USDA Announces $50 Million For Gulf Coast Restoration

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is launching an innovative water and wildlife conservation effort along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. This action is part of the Obama Administration’s efforts through its Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. The Task Force released its final strategy for long term ecosystem restoration for the Gulf Coast.

The new Gulf of Mexico Initiative will focus up to $50 million, over three years, in conservation assistance to farmers and ranchers in priority areas along seven major rivers that drain to the Gulf. All five states along the Gulf Coast are part of this effort, including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Many communities and cities along these rivers—such as Pensacola, Mobile, Biloxi, and San Antonio—will benefit from the cleaner water, more abundant wildlife, and healthier fisheries produced by this project.
USDA will work with a team of local, state and federal partners to deliver this project. Through this effort, Gulf farmers and ranchers will invest in voluntary conservation to provide cleaner water and more abundant wildlife for their neighbors and communities.

NRCS and its conservation partners developed this initiative in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and President Obama’s call to action to help restore the waters, shores and wildlife populations along the Gulf Coast.

Sixteen priority watersheds in seven major river basins in five states are targeted for participation in the new Gulf of Mexico Initiative.

• Alabama - Upper Fish River Watershed in the Weeks Bay (Fish River) River Basin
• Alabama/Florida - Canoe Creek Watershed and Sandy Hollow-Pine Barren Creek Watershed in the Escambia River Basin
• Florida - Little Pine Barren Creek Watershed in the Escambia River Basin
• Florida – Old Grassy Lake Watershed in the Middle Suwannee River Basin
• Florida - Allon Lake Watershed in the Middle Suwannee River Basin
• Florida - Blue Lake Watershed in the Middle Suwannee River Basin
• Florida - Pickel Lake Watershed in the Middle Suwannee River Basin
• Louisiana –Bayou Corne-Grand Bayou Watershed and Bayou St. Vincent-Little Grand Bayou Watershed, all in the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary
• Louisiana - Bayou Grand Marais Watershed in the Mermentau River Basin
• Mississippi - Rotten Bayou Watershed and Bayou LaTerre Watershed in the Jourdan River Basin
• Texas - Kuy Creek–Guadalupe River Watershed, Guadalupe River–South Guadalupe River Watershed, and Hynes Bay–San Antonio Bay Watershed, all in the Lower San Antonio River/Guadalupe River Basins.

Source: USDA