The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) hosted the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) Executive Director in Apalachicola, the location of the recently completed RESTORE Council-selected Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration project. This visit is part of a tour of RESTORE Council funded restoration projects across the Gulf Coast as the Council prepares to update its Comprehensive Plan for Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy. A draft of the plan was released for public comment on April 21, 2022.  

 

The Florida-sponsored Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration project has contributed to substantive efforts to restore oyster reefs within Apalachicola Bay by placing substrate or "cultch" in bays where natural oyster reproduction occurs. The project, which builds upon prior investments with Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damage Assessment funds, placed over 50,000 cubic yards of suitable oyster reef substrate at 14 sites within the bay. FDEP, the project sponsor, has monitored results over time, demonstrating that the project has increased oyster reef habitat, improved capacity of oysters to filter nutrients and other contaminants from water, reduced shoreline erosion, and a generated number of other ecological benefits including the protection of healthy, diverse and sustainable living coastal marine resources. 

 

“The work of the RESTORE Council is vital for protecting, conserving and restoring the Gulf’s natural resources,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Projects like Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration are examples of the important steps Florida has taken to protect and restore the diverse, productive, and economically important Apalachicola River and Bay.”

 

The RESTORE Act, passed in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, calls for the RESTORE Council to develop a comprehensive plan for use of a portion of the Deepwater Horizon settlement funds to restore the ecosystem and economies of the Gulf Coast. This plan communicates the Council’s goals and objectives for restoration, and it guides future investments in restoration activities. Gulf Coast stakeholders are invited to review and comment on the draft plan update during a formal comment period, beginning April 21, 2022. The deadline for submitting public comment is 11:59 MT on June 6, 2022. To learn more about the Council’s investments, and how to comment on the draft 2022 Comprehensive Plan Update, visit www.restorethegulf.gov. 

 

 

The Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration project has contributed to substantive efforts to restore oyster reefs within Apalachicola Bay by placing substrate or "cultch" in bays where natural oyster reproduction occurs.

 

This Florida-sponsored project included placing approximately 50,260 cubic yards of suitable oyster reef substrate at 14 sites within the bay using barges and high-pressure water. The planted areas were monitored through sampling and analysis of oyster size and density at each restoration site. Additionally, a side-scan sonar mapping tool was utilized to monitor changes in cultched reef areas over time.

 

Ecological benefits associated with the project include increased fishery and wildlife habitat; increased biodiversity and trophic dynamics; increased filtering capacity to improve water quality and recycle nutrients; increased structural stability to reduce shoreline erosion and to protect near-shore resources; and the protection of healthy, diverse and sustainable living coastal marine resources.

 

The project aimed to expand subtidal oyster restoration in Apalachicola Bay by expanding on the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Early Restoration Florida Oyster Cultch Placement project. 

Other RESTORE Council-Selected Restoration Component’s restoration projects in the Apalachicola Watershed include Apalachicola Watershed Agriculture Water Quality Improvements, Apalachicola Regional Restoration Initiative, and Money Bayou Wetlands Restoration.

 

The RESTORE Council was established in 2012 by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), a federal law enacted in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The RESTORE Council consists of the governors of five Gulf Coast states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) and the cabinet heads of six federal agencies (the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of the Interior, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 

 

 

The RESTORE Council oversees administration of 60% of the funds made available from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund established in the wake of the oil spill. Under the 2016 Deepwater Horizon consent decree among the United States, the five Gulf States, and British Petroleum (BP), BP makes payments into the Trust Fund over a 15-year period ending in 2031. 

 

As funds become available, the RESTORE Council works collaboratively and with input from stakeholders across the Gulf to develop Funded Priorities Lists (FPLs), which designate ecosystem projects and programs for funding. FPL funding decisions are guided by criteria set forth in the RESTORE Act and the Council’s Comprehensive Plan for Restoration. In addition, the RESTORE Council oversees funding for State-led restoration and recovery efforts provided in State Expenditure Plans (SEPs) developed under the RESTORE Act. After FPLs and SEPs are approved, funding is administered through federal awards to the sponsors identified to implement the approved activities.

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Council has approved approx. $1.3B in projects and programs benefiting the Gulf of Mexico, and has over half a $Billion ($534M) of work underway or completed. Early results include acquisition of almost 8,000 acres of land, restoration of over 8,400 acres of wetland and non-wetland habitat; improved management practices on over 36,000 acres and more than 350 people enrolled to implement best management practices; and over 4,600 people reached through training, outreach, and technical assistance. These are just a portion of the metrics being tracked by the Council and are provided to highlight some of the progress being made to improve the health and productivity of the Gulf ecosystem.