and the fish and wildlife they support. The U.S. Department of the Interior will implement this project, with support from the The Nature Conservancy and Mississippi State University. | $260,999 | $260,999 | USFWS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Long Term Nesting Habitat Protection for Sea Turtles | This project will protect high-density nesting beach habitat and enhance sea turtle hatchling productivity and survival at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) located on the Atlantic Coast of Florida through land acquisition from willing sellers. ACNWR hosts the highest density nesting beach habitat in the western hemisphere for loggerhead sea turtles and is the most significant area for green sea turtle nesting in North America which spend a portion of their lives in the Gulf of Mexico. | $7,500,000 | $7,500,000 | USFWS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Louisiana Colonial Waterbird Aerial Photographic Surveys | This Project will use aerial photographic nest surveys and nest dotting analyses to determine Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) priorities for colonial waterbird restoration in Louisiana: (1) address significant informational needs (e.g. relative abundance, diversity, distribution trends and breeding status) that will facilitate Trustees ability to evaluate restoration effectiveness; (2) address potential uncertainties related to restoration planning and implementation, and (3) provide feedback to inform future colonial waterbird restoration decisions. | $5,783,900 | $41,644 | USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Louisiana Interactive Lessons Learned Database | The objective of this Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Activity Implementation Plan (MAIP) is to develop and implement a practical, tangible, and easily accessible, interactive lessons learned database from Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) restoration projects, and document rationale for operation and maintenance decisions to inform future planning and objective setting. This database will capture LA TIG restoration lessons learned, where they can be accessed by project planners, implementers, and contractors. It will also evaluate former projects conducted under other programs, as needed, to apply lessons learned to Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) restoration planning and implementation. It will include relevant historical lessons learned from project reports and documents, develop dynamic ways to access and search that information, and provide a repository for new lessons learned to be captured during current and future ecosystem restoration projects as well as programmatic scale ecosystem restoration planning. The interactive lessons learned database will support the most fundamental component of Adaptive Management – improving future restoration outcomes based upon lessons learned during previous projects/programs. It will identify and track critical knowledge gaps and data needs, so that project teams can track updates and new knowledge related to known uncertainties. It will be intuitive and simple to use, with minimal (or no) training or explanation needed for successful use, and controlled vocabulary (such as pull-down menus) to assist with effective searching. An electronic platform and structure will be developed which will be a ‘living database’ that is dynamic so that it can be added to during the restoration project reporting cycle and evolve over time to best address changing MAM needs while using up-to-date technology. | $630,991 | $155,991 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration | This project restores beach, dune, and back-barrier marsh habitats, as well as brown pelicans, terns, skimmers, and gulls at four barrier island locations in Louisiana: Chenier Ronquille, Shell Island, North Breton Island, and Caillou Lake Headlands (also known as Whiskey Island). The State of Louisiana, NOAA, and DOI are working cooperatively on this project. | $318,363,000 | $71,527,111 | USFWS; USGS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Birds |
| NRDA | Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Hydrologic Restoration - Planning and Design | Past human activities within the Lower Suwannee NWR, specifically the construction of logging roads, have created barriers to sheet-flow and reduced freshwater input into the Suwannee River and Suwannee Sound. This project will assess site hydrology and identify areas where roads can be modified to improve flow. The development of a predictive model will allow the project team to test multiple design approaches and determine the most efficient and cost-effective strategy. | $303,430.83 | $303,430.83 | USFWS | Water Quality |
| NRDA | Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Hydrologic Restoration Phase 2 (Planning) | The project will increase water conveyance across the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to improve water quality and quantity for estuarine-dependent resources and address chronic ecosystem degradation. The project is Phase 2 of planning and design that builds upon the previous "Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Hydrologic Restoration - Planning and Design" project (Phase 1 project). The Phase 1 project modeled the NWR's hydrologic system and identified road sections that, when improved, would help restore hydrologic connections. The Phase 1 report detailed three restoration scenarios for Dixie and Levy Counties. The Phase 2 project will produce 100 percent design plans for the priority restoration scenarios for Dixie and Levy Counties, secure environmental and local permits for the priority restoration scenarios and develop cost estimates for the priority restoration scenarios. The products of this project will ensure that the NWR is ready to proceed with implementation under future potential funding opportunities. | $1,600,000 | $1,600,000 | Water Quality | |
| NRDA | McFaddin Beach and Dune Restoration | This project includes placement of sand along an 18-mile section of shoreline along the northeastern Texas coast and provides important benefits to the interior marshes of McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. This project funds about a third of the estimated $45 million total project cost. The Texas TIG will partner with other funding sources to complete the construction, monitoring, and/or planning activities. The Department of the Interior and Texas are working together to implement this project. | $18,372,790 | $98,790 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities - Active Management and Protection | This project will advance management of Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities through: monitoring; education and outreach targeting resource users and the public; engagement of stakeholders in the development of potential management or protection actions. The project will also advance protection through direct threat reduction activities, such as: mooring buoy installation, removal of invasive species, documentation and removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear, and assessing and remediating risks from leaking and abandoned oil and gas infrastructure. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $20,689,000 | $306,000 | USGS; BOEM | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities |
| NRDA | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities - Coral Propagation Technique Development | This project will develop coral propagation techniques applicable at a meaningful scale relative to the injury to mesophotic and deep benthic communities. The project will undertake both field and lab work to test a variety of potential coral colonization substrates and a variety of coral transplant techniques. The project will primarily test substrates and techniques in mesophotic and deep water coral habitats. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $28,295,500 | $4,280,500 | USGS | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities |
| NRDA | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities - Habitat Assessment and Evaluation | This project will support and inform restoration of mesophotic and deep benthic communities through strategically designed field surveys. Subsequent laboratory-based analyses of community components and interactions will be conducted to fill data gaps, determine baseline conditions and characterize key community conditions at both injured and reference sites. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $52,639,000 | $12,728,466 | USGS | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities |
| NRDA | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities - Mapping, Ground-truthing, and Predictive Habitat Modeling | This project will map mesophotic and deep benthic habitats at high resolution, and use this information to refine predictive models. This project will analyze the abundance and distribution of these communities; as well as data on depth ranges, densities, and distributions of specific coral species. This project will be adaptively managed, providing fundamental information to prioritize and support protection and management and to identify potential locations for direct restoration activities. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $35,909,000 | $1,483,588 | USGS; BOEM | Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities |
| NRDA | Mid-Coast Habitat Acquisition | This project acquires approximately 800 acres of habitat that provide a protective buffer to estuarine and bay waters from future land use changes. The land will be conveyed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be managed as part of the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Matagorda County, Texas. The Department of the Interior and Texas are working together to implement this project | $1,997,075 | $57,075 | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Modeling to Inform Sustainable Oyster Populations in Louisiana Estuaries | The project will meet high-level oyster Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely (SMART) objectives by providing output that will enable the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to evaluate locations for oyster cultch plants and brood stock reefs. Generally, the model will enable managers to assess the impacts of enhanced or restored reef location on recruitment to other existing or proposed reefs; larval survival; growth of oysters on existing and proposed reefs; and reef connectivity. This model will enable management of oysters to move from individual reef level to assessment of a network, or meta-population, of reefs under current and future predicted conditions. | $2,251,670 | $85,955 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Monitoring the Effects of Coastal Wetland Restoration on Fish and Invertebrates | This project will collect and analyze data to establish reference ranges and restoration targets and to assess data gaps for fish and invertebrates associated with Louisiana’s estuarine and coastal habitats. This MAM activity is intended to support evaluation of regional outcomes within the Louisiana Restoration Area; perform data aggregation and data management; resolve critical information gaps and uncertainties for restoration planning, inform restoration decision-making; and perform monitoring to inform the design and implementation of future restoration projects. | $5,327,350 | $108,264 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Northern Gannet Nesting Colony Restoration in Eastern Canada | This project will reduce mortality of northern gannets by implementing a suite of restoration and conservation techniques at known nesting locations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and/or Quebec, Canada. Restoration activities will be conducted over five to seven years and include: (1) conducting land-based removal of marine debris from nests and nest sites; (2) managing predators through both non-lethal and lethal methods; (3) minimizing human disturbance through outreach and management; (4) expanding existing (or establish new) seabird nesting colonies; and (5) conducting GPS tracking of nesting adults to inform selection of colony establishment areas and post-nesting dispersal threats. | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Pensacola Beach Fort Pickens Road Wildlife Lighting Retrofits | This project will enhance sea turtle nesting habitat in Escambia County and Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS) by replacing and upgrading streetlights along Fort Pickens Road. The project will replace 170 older light fixtures and 89 light poles with 170 wildlife-friendly LED light fixtures and 89 upgraded light poles. | $540,000 | $540,000 | USFWS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Perdido Key Sediment Placement | The project will place at least 400,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment onto Perdido Key at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The project will improve habitat, recreational opportunities, and the resilience of the Key during storms. Any movement of the placed sediment will be monitored for three years following the project. Park staff are also working with the Florida State Historic Preservation Office to streamline compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act for future sediment placement projects on Perdido Key. | $6,773,000 | $6,773,000 | NPS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Predator Removal and Seabird Nesting Colony Restoration at Mona Island | This project will increase seabird nesting success and productivity through the removal of invasive plants and animals and the reestablishment of native plants and seabird colonies at Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Restoration activities will occur over eight to ten years and will be conducted in phases. Restoration activities include: (1) vegetation management, including removing invasive plant species and propagating and planting native plants; (2) predator control, including removing invasive rodents, feral cats, and feral pigs; (3) reestablish existing (or establish new) seabird nesting colonies through social attraction techniques; and (4) develop and implement biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of (re)introduction of invasive species. | $13,800,000 | $13,800,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Quantifying Changes in Wetland Area and Habitat Types | The activity will determine historic trends of wetland area and habitat type change from 1985 through present using satellite imagery for the Louisiana coastal zone. The activity will also quantify relationships of vegetation community type and physical characteristics within each habitat type. Ultimately this information will be used to inform project planning and support evaluation of restoration outcomes within the Louisiana Restoration Area. | $638,205 | $570,105 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Quantifying Restoration Impacts On Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export | This activity will provide trustees with a decision support tool that will assess the impact of various restoration types and approaches on coastal wetland ecosystem health, as indicated by net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB). The decision support tool will provide spatially-explicit assessments of NECB for all coastal ecosystems in Louisiana, allowing trustees to see where the oil spill and restoration activities influence ecosystem health. | $4,088,097 | $4,063,097 | USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Rattlesnake Bluff Road and Riverbank Restoration | Restoration activities will help mitigate the negative impacts of excessive sedimentation to water quality, habitats and ecological resources of the Yellow River basin on Rattlesnake Bluff Road, including road stabilization and culvert replacement at four to six priority impaired sites/stream crossings. Reducing sedimentation will improve water quality and also benefit estuarine-dependent water column resources, oysters, and submerged aquatic vegetation, and mitigate chronic ecosystem threats. | $4,379,719 | $4,379,719 | USFWS | Water Quality |
| NRDA | Recreational Use Improvements at Barataria Preserve in Jefferson Parish - Jean Lafitte National Historic Park | The project involves improving 2,500 ft. of existing dirt walking paths in the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park in Louisiana. The paths often flood and become muddy and impassable; this project raised them with water-draining rock and made them ADA-compliant. Additionally, a “Starter Proposal” was completed that sketches out content for up to 70 wayside exhibits near the Visitor Center in the Barataria Preserve. A final “Wayside Plan” that gives final design is being prepared. | $1,284,062 | $1,284,062 | NPS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Reducing Marine Debris Impacts on Birds and Sea Turtles | This project will reduce the threat and impacts (e.g., entanglement, entrapment, and ingestion) of marine debris to birds and sea turtles injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill across the Gulf of Mexico states. The project involves removing marine debris including, but not limited to, derelict fishing gear (e.g., monofilament fishing line, nets, trap/pot gear, and other recreational/commercial fishing equipment that has been lost, abandoned, or discarded). This project entails a coordinated effort among Trustees, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other partners to compile data on marine debris hotspots, conduct marine debris removal, engage in prevention through public education, and conduct monitoring. Funding for this joint project comes from the Regionwide TIG Birds and Sea Turtles Restoration Types. | $7,040,000 | $20,000 | USFWS | Birds; Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Rehabilitation of Okaloosa Unit Recreational Facilities at Gulf Islands National Seashore | This project will rehabilitate the facilities at the Okaloosa Unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore. These include a boat ramp, floating pier, boat launch parking area, restroom, maintenance shed, fencing, wastewater lift station, electrical system, boardwalk, picnic tables and pavilion, two RV sites, parking lot, fee station, and automatic entrance/exit gates. Revegetation work will also occur in the beach-dune habitat. The project is currently in the design phase. | $3,201,383 | $3,201,383 | NPS | Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities |
| NRDA | Restoration of Black Terns in North and South Dakota | This project will protect and conserve palustrine, emergent wetland and adjacent upland grassland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region to enhance and improve breeding site selection and foraging for black terns in roughly 30 counties in eastern North and South Dakota. Conservation easement agreements will be implemented on a voluntary basis with participating landowners as part of ongoing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conservation programs in these states. All habitat conservation actions will be implemented, as part of ongoing FWS conservation programs in the Dakotas. In these, two states alone, there are over 1,200 private landowners on waiting lists to have their property evaluated for additional FWS wetland and grassland conservation easements. | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Restoration of Common Loons in Minnesota | This project takes advantage of a robust common loon conservation ethic and history of financial and citizen-based support in the upper Midwest. Currently, there are many ongoing loon conservation efforts in Minnesota. The Open Ocean TIG's goal is to collaborate closely with and support those existing efforts where practicable. The project goals are to reduce mortality and increase reproductive success of common loons at breeding and nesting locations in Minnesota. Common loons represent one of the top five bird species injured in the greatest numbers by the DWH incident. | $7,520,000 | $7,520,000 | USFWS; USGS | Birds |
| NRDA | Restore and Enhance Sea Turtle Nest Productivity | This project will develop and implement restoration actions to improve hatchling production for loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles on sandy beaches throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico (TX, MS, AL, FL), on high-density nesting beaches in northern Mexico, and in and adjacent to Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which is on the east coast of Florida. Activities could include: Removing hazards and barriers (e.g., dilapidated seawalls, grounded vessels) Restoring beach habitat (e.g., restoration of degraded dunes, sand placement) Managing sea turtle nests to protect eggs and hatchlings Monitoring beaches to prevent predation and poaching of sea turtle nests Implementing ecologically sensitive predator control and management Reducing lighting near beaches Providing education and outreach. | $7,655,000 | $2,205,000 | USFWS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Restoring the Night Sky—Assessment, Training, and Outreach (E&D) | This project measures night time light pollution from the perspective of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama over a period of two years. Information gathered includes: skyglow, illuminance, spectral composition of light, location of brightest lights, and type of lights and light fixtures being used in the brightest areas. A Final Report/Plan will summarize findings and recommend how lights might be changed in the area to improve conditions of natural darkness in a way that sea turtles and other wildlife might benefit. | $486,639 | $486,639 | NPS; USFWS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | RW TIG - Colonial Waterbird Monitoring | Colonial waterbirds (CWB) are well known to respond to the dynamic and ever-shifting spatio-temporal distribution of breeding sites and foraging areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) both within and among seasons. As future CWB restoration projects will be implemented throughout the nGOM, a cumulative monitoring approach would be beneficial in quantifying effects (e.g., benefits) of restoration at the scale of the entire nGOM. Due to the large geographic scale of the restoration effort, the lengthy timeframe by which restoration funding is being allocated, and the capabilities of colonial waterbirds to move among different breeding localities (including across state and international lines), a Regionwide monitoring effort which emphasizes the use of comparable methods and protocols would document effects of restoration to some colonial waterbird populations. This Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity utilizes established methods and protocols which have been successfully implemented throughout a portion of the nGOM. These activities are one means by which Trustees will document and partially evaluate CWB breeding population performance at a Regionwide scale. It is envisioned that these efforts will be fully integrated with established, ongoing, smaller-scale monitoring programs thereby providing Trustees with a more comprehensive means to characterize benefits generated from Deepwater Horizon (DWH) bird restoration activities. Other potential benefits associated with this MAM activity include: (1) population trend data necessary to contextualize outcomes from restoration activities throughout the Gulf; (2) document outcomes of restoration projects that have already been implemented that lack a current bird monitoring component; and (3) partially inform future restoration decision-making by informing the cost-effectiveness and the local and regional context of proposed projects during restoration planning. This activity will estimate select colonial waterbird data endpoints (relative abundance, distribution trends and breeding status) at a Regionwide scale. This activity involves: (1) new aerial nest surveys and data comparison (2021) (2) nest dotting analysis and data comparison of newly collected data (2021) (3) nest dotting analysis of and data comparison of previously collected data (2015), and (4) multi-year summaries (2010-13, 2015, 2018 and 2021) and reports including Trustee review of reports and analyses developed as a result of this activity. | $2,494,256.95 | $31,000 | USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project | This project will address threats to sea turtles on nesting beaches and in the marine environment, including four complementary components: (1) Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Nest Detection and Enhancement; (2) Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network enhancement and development of an Emergency Response Program; (3) Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Trawl Bycatch Reduction; and (4) Texas Enhanced Fisheries Bycatch Enforcement. | $45,199,650 | $5,752,167 | NPS; USFWS | Sea Turtles |
| NRDA | Sea Turtle Habitat Use and Abundance in Eastern Louisiana Waters | This targeted data collection and analysis project will include two years of field work in Chandeleur Sound and Lake Borgne, Louisiana and one year of data analysis, focused primarily on loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles. The goal of this Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity is to provide updated information on sea turtle habitat use and abundance in eastern LA waters to inform restoration planning and restoration evaluation in the LA Restoration Area. The objectives are to document sea turtle distribution and habitat use in Louisiana; to understand how and where important habitats overlap with known threats; and to inform the development of MAM Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely (SMART) objectives for sea turtles. This work will directly benefit the Trustees’ ability to effectively restore sea turtles in LA waters and to inform and evaluate the success of future sea turtle restoration efforts. | $1,681,993 | $63,168 | USGS; USGS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
| NRDA | Seabird Bycatch Reduction in Northeast U.S. and Atlantic Canada Fisheries | This project will reduce incidental mortality of great shearwaters, northern gannets, and other DWH-injured seabirds by reducing seabird bycatch in U.S. and Canadian North Atlantic commercial fisheries. Restoration activities will be conducted in phases and include: (1) pilot testing seabird bycatch reduction strategies; (2) identifying and prioritizing seabird bycatch reduction strategies through modeling; (3) establishing and expanding partnerships with commercial fisheries; and (4) continued testing, field studies, and other activities to expand understanding of seabird-fishery interactions and support the voluntary adoption of the most effective seabird bycatch reduction strategies. | $5,530,000 | $3,747,328 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Seabird Nesting Colony Protection and Enhancement at Dry Tortugas National Park | This project will evaluate both historic and current population size of nesting seabird colonies on Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) to establish an updated understanding of baseline conditions that inform the design of future restoration actions, and that actively restore seabird colonies through habitat enhancement, social attraction, and biosecurity measures. Project activities will be conducted over a five to seven year period and implemented in two phases. Phase I activities include: (1) Compilation and analysis of existing monitoring data; (2) conducting additional seabird monitoring via overflight surveys; and (3) enhancing existing biosecurity measures. Phase 1 activities will continue through Phase II. Phase II activities include: (1) reestablishing existing (or establish new) seabird nesting colonies; and (2) vegetation management. | $1,200,000 | $1,200,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Seabird Nesting Colony Reestablishment and Protection at Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge | This project will maximize the restoration benefits of previously implemented invasive species eradication efforts conducted on Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge, by reestablishing nesting colonies for five target seabird species including bridled tern, sooty tern, brown booby, magnificent frigatebird, and brown noddy; and by enhancing existing biosecurity efforts. Restoration activities will be conducted over five years and include: (1) reestablishing existing (or establish new) seabird nesting colonies through social attraction techniques such as species-specific decoys, mirrors, and acoustic playbacks; and (2) enhancing existing biosecurity measures, including placement of rodenticide bait stations to prevent the reintroduction of invasive rodents. | $650,000 | $650,000 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Seagrass Recovery Project at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida District | This project took place just off the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Santa Rosa Sound. Fifty bird stakes were installed followed by 87 seagrass planting units. Planting units were replanted twice when success criteria were not met; still, the project remained unsuccessful. The project was abandoned due to the heavy workload it would require of staff to manage for such a small area of restoration (0.02 acres). Less than half of project funding was spent; the balance will be returned. | $53,981.57 | $53,981.57 | NPS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats |
| NRDA | Shoreline Protection at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve | The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JELA) Shoreline Protection project will restore approximately 50 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation and provide protection to the Louisiana shoreline to restore injury from response activities for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. | $24,271,610 | $24,271,610 | NPS; USGS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Southwestern Coffee Island Habitat Restoration Project—Phase I (E&D) | This project will support planning activities related to the restoration and creation of tidal wetlands and other colonial nesting bird breeding and foraging habitat along the southwest shoreline of Coffee Island, located in Mississippi Sound in Mobile County, Alabama. The E&D work for Coffee Island restoration will include field studies, biological assessments, data synthesis, modeling, sediment source investigations, the development of drawings and construction plans, the preparation of construction cost estimates, and the acquisition of required permits. The Department of the Interior and Alabama are working together to implement this project. | $1,650,450 | Not Applicable | USFWS | Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats; Birds |
| NRDA | St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge Predator Control | The project will help restore habitat and ecological services to natural resources on St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge through the removal of feral hogs and control of raccoon populations on St. Vincent Island. | $580,772 | $580,772 | USFWS; USGS | Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands |
| NRDA | Stewardship of Coastal Alabama Beach Nesting Bird Habitat | This project will expand on ongoing work and projects in coastal Alabama by reducing human disturbance to and predation of nests and chicks of coastal nesting bird species injured by the DWH oil spill, thereby potentially increasing productivity of those species. This 3-year project will complement the work of similar initiatives in the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The Department of the Interior and Alabama are working together to implement this project. | $2,067,381 | $169,344 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Strategic Approach for Bird Restoration Evaluation | This project will contribute to a more complete understanding of the benefits to injured bird species resulting from multiple restoration efforts and the data needed to evaluate bird restoration. An important component of this work will be an inventory of available data assets to support analyses to evaluate benefits of restoration work, progress towards bird restoration goals listed in the PDARP/PEIS, and the development of updated Open Ocean bird restoration indicators. This MAM activity will create a better understanding of restoration benefits, communicate to the public, and facilitate our Oil Pollution Act (OPA) Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) decision-making process for adaptively managing existing projects and selecting new projects. | $992,491 | $992,491 | Birds | |
| NRDA | Telogia Creek Watershed Water Quality Improvements | The project will improve surface water and aquatic habitat quality in the Telogia Creek subbasin by both reducing sediment, nutrient, and pollutant loading as well as improving habitat stability and natural flow regimes. The project will implement a variety of activities such as restoring eroding steam channels, establishing riparian buffers, improving unpaved road crossings, and restoring hydrologic connectivity throughout the Telogia Creek Watershed. This project will be conducted in phases. Phase 1 will consist of gathering and synthesizing existing data to identify areas of potential water quality impairment along Telogia Creek, conducting field reconnaissance to gather site-specific observations of these impaired areas, and identifying hotspot areas where water quality is impacted that could be targeted in Phase 2. Phase 2 will consist of implementing site-specific restoration activities at up to 13 sites, such as restoring riparian buffer zones, addressing unpaved roads and associated erosion at stream crossings, or collaborating with landowners to identify and implement agricultural or silvicultural Best Management Practices. | $2,700,000 | $2,700,000 | Water Quality | |
| NRDA | Texas Breeding Shorebird and Seabird Stewardship Project | The project will protect breeding bird habitat and reduce human disturbance to nesting shorebirds and other bird species during the nesting season along the Texas coast. Stewardship activities will include the use of intervention techniques (e.g., temporary fencing, nest patrols, etc.), which will facilitate improved nest production (i.e., more fledglings). Counties involved in this alternative will include, but may not be limited to, Galveston, Brazoria, Matagorda, Nueces, and Cameron Counties. | $3,400,000 | $3,390,000 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Texas Rookery Islands | This project will restore and protect three rookery islands in Galveston Bay and one in East Matagorda Bay to increase nesting pairs of colonial waterbirds, such as pelicans, gulls, and herons by increasing the amount of available nesting habitat and enhance habitat quality. Islands will be protected by expanding island size, establishing vegetation, and building protective features such as breakwaters. The Department of the Interior and Texas are working together to implement this project. | $20,603,770 | $4,050,078 | USFWS | Birds |
| NRDA | Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds | This Monitoring and Adaptive Management Activity will conduct two years of vessel-based surveys to collect information on the distribution, density, and abundance of oceanic cetacean stocks and seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico. Surveys will use established methods and build on past surveys conducted by the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species. Based on the collected survey data, seasonally and spatially explicit maps of marine mammal species densities will be developed to incorporate into existing spatial density models. The broad-scale information on the distribution and abundance of seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico will also inform seasonally- and spatially-explicit density estimates for a suite of injured seabird species. | $2,368,770 | $948,750 | USFWS | Monitoring and Adaptive Management |
 Restore Act | A Multiscale Approach to Understanding Migratory Land Bird Habitat Use of Functional Stopover Habitat Types and Management Efforts | This project is investigating migratory bird use of stopover habitats to inform bird habitat protection and restoration decisions in the Gulf of Mexico region. | $1,492,151 | $908,496 | USGS; USFWS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | A Web-Based Interactive Decision-Support Tool for Adaptation of Coastal Urban and Natural Ecosystems (ACUNE) in Southwest Florida | This project is developing a decision support tool to aid resource managers, municipalities, and a county with decisions related to the preservation and restoration of mangrove, marsh, and beach habitats; water management; and coastal planning, zoning, and land acquisition. | $995,487 | Not Applicable | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor (Implementation) | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), The Nature Conservancy and The Conservation Fund have identified multiple parcels with willing sellers totaling more than 10,000 acres as high priorities for acquisition. Acquisition of these parcels will allow for future restoration activities that include the potential restoration and enhancement of 700-800 acres of drained saline and brackish marsh, 2,000 acres of coastal prairie, and the restoration of natural freshwater flows to the Bahia Grande System. | $4,378,500 | $4,378,500 | USFWS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Baseline Flow, Gage Analysis and On-Line Tool to Support Restoration (MS River Watershed Focus) (Implementation) | This project will provide vital information on the timing and delivery of fresh water to the streams, bays, estuaries and wetlands of the Gulf states by means of a comprehensive, large-scale project that includes the installation and operation of 18 stream gages to create a more robust gage network. | $810,000 | $810,000 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Baseline Flow, Gage Analysis and On-Line Tool to Support Restoration (MS River Watershed Focus) (Planning) | This project will provide vital information on the timing and delivery of fresh water to the streams, bays, estuaries, and wetlands of the Gulf states by means of a comprehensive, large-scale effort that includes the installation and operation of 18 streamgages that create a more robust gage network. | $4,990,000 | $4,990,000 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Comprehensive Plan Commitment and Planning Support | The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Concil's (Council) 2016 Comprehensive Plan commits to enhancing collaboration, coordination, public engagement and the use of best available science to support a holistic approach to Gulf of Mexico restoration. This approach reflects the interconnected nature of coastal and marine ecosystems and the importance of addressing system-wide stressors to improve ecosystem function. | $2,100,000 | $2,100,000 | USFWS; NPS; BOEM; USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Council Monitoring & Assessment Program Development (Planning) | This project will inventory metadata from existing water quality and habitat monitoring and mapping programs, and catalog assessments in the Gulf of Mexico region. Monitoring parameters, methods and units will be assessed to look for commonalities and compatibilities among programs and inform monitoring guidance for future RESTORE Council-funded restoration projects. The Department of the Interior and NOAA are working together to implement this project. | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Decision Support for Multi-species Coastal Habitat Management on Properties with Multi-use Objectives | The objective of the proposed project is to provide a transparent decision support framework to make optimal recommendations for listed species with conflicting habitat needs while also considering landowner objectives using a case study at the Gulf Islands National Seashore complex. | $97,300 | $73,320 | USGS; NPS; USFWS; BLM | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Develop Ecological Flow Decision-Support for Mobile River and Perdido River Basins | The RESTORE Council has approved $3.4M in planning and implementation funds as FPL Category 1 in Council-Selected Restoration Component funding for the Develop Ecological Flow Decision Support for Mobile River and Perdido River Basins project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, on behalf of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The project will support the primary RESTORE Comprehensive Plan goal to restore water quality and quantity through activities to create a decision support model to provide information on freshwater inflows to streams, bays, and wetlands. The Operational Analysis and Simulation of Integrated Systems (OASIS) model will simulate the routing of water through watersheds in the river basins, providing a tool for resource managers to evaluate questions of concern, such as the influence of water resource alteration on restoring and conserving habitat, water quality, and living coastal resources. New gaging stations will be installed to fill critical freshwater inflow data gaps and support data needs for future monitoring assessments. The Alabama Water Agencies Working Group and other water resource managers have identified a critical need for data on inflows and models to understand how the timing and delivery of flow affects downstream ecological resources. The OASIS model will provide state and local agencies with modeled outcomes on various water-use strategies and supporting information to guide water resource management activities and restoration areas to focus on in the future. Project duration is 4 years. | $3,400,000 | $3,400,000 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Enhanced Opportunities for Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediments (Planning) | The project allows Alabama to conduct planning, design, and regulatory compliance efforts in three coastal areas in order to develop habitat restoration projects that are ready to receive and beneficially use dredged sediments. These planning activities include restoration of the: 1) Denton Oyster Reef using upriver dredged sediments; 2) Grand Bay/Mississippi Sound Back-Barrier Island Restoration Project Feasibility Study; and 3) Lower Perdido Bay/Perdido Pass Hydrological Modeling and Sediment Budget Study. | $3,000,000 | $364,963 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Fire Effects in Gulf of Mexico Marshes: Historical Perspectives, Management, and Monitoring of Mottled Ducks and Black and Yellow Rails | This project investigates how three bird species of concern (black rail, yellow rail, and mottled duck) respond to different prescribed fire management regimes within high marsh ecosystems across the Gulf of Mexico. | $3,922,699 | $676,498 | USGS; USFWS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Gulf of Mexico Habitat Restoration via Conservation Corps Partnerships | This proposed program meets the RESTORE Council’s goals to restore and conserve habitat, as well as enhance community resilience and restore the Gulf economy, through the completion of priority restoration projects throughout the Gulf via a Gulf Coast Conservation Corps (GCCC). This program will accomplish a wide array of specific habitat restoration projects throughout the region such as invasive species removal, living shoreline installation, oyster reef restoration, and pine savanna restoration. Restoring habitats and ecosystems is one of two necessary components to sustaining Gulf Coast recovery. | $500,000 | $500,000 | BIA | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Integrating High-Fidelity Models with New Remote Sensing Techniques to Predict Storm Impacts on Louisiana Coastal and Deltaic Systems | The role and dynamics of barrier islands and back-barrier marshes is important to understand as they represent the “first line of defense” against sea level rise and erosion. This project worked to develop and apply an innovative model system that integrates Delft3D and XBeach models with field and remotely-sensed observations of hydrodynamic and biophysical data. This integration will enable the prediction of barrier-marsh dynamics and assess the effectiveness of marshes as a nature-based defense. | $501,270 | $95,757 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Inventory of Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Indicators Using an Ecological Resilience Framework | This project created a comprehensive guide for management using indicators of five common coastal habitats: salt marsh, mangrove, seagrass, oyster beds/reefs, and coral reefs. | $399,995 | $58,976.88 | USGS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Jean Lafitte Canal Backfilling (Implementation) | This project has reclaimed more than a dozen miles of canals by removing portions of their associated spoil deposits in the Barataria Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. These changes restore wetland functions, improve the resiliency of ecosystems in the face of subsidence and climate change impacts, and improve visitors' experiences. | $8,731,000 | $8,731,000 | NPS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Plug Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells (Implementation) | The project plugged 11 orphaned wells and reclaimed a portion of the surrounding landscape at Padre Island National Seashore. These activities have removed risks to human safety, prevented surface and subsurface resources contamination, and avoided the possibility of perpetuating habitat loss. | $1,317,567 | $1,317,567 | NPS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Strategic Conservation Assessment Framework (Planning) | This project will develop a suite of tools that Council members can use to identify and evaluate land conservation opportunities in the Gulf Coast region that offer the greatest potential for shared economic and ecosystem benefits; Council members may also use these tools in the development of land conservation projects (as appropriate). | $1,879,380 | $1,879,380 | USFWS | Not Applicable |
| Restore Act | Wind-Tidal Flat Restoration Pilot | The wind-tidal flat areas at Padre Island National Seashore are significant in that they protect portions of the largest freshwater wetland in Texas, conserve protected species, and provide wintering habitat for millions of migratory birds. However, impacts from previous energy exploration have impaired these important habitats. This project has begun to test various restoration techniques to restore the ecosystem. Restoration lead to increased resilience and enhanced migratory bird feeding areas. The techniques developed can be applied to other tidal flat sites in the area in need of restoration. | $321,000 | $321,000 | NPS | Not Applicable |