Oil Spill Funds and the Opportunities they Present for Galveston Bay

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1 Oil Spill Funds and the Opportunities they Present for Galveston Bay A presentation to Texas Environmental Grantmakers Group By Bob Stokes, President, Galveston Bay Foundation Friday, October 31, 2014 Galveston, Texas

2 Galveston Bay Foundation Mission: To preserve, protect, and enhance the natural resources of Galveston Bay and its tributaries for present users and for posterity Program areas: Advocacy Conservation Education Research

3 Galveston Bay: An Estuary Estuary - a semienclosed coastal body of water where the freshwater from our rivers, bayous, and creeks mixes with the salty water of the Gulf of Mexico to provide intermediate salinities

4 Why are Estuaries Like Galveston Bay Important? A healthy estuary provides clean water, supports fish and wildlife, protects coastal communities from storm damage, and allows for human uses such as boating and fishing Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems in the world 95% of commercial and recreationally important fisheries species in the Gulf of Mexico are dependent upon estuaries like Galveston Bay during some part of their life cycle

5 Galveston Bay: Productivity Most productive bay in Texas and one of the most productive in the U.S., only behind Chesapeake Bay May be THE most productive bay in the country on a per square mile basis

6 Galveston Bay: Habitats Open-bay water, oyster reefs, seagrass meadows, mud and sand flats, marshes, oak mottes, riparian woodlands, coastal prairies ~120,000 acres of vegetated wetlands (TPWD, 2009) Had ~27,000 acres of oyster reefs (pre-hurricane Ike), or about 8% of the bay s area (TPWD, 2009)

7 Galveston Bay: Losses in Marsh & Seagrass Area Emergent wetlands were estimated to have declined by 35,100 acres between 1953 and 1989 (White et al. 1993) Seagrass beds were estimated to have declined by 80% between 1950 and 2005 Historically, these habitats suffered and declined due to development, land subsidence resulting from groundwater and oil extraction, and shoreline erosion

8 Galveston Bay: Losses in Oyster Reefs & Productivity About ½ of the bay s consolidated reefs were destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008 Historically (pre-ike), Galveston Bay was the highest oyster producing bay in Texas, accounting for approximately 85-90% of all oysters harvested and worth about $12 million/year In 2010 (post-ike), Galveston Bay s contribution to the Texas total was ~30% with San Antonio and Aransas Bays accounting for 31% and 32%, respectively

9 Restoration = Healthy Habitats GBF s Dickinson Bay Bird Island, 2012 Projects that restore coastal habitats help estuaries remain healthy, functioning ecosystems A healthy estuary provides clean water, supports fish and wildlife, protects coastal communities from storm damage, and improves human uses such as fishing and boating Restoration may include: rebuilding depleted oyster reefs, restoring subsided elevations to support emergent marsh, rebuilding rookery islands, replanting marsh and seagrass, among others Source: Jobs & Dollars, RAE 2011

10 Restoration = Healthy Economies Coastal restoration can create more than 30 jobs for each million dollars invested twice as many as the oil and gas and road construction industries combined Restoration jobs are local jobs and cannot be exported Restoration creates direct, indirect, and induced jobs Money spent on restoration stays in the local economy Construction of Dickinson Bay Bird Island Source: Jobs & Dollars, RAE 2011

11 Habitat Conservation and Restoration Program Conservation through land holdings Conservation through enhancement Habitat restoration GBF s Sweetwater Preserve on Galveston Island

12 Habitat Conservation and Restoration Program GBF has spent nearly 23 of its 27 years planning and managing habitat conservation and restoration projects supported with federal, state, and local funding GBF has protected, preserved, and/or restored 17,000 acres of habitat and protected over 16 miles of shoreline from erosion Currently, GBF manages ~ $4.3 million in federal, state, and local grant funding in support of more than a dozen conservation and restoration projects

13 GBF, an Accredited Land Trust Received accreditation as a land trust in July 2013 One of only 7 land trusts in Texas Between 1991 and 2014, acquired 4,173 acres of properties for conservation o o 10 fee simple properties 7 conservation easements Two more easements expected to close in late 2014/early 2015: o o Green s Bayou 691 acres Lone Pine Farm 1,097 acres Anticipated conservation acreage as of early 2015: 5,940 acres

14 Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Types of projects include: Wetlands restoration Shoreline protection Bird island restoration Oyster reef restoration Invasive species control Marine debris removal

15 Galveston Bay Project Selection GBF advocates that Texas projects that are selected for funding related to the oil spill be projects that: Restore marshes and wetlands Restore oyster reefs Secure fresh water inflows to bays and estuaries Conserve habitat through land acquisition

16 GBF Project Opportunities Potential GBF projects include, among others: Gordy Marsh Acquisition Oyster Lake Habitat Protection and Marsh Restoration Moses Lake & Dollar Bay Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration Pierce Marsh Beneficial Uses Marsh Restoration Dickinson Bay Bird Island (II) Restoration Seabrook Habitat Island Restoration Abshier WMA Shoreline Protection

17 Featured Conservation Project: Gordy Marsh Acquisition Located in Chenier Plain of Texas on Trinity Bay Project goal is to place up to 4,000 acres of valuable coastal, estuarine wetlands with associated uplands, freshwater ponds and wetlands under permanent protection via conservation easement Contains some of the best examples of native coastal prairie left in Chambers County, part of the 1% remaining of Gulf coastal prairie in its natural state

18 Featured Restoration Project: Oyster Lake Habitat Protection and Marsh Restoration Project goals: reduce wave energies affecting the shoreline between Oyster Lake and West Bay impede the pending breach between the two systems restore fringing marsh habitat along the shoreline Methods involve the installation of hard structure breakwaters and transplanting of marsh vegetation behind the structures

19 What can you do? How can you help? Provide seed money to support GBF s ongoing efforts to bring oil spill funding to Galveston Bay Prioritize Galveston Bay conservation and restoration efforts for future funding Provide funding to support restoration and acquisition efforts