For Immediate Release: August 20, 2009
Contact: Clay Harris, USFWS; (505) 248-6428
Beth Wilson, CBBEP; (361) 885-6246
FFS#R2FA

Albuquerque, N.M. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has approved a cooperative agreement with the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) and will provide $455,000 in federal stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help restore lost marsh habitat in Nueces Bay, near Corpus Christi, Texas.

“The Recovery Act is putting people to work today to make a long-term positive difference for our communities and our environment,” U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar explained.

The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring bays and estuaries in the 12-county region of the Texas Coastal Bend. CBBEP is partially funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For more information about CBBEP visit their web site at http://www.cbbep.org.

Funding for this project and hundreds more across the nation comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Of the $3 billion appropriated to the Department of the Interior, the Act provides $280 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - which includes $165 million for resource management. Projects are designed to create local jobs in the communities where they are located, while stimulating long-term employment and economic opportunities for the American public.

All projects deemed worthy of funding met three key criteria; they address the highest priority mission needs for the Service, they create the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time, and create lasting value for the American public.

“We are pleased and excited to have this opportunity to begin restoring precious wetlands and providing habitat for a variety of wildlife on the Texas coast,” said Benjamin Tuggle, PhD, Regional Director for the Service’s Southwest Region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. “This is a great example of how Recovery act funds create work and benefit communities.”

The Service selected the Indian Point Salt Marsh Restoration Project because of its benefits to fish, shellfish, and migratory birds, readiness to begin as well as the jobs that will be created during construction.

Research conducted by CBBEP found a total of 340 acres of salt marsh in Nueces Bay adjacent to Indian Point has been lost. Of that total, 180 acres of marsh were lost due to causeway construction and related dredging, and another 160 has been lost since then due to erosion and subsidence. This project will address those 160 acres of salt marsh.

The CBBEP, with technical assistance from the Service’s Coastal Program, began work in 2006 to plan for the marsh restoration project. Federal Recovery Act money will help pay for the first phase of the project which will restore 30 acres of productive salt marsh. The remaining 130 acres will be restored as more funding becomes available.

These intertidal wetlands are critical because they serve as nursery habitat for a variety of sea life including commercially and recreationally important species such as shrimp, crabs, and fish. They also protect infrastructure from wind and waves.

Construction for this first phase should begin in October 2009, and is expected to be completed by March 2010. The project has been engineered in distinct phases so that as additional funding becomes available more of the marsh will be restored.

For more information about this project, and to view other FWS projects funded by ARRA go to http://recovery.doi.gov/press/bureaus/us-fish-and-wildlife-service/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

For more information about fish and wildlife conservation in the Southwest, visit http://www.fws.gov/southwest/.