Project Page

Florida Seagrass Recovery Project

Implementing Organization

State of Florida

Overview

DWH Project Funding

$2,691,867

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

Habitat Restoration and Enhancement

Targeted Resources

Wetlands/Marshes/Estuaries

Project Description

This project addressed boat damage to shallow seagrass beds in the Florida Panhandle by restoring scars located primarily in turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) habitats located in St. Joseph Bay Aquatic Preserve in Gulf County, with additional potential sites in Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve in Franklin County, and St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve, in Bay County. A boater outreach and education component of the project installed non-regulatory Shallow Seagrass Area signage, update existing signage and buoys where applicable, and installed educational signage and provided educational brochures about best practices for protecting seagrass habitats at popular boat ramps in St. Joseph Bay, Alligator Harbor, and St. Andrews Bay. The restoration work included surveying and mapping scarring within the seagrass habitats in the three Aquatic Preserves. Additionally, sediment tubes were manufactured, filled with local fine grain sediment, and deployed in approximately 2 acres of seagrass propeller scars.

Contact

Pearce Barrett
(850) 245-2106
pearce.barrett@floridadep.gov
Project Website
Project Partners

None

Affiliated Institutions

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/

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