BOEMRE Awards $2.9 Million for Mississippi Park Boardwalk
CIAP Grant to Fund Nature Trail, Educational Pavilion, Historical Conservation Sites
NEW ORLEANS – The Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
announced today that it has awarded a $2,940,000 Coastal Impact
Assistance Program (CIAP) grant to the state of Mississippi. The
grant will fund the construction of a pedestrian nature trail,
interpretive signage and maps, historical site research, and an
educational pavilion in Joseph T. Jones Memorial Park in Gulfport,
Miss.
Created
by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, CIAP provides
funding to the six Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas
producing states to conserve and protect the coastal environment. CIAP
is an ongoing program with grant funding that is allocated based on
the offshore energy revenues collected by the United States.
“Educating the public
about ecology and conservation through family-oriented projects is
another example of our efforts to preserve the coastal environment,”
said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “With these CIAP grants,
we are helping communities fund critical protection and coastal
restoration initiatives, while also showcasing our historic
landmarks.”
The $2,940,000 grant
will be used for the construction of a hard-surfaced biking path and
walking trail within Joseph T. Jones Memorial Park, as well as maps
and interpretative signage along the trail. The project also
includes funding for archeological and ecological research to
identify significant historic sites along the boardwalk, as well as
the development of a knowledge base for conservation and historic
interpretive information. In addition, the grant will fund the
construction of a conservation educational pavilion.
CIAP received $250 million in
appropriated funds for each of the Fiscal Years 2007-2010, to be
disbursed to six eligible OCS oil and gas producing states:
Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana and Texas.
Contact: BOEMRE
Public Affairs-Gulf