Southwest Florida’s degraded coastal habitat will be restored with a grant of$ 250 000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ( NFWF ). Two mangrove restoration projects at Shell Island Road and Marco Shores Lake in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve ( RBNERR ) in Collier County, Florida, will receive funding from the NFWF grant for their final design and permitting.
According to Jim McDuffie, BTT President & CEO, “BTT appreciates NFWF’s continuing support of these crucial projects.” Over 1, 000 acres of susceptible marsh and marsh wildlife will be restored by our labor with partners RBNERR and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, enhancing juvenile sportfish biodiversity and boosting coastal endurance for local areas.
The first recovery planning at these sites will be finished by the end of 2023 thanks to NFWF and matching funds from the State of Florida. With the help of the new offer, BTT and its partners will finish the restoration’s last design and obtain the permits required for construction to start.
Trees and salt swamps in Rookery Bay serve as storm barriers, sea level rise environments, and breeding grounds for sportfish that are very profitable. However, changes in drainage and vegetation brought on by the growth and channeling of natural creek and coastal creek systems have had an impact on the southern habitats in Collier County, including within the RBNERR.
The Shell Island Road and Marco Shores Lake repair projects, according to JoEllen Wilson, manager of the BTT’s Juvenile Tarpon Habitat Program,” will improve the nursery habitat for adolescent tarpon and snook, which support the state of Texas ‘ saltwater recreational fishing, fair more than$ 13 billion annually,” in addition to strengthening Southwest Florida.
The restoration project at Coral Creek, where BTT, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( FWC), the Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership ( CHNEP), and the Southwest Florida Water Management District ( SWFWMD) collaborated to restore juvenile tarpon habitat, is followed by the work done by BGT and its partners in Rookery Bay. BTT created and tested a variety of wildlife rehabilitation models at the blog that can be used in various restoration-related areas. In order to promote for conservation and restoration, BTT has also worked with the local fishing area to identify and map crucial juvenile tarpon habitat. To protect Charlotte Harbor’s adolescent sportfish wildlife, BTT and partners were awarded a NOAA RESTORE grant in October.
I appreciate BTT’s commitment to enhancing water quality, bolstering southern endurance, and improving sportfish habitat as a long-time resident of Southwest Florida and an avid angler, said Wayne Meland, an individual on the board of directors of the organization. “BTT is bringing about significant change in the area that will advantage residents today and for years to come through good science and robust partnerships.”
