Another $33 million related to the BP oil spill settlement is coming to Alabama, earmarked for land acquisition, habitat restoration and preservation of coastal resources.
Once again, this money comes from the $356 million the state received through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant. This is the same pool of money used to acquire land in the Grand Bay Savanna a few weeks ago. This money can only be used for environmental restoration or land acquisition. The state has more than $1 billion in additional BP fine money that can be used for other purposes.
The project list that the funds are dedicated toward seems a good one. In several cases, the projects add new lands to other recent acquisitions, such as in the Bon Secour area. In others, the money will be used to restore marsh that had been damaged by development over the years, including the recent SaltAire acquisition on the western shore of Mobile Bay. There, parts of the marsh have been dammed with tall clay dikes.
The pace at which Governor Kay Ivey is rolling out new projects is a marked contrast with the molasses pace former Gov. Robert Bentley employed. Bentley was actively opposed to spending the money according to multiple officials, and Alabama lagged far behind other states, more than $100 million behind at one point, in spending money on spill restoration or land acquisition.
With this new set of projects, Alabama has now moved past Florida, Mississippi and Texas in spending restoration money, with a total of $148 million now spent. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Governor's office, selects projects to submit to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which authorizes them and releases the money.
Here are the new projects:
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge Acquisition - $5.9 million
- This project proposes the acquisition of a 251-acre property identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as among its highest priorities in the state of Alabama. The parcel will be deeded to the USFWS for inclusion and management within Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR). The property represents an important priority area within the authorized acquisition boundary of the Refuge and includes scrub/shrub, pine flatwood, saltwater marsh, and tidal creek habitats, with permanent and semi-permanent wetlands scattered across the parcel.
Dauphin Island Bird Habitat Acquisition and Enhancement Program - $4.5 million
- This project will enhance coastal bird habitat along one mile of recently restored beach that is immediately adjacent to a 200 acre bird sanctuary on Dauphin Island. The project will include sand fencing, dune plantings, signage, stewardship, and, if necessary, additional sand placement. Additionally, funding is included to acquire and enhance important bird habitats on Dauphin Island to benefit shorebirds, wading birds and seasonal migrants. Due diligence and landowner outreach will be undertaken as the first step to acquire an estimated 13 acres of undeveloped habitat to protect critically important migratory stopover habitat and facilitate management of contiguous blocks of conservation lands. Lands acquired through this project will be deeded to and managed by the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary (DIBS). DIBS will also undertake prescribed fire and invasive species management to enhance the ecological value of these newly-protected habitats.
Little Dauphin Island Restoration Assessment -$1.4 million
- 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, Little Dauphin Island is an important nesting and foraging area for several coastal bird species, including several imperiled shorebird species.
Mobile Bay Shore Habitat Conservation and Acquisition Initiative - Phase II - $6.9 million
- Phase II of the Mobile Bay Shore Habitat Conservation and Acquisition Initiative will acquire, restore and preserve intact high-priority, undeveloped properties within three specific areas of the City of Mobile. These three priority intertidal habitat areas include riparian, wetland and upland habitats that are used by a variety of fish and wildlife species injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Salt Aire Shoreline Restoration - $12.7 million
- This project leverages the earlier acquisition of the 233-acre Salt Aire property (2015 GEBF) and proposes protection of degraded shoreline and restoration of 30 acres of associated coastal marsh on the western shore of Mobile Bay. Construction of wave attenuation structures and the beneficial use of dredge material for marsh creation are both envisioned. The 2015 GEBF award funded both the acquisition of the property and engineering and design of the requested restoration work.