Graveline Bay Land Acquisition and Management
Implementing Organization
State of Mississippi; US Department of the Interior
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$11,500,000
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA)
Funding Program
Natural Resource Damage Assessment NRDA
Details
Project Category
Environmental
Project Actions
Species Restoration
Targeted Resources
Birds/Bird Habitat
Project Description
The project will acquire and manage up to 1,410 acres within the existing Graveline Bay Coastal Preserve and nearby privately and publicly owned lands in Jackson County, Mississippi. Land will be acquired from willing sellers. Restoration measures include invasive species management, mechanical clearing, chemical treatment, access restriction, road repair/removal, culvert placement and prescribed fire. Habitat to be acquired includes estuarine marsh, shoreline (beach) and other coastal riparian habitats which provide foraging, loafing and nesting for bird species that were injured in the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Acquisition and restoration measures will reduce the threat of development, directly enhance habitat, decrease habitat fragmentation and increase habitat connectivity to other large conservation parcels in the area. Protection of shoreline habitat from vehicle traffic will also enhance shorebird nesting success. The lead Implementing Trustee for the project is the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). MDEQ will work with the Department of the Interior (DOI) as an Implementing Trustee. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) is a project partner.
Contact
Chris Wells(601) 961-5545
cwells@mdeq.ms.gov
Project Website
None
For official trustee information regarding the Deepwater Horizon NRDA, including information regarding the NRDA process and the status of projects, see https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/