The Florida Trustee Implementation Group which was created to oversee restoration efforts after the BP oil spill has released its final Restoration Plan 2 and environmental assessment.
The 18 restoration projects in the plan will cost over 62 million dollars to complete – the money comes from fines levied after the BP oil spill devastated Florida beaches and the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2010.
The projects reach from Escambia to Franklin Counties – the area most impacted by the BP oil spill.
The plan includes 4 habitat projects on federally managed lands, 3 projects to protect sea turtles and another to protect marine mammals.
There are also 4 projects related to bird protection and 7 projects to provide and enhance recreational opportunities in Northwest Florida.
The only project specifically for our area is 3.2 million dollars to buy property at Indian Pass to improve and protect access to St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge.
The project will acquire and enhance a 10 to15-acre parcel at Indian Pass to ensure boating access St. Vincent Island.
Currently the Refuge has a 50 year lease for a boat slip at a current cost of $14,400 per year.
Other projects include over 5 million dollars to reduce threats to sea turtles by removing barriers to sea turtle nesting activities both in-water and on beaches.
https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2021/06/florida-trustee-group-approves-18-projects-62-million-restoration-plan?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
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