Austin, TX -(Ammoland.com)- Four years after the worst oil spill in U.S. history, the healing of the Gulf of Mexico is underway.
Two different sources of restoration funding are now flowing to Texas. Both are good news for natural resources, fish and wildlife and nature-based recreation and tourism on the Texas coast.
One recent round of funding comes from the government civil case against BP and includes the five following projects to begin in 2015:
Galveston Island State Park Beach Redevelopment (Galveston County): $10.7 million
Sea Rim State Park Improvements (Jefferson County): $210,000
Ship Reef/Corpus Reef (federal waters /Nueces County): $1.9 million
Freeport Artificial Reef (Brazoria County): $2.2 million
Matagorda Artificial Reef (Matagorda County): $3.6 million
Second, in a round of grants from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, eight Texas projects will use about $13.2 in criminal settlement funds from the spill to add land to coastal wildlife refuges, restore threatened marshes, and protect vital habitat from erosion.
- Anahuac N.W.R. Coastal Marsh Acquisition: $4,363,200
- Coastal Heritage Preserve Initiative: Bayside Acquisition and Easement: $2,632,500
- Virginia Point Shoreline Protection and Estuarine Restoration: $2,000,000
- Oyster Lake Shoreline Protection and Restoration: $1,200,000
- Greens Lake Protection and Marsh Restoration: Engineering & Design: $125,000
- Dollar Bay-Moses Lake Shoreline Enhancement and Restoration: $130,300
- Egery Flats Marsh Restoration: $1,587,000
- Nueces Bay Rookery Islands Restoration: $1,145,000
Visit www.restorethetexascoast.org to learn more about possible future projects.
About Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
The Mission of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.