Alabama

Alabama Coastal Foundation
Dauphin Island Sea Turtle Stranding Surveys (AL)
Complete 30 sea turtle surveys on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Project will conduct two stranding surveys per week through October 2021 and April 2022, providing survey logs and completed documentation to the State of Alabama, and include coordination with the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network State Coordinator on the transport of live turtles off-island. 
$5,732

Alabama Forestry Foundation
Engaging Landowners to Improve Habitat for Listed and At-Risk Aquatic Species in South Alabama
Increase outreach and technical assistance to private landowners in a 10-county area of south Alabama to protect and improve aquatic habitat for threatened, endangered and at-risk species. Project will work closely with local NRCS offices and engage 120 landowners to develop a management plan that includes best management practices, implement conservation practices, or sign-up for an NRCS program, resulting in 7,500 acres under improved management and 20 stream miles opened.
$350,000

Alabama Forestry Foundation
Engaging Private Landowners to Restore Shortleaf Pine and Improve Aquatic Habitat (AL)
Engage family forest owners in the Cumberland Plateau region of Alabama to restore and improve shortleaf pine forests and protect and improve stream and riparian habitat for at-risk aquatic species. Project will restore and enhance more than 5,000 acres of shortleaf pine habitat, improve 5 miles of riparian habitat through invasive species control or streambank restoration, and open 15 miles of stream by retrofitting culverts, benefiting grassland birds and aquatic species.
$270,000

Alabama Forestry Foundation
Improving Habitat for At-Risk Species in South Alabama’s Longleaf Forests
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 13,000 acres of longleaf through plantings, prescribed burning and invasive species control, and collect gopher tortoise population data on private lands.
$259,600

Alabama Wildlife Federation
Restoring Native Grasslands on Private Lands in Alabama
Engage private landowners through outreach and technical assistance to improve habitat for northern bobwhite and other grassland dependent species in priority areas across Alabama. Project will develop best management practice recommendations for at least 80 landowners and assist with the implementation of 1,500 acres of native grassland habitat restoration and management.
$118,000

American Forest Foundation
Enhancing Water Quality through Forested Watershed Conservation (AL, FL, MS)
Enhance and maintain water quality by protecting and restoring forested watershed conditions in key watersheds across the Gulf Coast. Project will be implemented through a public-private partnership and will support capacity building and expand resources to protect and restore forested watersheds in the Gulf States.
$10,000

Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council
Improving Passage and Monitoring Populations of Trispot Darters in Big Canoe Creek Watershed (AL)
Enhance fish passage accessibility and improve population estimates within known spawning areas for the Trispot Darter in the Big Canoe Creek watershed. Project will remove two large culverts from an identified priority restoration site and replace with a bridge structure to improve the hydrologic regime, monitor fish before and after restoration, conduct an assessment to estimate spawning site populations, and conduct surveys in non-spawning habitats.
$235,367

Forest Landowners Association
Restoring Longleaf Pine and Species Habitat on Large-Acreage Private Lands (AL, GA, LA)
Establish 1,400 acres of longleaf pine and improve 2,900 acres of existing longleaf forest with prescribed fire on large-acreage private lands in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. Project will address barriers to restoring longleaf pine on large-acreage private lands by building trust among stakeholders and developing innovative tools to mitigate risks associated with at-risk and listed species regulations and providing technical and financial assistance to support planting and management of longleaf pine.
$150,000

Gentner Consulting Group
Deepwater Horizon Oceanic Fish Restoration Project Project Monitoring and Evaluation (multiple states)
Conduct requisite statistical analyses to evaluate key performance indicators for the project in accordance with the Oceanic Fish Restoration Project Monitoring Plan. Project will estimate bycatch reduction and alternative gear performance during the remaining repose years and will support evaluation of the overall performance of the project following the final repose year.
$430,600

Gulf Fisheries Research Foundation
Remote Electronic Monitoring for the Gulf of Mexico For-Hire Reef Fish Fishery (AL, FL, TX)
Develop remote electronic monitoring for the Gulf of Mexico for-hire reef fish fishery using wireless video and data transfer, onboard artificial intelligence, cloud data storage and remote video review. Project will explore incentives specific to the for-hire industry, develop an image library for regulated species, explore artificial intelligence to minimize video review costs, and contribute information for science and management, including post-release mortality estimates.
$396,343

North Carolina State University
Expanding Prescribed Fire Delivery to Restore Southeast Forests (multiple states)
Expand and accelerate the implementation of prescribed fire to restore and enhance longleaf pine habitat and other fire dependent forest and grassland communities within the Southeast. Project will engage landowners, including underserved landowners, and fire practitioners through technical assistance, training and outreach to increase the use of prescribed fire.
$180,000

One World Adventure Company
Little River Watershed Restoration (AL, GA)
Implement best management practices for storm water using green infrastructure on 20 acres and restore 20 miles of riverbanks and major streambanks in the Little River Watershed. Project will engage 40 volunteers to mitigate sediment and stormwater runoff with native plants and grasses.
$37,288

South Alabama Land Trust
Alta Fish River Preserve Habitat Restoration and Outreach (AL)
Restore 60 acres for public access and outdoor recreation in Baldwin County, Alabama. Project will improve a property for public access and volunteer opportunities, including invasive plant removal, native plantings, prescribed burning, trail maintenance/construction, as well as nature hikes and environmental ecosystem educational field trips to engage 200 community members.
$25,500

Stantec Consulting Services
Gulf-wide In-water Sea Turtle Monitoring Plan (multiple states)
Develop a statistically sound plan for the establishment of a coordinated Gulf-wide network for collection and compilation of critical abundance, demographic, and biological information on sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. Project will provide important context for project-level monitoring at individual sites where restoration is implemented and will assist with comparisons across multiple projects.
$224,267

Tall Timbers Research
Increasing the Pace and Scale of Fire in the Central Longleaf Pine Belt of Alabama
Provide education, outreach and prescribed fire assistance to address impediments to prescribed burning in Central Alabama. Project will develop demonstration sites on public lands, work with local universities to integrate fire ecology into their curriculum and provide technical support to private landowners, including historically underserved landowners, to complete 2,100 acres of prescribed burning on private lands, benefiting northern bobwhite and Bachman’s sparrow.
$276,000

Tennessee Aquarium
Monitoring Status of Bridled Darters and Assessing Threats to Blue Shiners (AL, GA, TN)
Monitor abundance and genetic health of the bridled darter and assess threats to federally threatened blue shiners in the Coosa River drainage. Project will utilize snorkeling, eDNA surveys and DNA analysis from tissues to monitor bridled darters and will utilize geographic information systems, fish passage assessments, eDNA surveys and habitat comparisons to other watersheds to assess threats to blue shiners.
$113,097

The Longleaf Alliance
Habitat and Species Recovery in the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership Landscape (FL, AL)
Restore and maintain 149,000 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 Longleaf Alliance
Coordinating Local Implementation Team Capacity and Landowner Technical Assistance and Outreach (multiple states) – Phase V
Improve and sustain coordination and exchange of information among 18 multi-partner local implementation teams that organize, plan and deliver conservation actions to restore and enhance the longleaf pine ecosystem. Project will support strategic on-the-ground restoration through conservation planning, as well as tracking and communication of longleaf pine restoration accomplishments.
$250,000

The Nature Conservancy
Restoring and Managing Longleaf in Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama
Plant, maintain and improve montane longleaf pine stands on both public and private lands in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Project will establish 1,000 acres of new longleaf pine through plantings and improve and maintain an additional 48,000 acres of existing longleaf pine habitat with prescribed fire, benefiting northern pine snake, fox squirrel and Bachman’s sparrow.
$225,000

The Nature Conservancy
Partnering to Restore Longleaf Pine Across the Chattahoochee Fall Line (AL, GA)
Accelerate longleaf pine habitat restoration and enhancement on more than 20,900 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 enhance and maintain existing longleaf pine habitat with prescribed fire and forest thinning, establish longleaf pine through plantings, and engage landowners through outreach and technical assistance, focusing on lands around Fort Benning.
$224,618