Alabama

Alabama Forestry Foundation
Improving Habitat for At-Risk Species in South Alabama’s Longleaf Forests — II
Engage family forest owners in south Alabama to restore and enhance longleaf pine forests to improve habitat for at-risk species such as gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake and eastern hognose snake. Project will reach and educate landowners through direct mail and social media marketing, workshops and field days, restore 11,500 acres of longleaf through plantings, prescribed burning, and invasive species control, and collect gopher tortoise population data on private lands.
$300,000

Alabama Forestry Foundation
Restoring Connectivity and Improving In-Stream Habitat in the Upper Sipsey Fork Watershed (AL)
Replace improperly installed and maintained culvert crossings to restore connectivity in 13 high-priority streams in Winston County, Alabama, benefiting numerous freshwater species, including the black warrior waterdog and flattened musk turtle. Project will improve habitat connectivity within 101 miles of streams, improve 20 acres of riparian forest, and engage at least 40 private landowners through education or technical assistance to promote conservation practices on private lands.
$225,000

Alabama Wildlife Federation
Alabama Longleaf Pine Restoration on Private Lands - VI
Restore and enhance nearly 5,000 acres of longleaf pine on private lands within priority counties for longleaf pine and northern bobwhite restoration in Alabama. Project will engage at least 100 private landowners through targeted outreach and technical assistance and assist landowners with identifying eligible incentive programs for establishing and managing longleaf pine and associated wildlife habitat.
$116,538

Birmingham-Southern College
Creating an Alabama Forest Classroom (AL)
Install a rainwater harvesting system, plant 30 native trees and shrubs and create a 0.3 mile “Return of the Natives” Trail on the 466-acre Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. Project will complement the  addition of a 120-seat Turkey Creek Classroom, with new systems to channel rainwater from the roof to a 1,400 gallon cistern and drip irrigation system, filtering rainwater to protect the critically endangered vermilion darter.
$35,450

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
GIS Capacity and Training to Support Gulf-Wide Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Provide geographic information system (GIS) expertise and training in support of Gulf-wide ecosystem conservation and restoration programs and projects. Project will develop GIS layers and maps where Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and Natural Resources Damage Assessment projects have been approved for planning and implementation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
$300,000

Mississippi State University
Novel Techniques for Restoring Shortleaf Pine-Hardwood Ecosystems on Reclaimed Mine Sites (AL)
Restore 182 acres of shortleaf pine and shortleaf pine-oak habitat on a reclaimed mine site in north-central Alabama, improving soil and water quality and benefiting species such as northern bobwhite and freshwater mussels. Project will use the restored property as a demonstration site to engage private landowners and land managers through field day events and short courses, seeking to increase adoption of habitat restoration practices on additional reclaimed mine sites.
$174,999

Mobile County Commission
Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline and Habitat Restoration Project (AL)
Complete design and implementation for breakwater and a coastal marsh in Mobile Bay on the east side of the Dauphin Island Causeway. Project will create and protect critical coastal marsh habitat and reduce the vulnerability of the only emergency/hurricane evacuation route between the mainland of south Mobile County and Dauphin Island.
$4,900,000

Reef Fish Conservation and Education Foundation
Engaging the Next Generation of Commercial Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Develop a workforce training program to recruit and educate young fishermen for the commercial seafood harvesting sector. Project will engage fishery leaders from various fisheries across the Gulf of Mexico in face-to-face meetings to design and plan a young fishermen training program for the Gulf of Mexico and develop a review of similar programs around the United States.
$25,835

Saltwater
Expanding and Improving the Use of Electronic Monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Trawl Fishery (multiple states)
Expand and improve the use of electronic monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery by installing electronic monitoring systems and collecting data on protected species interactions and red snapper bycatch volume and locations. Project will maximize the utility of the collected data for both fishery management and dealer verification of catch origin and sustainable fishing practices.
$173,145

The Longleaf Alliance
Collaborating to Restore Longleaf in the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership Landscape (AL, FL)
Restore and maintain 44,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat in south Alabama and the western panhandle region of Florida to benefit rare and declining species such as the Bachman’s sparrow, red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and northern bobwhite. Project will provide technical assistance to private landowners and deploy an ecosystem support team to implement prescribed burning, plant longleaf pine, remove invasive species, and support rare species recovery on public and private lands.
$300,000

The Nature Conservancy
Accelerating Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Restoration in the Chattahoochee Fall Line Area - V (AL, GA)
Accelerate longleaf pine conservation on more than 20,400 acres of public and private land in west Georgia and east Alabama, benefiting red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and other at-risk species. Project will improve forests through silvicultural treatments and implement prescribed fire on existing and restored longleaf habitat, with activities focused on properties buffering Fort Benning, as well as high priority state and privately owned lands.
$283,000

The Nature Conservancy
Calvert Prong and Turkey Creek Stream Restoration in the Locust Fork Watershed (AL)
Restore and enhance riparian forests and support federally-listed species on two sites within the Locust Fork watershed in Alabama. Project will restore approximately 10 acres of riparian buffer and .5 miles of streambank, preventing an estimated 400 cubic yards of sediment from entering the watershed annually, and improve critical habitat for the black warrior waterdog, flattened musk turtle, vermilion darter and other listed species.
$145,948

The Nature Conservancy
Expanding Longleaf Pine Restoration in the Talladega Mountains (AL, GA)
Plant 420 acres of longleaf pine and improve an additional 17,500 acres of existing longleaf habitat with prescribed fire within the Talladega Mountains Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership area of north-central Alabama and northwest Georgia. Project will increase prescribed fire capacity with seasonal burn crews and establish longleaf on a recently acquired property adjoining the Talladega National Forest, benefiting red-cockaded woodpecker and other longleaf-dependent species.
$274,000

University of Georgia Research Foundation
Development of a Planted Longleaf Pine Growth and Yield Model for the Southeast (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC)
Create a new growth and yield model system for longleaf pine that will allow more accurate growth projections for landowners considering longleaf pine reforestation who may have timber management objectives. Project will establish, document and measure permanent plots in planted unthinned longleaf pine stands on cut-over sites in the southeast United States, and the data will be used to calibrate a growth and yield model for multiple factors for longleaf pine.
$243,999