FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  November 6, 2003
CONTACT: Linda Long, (850) 245-2112 
Sally Cooey, (850) 595-8300

Project GreenShores Receives National Recognition 

--Coastal America Partnership Award honors Pensacola Bay restoration --

PENSACOLA– A $2 million public-private partnership to restore marine habitat in Pensacola Bay today received national recognition. The United States Navy honored Project GreenShores with a Coastal America Partnership Award, which recognizes outstanding partnerships that restore and protect the nation’s coastal environment.

“Restoration of this sensitive coastal area through community partnership serves as a national model,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary Allan Bedwell. “Project GreenShores improves the health of the bay and contributes to the local economy by preserving and enhancing one of Pensacola’s most cherished natural resources.”

Project GreenShores was launched in 2001 to restore 15 acres of salt marsh off the coast of the Panhandle city. Over 20,000 tons of recycled concrete and limestone rock form a man-made reef, which safeguards aquatic plants from wave damage and provides the foundation for seven acres of oyster habitat. The reef also provides a rest stop for migratory and local birds and shelters a diversity of marine life.

"As an organization that spends a significant amount of time at sea and owns land in coastal areas, we are keenly aware of our duty to be good stewards of the environment," said Deputy Secretary of the Navy (Environment) Donald Schregardus. “Project GreenShores has allowed us to partner with many organizations and make a significant contribution to the habitat restoration in Pensacola Bay."

Since Project GreenShores began, thousands of school children have experienced Pensacola Bay from aboard the American Star, an environmental educational tour sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Through a variety of partnerships, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided $370,000 to fund the restoration project.

“I am proud to say that NOAA has been a leader in restoring coastal habitats in the Southeast and throughout the nation,” said Frederick C. Sutter III, Southeast Deputy Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This project shows our commitment to working with partners to accomplish citizen-driven restoration initiatives.”

Project GreenShores is managed by the Department of Environmental Protection and supported by over 60 local and national entities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the City of Pensacola and Escambia County. Volunteers have also played an important role with over 300 volunteers contributing more than 800 hours of work to the restoration.