Oyster Habitat Restoration proposed

MILTON — The Oyster Habitat Restoration project aims to conserve, restore and manage oyster habitats in the east and Blackwater Bays in Santa Rosa County. The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners approved to submit the project application to RESTORE Act.  

The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act was set up in 2012 as part of the aftermath of the BP oil spill. The RESTORE Act dedicates 80 percent of all administrative and civil penalties related to the Deepwater Horizon spill to a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund and outlines a structure by which the funds can be utilized to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region.

This restoration project is complementary to the Pensacola East Bay Oyster Habitat Restoration project that is currently under its design phase. The project is funded by the National Fish and wildlife foundation Gulf Environment Benefit Fund Grant.

The SRC Oyster project will include a mapping of oyster habitat along the East and Blackwater Bays with analysis of the conditions of the oyster habitats in the mapped reefs and a design and implementation of a pilot oyster shell recycling program in the county that includes outreach and communication.     

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Oyster Habitat Restoration proposed