$370 Million Worth of Wins for the Gulf

"These efforts will improve the health and resiliency of the Gulf and benefit people and wildlife.”

WASHINGTON (November 15, 2016) – Today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced 24 new projects totaling $370 million in all five Gulf states. NFWF will ultimately dedicate $2.5 billion from BP’s criminal fines towards restoring the habitats of the Gulf Coast that were impacted by the spill.

Collin O’Mara, the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, applauded today’s announcement:

“Over the past four years, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has proven itself to be a thoughtful steward of this money, consistently selecting projects that make a real difference to the health of the Gulf. The projects announced today continue in this vein.

“Several of these projects are critical efforts to restore more natural water flows in degraded areas. Today’s announcement includes $100 million for the engineering and design of two key projects in Louisiana that will mimic natural river processes by allowing fresh water and sediment to reach rapidly-eroding wetlands. Similarly, the construction of two freshwater siphons in Texas’ Salt Bayou watershed will help recreate natural flows to 18,000 acres of wetlands damaged by saltwater intrusion. 

“There are three main streams of Gulf restoration funding and we appreciate NFWF’s efforts to create synergies with projects from other sources. For example, today’s announcement of $16 million to benefit sea turtles and marine mammals will amplify ongoing efforts to reduce sea turtle by-catch and monitor their nesting success. 

“Finally, this money will secure key ecosystems on the Alabama and Mississippi coasts, enlarging protected habitats in rapidly developing coastal areas. All of these efforts will improve the health and resiliency of the Gulf and benefit people and wildlife.”

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