Since 1994, the Ecosystem Restoration Section (ERS) of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Northwest District has been working to restore coastal habitats throughout the Florida panhandle by creating, restoring and enhancing critical habitat components with particular emphasis on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), oyster reef, salt marsh and coastal dune systems. Funding for these activities is provided almost entirely through competitive grants obtained from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Gulf of Mexico Foundation. In addition to external funding dollars, ERS projects receive substantial assistance from local agencies, businesses and individuals in the form of in-kind and volunteer services. A complete listing of current projects can be found below.

 

ERS maintains two greenhouses where emergent grasses and native dune species are propagated and used in restoration endeavors, as well as a seagrass laboratory where local stocks of Ruppia maritima are propagated using a micro-culture technique and reintroduced into the environment for restoration of local seagrass beds. To date, the ERS nursery and seagrass laboratory have produced over 90,000 plants and propagated over 1,000 square meters of R. maritima which have been used in local dune, salt marsh and seagrass restoration projects. In conjunction with the seagrass laboratory, the SAV restoration component of ERS works to salvage seagrass from the footprint of marine construction (e.g. docks, pilings, bridges, piers) with the salvaged seagrass then transplanted into areas known to historically support seagrass beds. A joint partnership between ERS and the local restaurant/seafood industry, known as the Offer Your Shell To Enhance Restoration program (OYSTER), works with participating partner restaurants/seafood suppliers who donate discarded oyster shell to help restore/create oyster reefs, thus reducing the input of this valuable shell resource into local landfills as well as to restore critical oyster habitat. Through this ongoing partnership, the OYSTER program has collected over 80 tons of recycled shell and has created 5 acres of oyster reef habitat in local waters.

An essential component to all ERS programs is environmental education. This is accomplished through tours of the community-based habitat restoration/creation effort Project GreenShores, through involvement in environmental outreach events in the community and by the hands-on participation of individuals in on the ground restoration projects in the local community. We welcome volunteer participation in all of our restoration activities. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the Ecosystem Restoration Section please contact Amy Baldwin for more information.

Current Restoration Projects include:

 

• Environmental Monitoring of Project GreenShores, Pensacola Bay, Florida – funded by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program

• Ecological monitoring including bivalves, vertebrates (fish and avian), emergent grasses, submerged aquatic vegetation, water quality and benthic invertebrates

• Support for the FDEP Seagrass Micropropagation Laboratory

 

• Coastal Dune Restoration – funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service

• Restoration of three main dune systems in Northwest Florida: Topsail Hill State Preserve, Gulf Islands National Seashore at Ft. Pickens and Perdido Key State Recreation Area using native upland vegetation collected from natural areas and maintained/propagated at the FDEP Nursery Facility

 

• Pensacola and Perdido Bay Oyster Reef Restoration – funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

• Restore 5 to 6 acres of oyster reef habitat in the Pensacola and Perdido Bay systems for essential fish habitat enhancement utilizing dried oyster shell collected from the restaurant/seafood industry in Escambia County, Florida

 

• Project GreenShores Site 2 – funded by numerous grants and partnerships with various public and private organizations

• Restoration/creation of estuarine habitats

Salt marsh

Oyster reefs

Seagrass beds

Coastal buffer zone

• Provide environmental education to public

• Monitoring of changes in environmental quality and habitat value at the project site

 

• Living Shorelines Initiative in Pensacola Bay System – funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program

• Restore salt marsh/emergent plant, oyster reef and SAV habitats in the Pensacola Bay System in accordance with the USFWS Living Shorelines Initiative

• Participation in, and support for, community environmental education and Grasses in Classes program in the Florida panhandle

 

• Seagrass and Oyster Reef Restoration – funded by the Florida Coastal Zone Program (NOAA) and the Garcon Point Restoration Trust Fund

• Salvage of SAV from footprint of marine construction projects for use in restoration of seagrass beds in the Pensacola Bay system, particularly Project GreenShores

• Creation/restoration of oyster reef habitats within estuary systems of Northwest Florida

 

• Seagrass Salvage and Restoration in the Eastern Panhandle of Florida – funded by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation

• Salvage of SAV from footprint of marine construction projects in the eastern panhandle of Florida

• Pilot project for aquaculture of Halodule wrightii

 

The Ecosystem Restoration Program would like to recognize the following partners: