Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation Receives New Grant to Protect Healthy Watersheds.

The Gulf Partnership is slated to receive one of 16 grants from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities as part of its Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant Program.  The Healthy Watersheds Program makes grants to accelerate and expand the strategic protection of healthy, freshwater ecosystems and their watersheds.  The program is a partnership of the Endowment, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resource Conservation Service.    

The Gulf Partnership grant will support fund-raising activities for the organization's Project Assistance Fund which provides small grants to land trusts in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The Gulf Partnership plans to leverage these funds to protect more than 75,000 acres of land in important watersheds across the Gulf of Mexico region.   Click here to learn more.

NRDA Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council Reports on Activities One Year After Settlement.  

The NRDA Trustee Council is implementing an $8.8 billion restoration plan to restore natural resources damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  Last week the Council released an overview of activities that have been undertaken over the past year, including the status of restoration and planning efforts, as well as how funds are being spent.   This information is available through the Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting Portal, or "DIVER" tool.  For more information, visit the NRDA website.  

Alabama Legislature Consider Changes to Forever Wild Land Trust Program.

In  2012, Alabamians voted to renew the Forever Wild Land Trust program, which provides funds to purchase land for public use and enjoyment.  Since the program's inception in 1992, Alabama has developed 220 miles of recreational trails, 10 State Parks and 16 Wildlife Management Areas.  

The Alabama Legislature is currently considering several bills that would reduce funding and/or make significant changes to the Forever Wild program.  Conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts have been working to make sure that that the program retains its funding and continues its mission.  To find out more, visit the Conservation Alabama website.

Texas General Land Office to Implement Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan.

The coastal region of Texas is home to 6.5 million people, 25% of the nation's refining capacity, and four of the 15 busiest ports in the country.  The Master Plan was developed to help protect these people and resources from coastal hazards.  A Technical Advisory Committee identified the following top concerns for coastal communities: 

• Altered, Degraded or Lost Habitat
• Gulf Beach Erosion and Dune Degradation
• Bay Shoreline Erosion
• Existing and Future Coastal Storm Surge Damage
• Coastal Flood Damage
• Impacts on Water Quality and Quantity
• Impacts on Coastal Resources
• Abandoned or Derelict Vessels, Structures and Debris

In order to address the issues of concern, the Master Plan recommends the following strategies:  

• Restoration of Beaches and Dunes
• Bay Shoreline Stabilization and Estuarine Wetland Restoration (Living Shorelines)
• Stabilizing the Texas Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW)
• Freshwater Wetlands and Coastal Uplands Conservation
• Delta and Lagoon Restoration
• Oyster Reef Creation and Restoration
• Rookery Island Creation and Restoration
• Plans, Policies and Programs 

To find out more about the plan and the implementation process, read the plan here.

Mississippi’s RESTORE Act State Expenditure Plan Approved.

The RESTORE Council has approved Mississippi’s initial State Expenditure Plan.  State Expenditure Plans are colloquially known as 'bucket 3'.  The $49.8 million plan includes: the Mississippi Gulf Coast Water Quality Improvement Program ($45 million), Pascagoula Oyster Reef Complex Relay and Enhancement ($3.5 million), and Compatibility, Coordination, and Restoration Planning ($1.3 million). 

Click here for project details and to view the Mississippi State Expenditure Plan.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Seeks Project Assessment Coordinator for the Strategic Conservation Assessment of Gulf Coast Landscapes (SCA) Project.

The Service has announced the position of Project Assessment Coordinator for the SCA project. The Restore Council approved the SCA project as one among a suite of projects in the 2015 initial Funded Priorities List. This project will coalesce existing conservation and socioeconomic priorities into conservation planning decision support tools to aid the Restore Council and their stakeholders in identifying high priority lands for voluntary conservation efforts. The SCA project is being led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf Restoration Team and administered through a cooperative agreement with Mississippi State University, with support from the four Gulf Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. 

The SCA project team is seeking Statements of Interest (SOIs) for a qualified individual or contracting organization to take on a lead role for this project. This individual or organization must have extensive experience in project coordination, organization of stakeholder meetings, and landscape-level natural resource conservation planning, preferably along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Additional information and detailed submission instructions can be found in the SOI description and template, which may be found here.

The National Wildlife Federation Issues New Report on Restoration Priorities.  

The National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) new report,  Making the Most of Restoration: Priorities for a Recovering Gulf, takes a broad look at restoration efforts that would benefit all five Gulf Coast states—Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The recommendations emphasize restoring the places where rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Mississippi River Delta, which are important nursery grounds for many species of marine life.  NWF recommends investing in six categories of projects: hydrologic restoration, restoring sediment, coastal wetlands, oyster reefs, habitat protection, and barrier islands.  Click here to read to the full report.  

As part of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damages restoration process, the Open Ocean TIG is beginning to identify restoration projects for the 2017-2020 planning years.  The TIG will target restoration for wide-ranging and migratory species at important points during their life cycles and geographic ranges, including inland, coastal, and offshore areas.  The public is invited to provide input on restoration opportunities for the following restoration types:

• water column fish and invertebrates,
  
• sea turtles,
  
• birds,
  
• marine mammals,
  
• sturgeon, and
  
• mesophotic and deep benthic communities.

Please read the full announcementfor important information on the restoration priorities and how to submit project ideas. The deadline to submit ideas is May 15, 2017. 

The Land Trust Alliance Offers Webinar: Understanding the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA) - A Primer for Stakeholders.
 
This webinar will provide land trusts, federal, state and local government officials, and real estate attorneys with a primer of the major considerations found in the 2016 version of the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA). This is the first significant update to the standards in several years and stakeholders involved in land trust work should know what has changed for appraisers. The webinar will be offered on April 27, 2017 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Central/ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern.  Visit the  Land Trust Alliance website to register.  The cost to participate is $65.

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Extends Deadline until May 1 for Proposals for the Sea Grant Education and Outreach Grant Program on Upland Restoration and Land Conservation.   

MDEQ is soliciting proposals in support of the Sea Grant Education and Outreach (EOE) Grant Program. The primary goal of this Program is to fund education, outreach, and extension programs to provide information regarding how upland restoration and conservation work provides benefits to connected downstream estuarine and marine ecosystem.  This project is being funded with RESTORE dollars.  The full announcement may be found here.

The Nature Conservancy Report: Preserving Open Space can Provide Social, Economic and Environmental Benefits.  

In a new report by The Nature Conservancy and Texas A & M University, researchers highlight the role that open space can play in reducing flood risk in the Gulf of Mexico region.  The findings provide guidance on where to target strategic land conservation to both reduce flood risk and conserve biodiversity.  The report shows how municipalities can use the preservation of open space to reduce flood insurance premiums for residents under FEMA’s Community Rating System program.  Find the full report here.  

 As a way to keep stakeholders aware of new funding opportunities, the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program has coordinated with several of the other Gulf of Mexico science and restoration initiatives established following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to update a two year funding opportunities calendar. The calendar will enable stakeholders to remain informed about opportunities and assist grant applicants in planning ahead and submitting their high-quality applications to the appropriate funding opportunity. For a printable link to the calendar, please visit the RESTORE Act Science Program website.