FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9, 2004
CONTACT: Sally Cooey, (850) 595-1180

Project Greenshores Stands Strong Against the Storm

--State and local partners protect Bay waters, move ahead with project plans--

PENSACOLA – Project Greenshores, a $2 million public-private partnership to restore marine habitat in Pensacola Bay, stood strong against Hurricane Ivan. Shoreline inspections and aerial observations by state and federal agencies indicate the habitat restoration area remained intact during the strong category three storm and just six weeks later, intertidal areas are lush with sprouting grasses.

“Project GreenShores demonstrated its resilience against the storm,” said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs Allan Bedwell. “The project improves the health of the Pensacola Bay and contributes to the local economy by preserving and enhancing one of Pensacola’s most cherished natural resources.”

Slated to begin in 2005, construction of a second site will create an additional 16 acres of salt marsh habitat and 14 acres of oyster reef habitat. This portion of the project will contain a sand flat running parallel to an urban area on the Pensacola shore extending 4,300 feet along the Pensacola Bay, just east of Seville Harbour Marina and south of Hawkshaw Lagoon.

“The land and underwater assessments of Project GreenShores confirmed the stability of this nationally renowned project,” said DEP Northwest District Director Mary Jean Yon. “We are now moving ahead with project plans, beginning work on the second site and continuing to protect Pensacola Bay.”

Project GreenShores was launched in 2001 to restore 15 acres of salt marsh off the coast of Pensacola. More than 20,000 tons of recycled concrete and limestone rock form a man-made reef, safeguarding aquatic plants from wave damage and providing a 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.

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