Steven Raabe, Trustee of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust, announces that twelve projects, from eight entities, totaling nearly 3.3 million dollars have been approved for funding.
The projects being funded, by category, are:
Habitat Restoration (Five projects totaling $1,236,129)
Restoring Oyster Reef Habitat in Tres Palacios Bay and Developing Best Practices for Future Restoration, $399,816, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Saving the Integrity of Keller Bay and Sandpoint Peninsula, $394,313, Texas A&M AgriLife,
Texas A&M University
Coastal Aquatic Plant Nursery and Restoration Outreach, $265,000, Matagorda Bay Foundation
Enhancing Environmental Response, Conservation, and Education Opportunities in the Matagorda Bay Ecosystem, $62,000, Matagorda Bay Foundation
Habitat Restoration of the Hog and Schwing Bayou Preserve, Calhoun County, TX, $115,000, Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust
Environmental Research (Four projects totaling $1,599,673)
Sediment Quality Assessment Survey of Lavaca and Matagorda Bays, $400,000, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Lavaca Bay Ecosystem Assessment: Gathering Key Baseline Data Among Nursery Habitats Spread Across a Pollution Gradient, $399,776, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Trophic Linkages and Habitat Connectivity of Popular Sportfish in the Matagorda Bay System, $399,932, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Assessing the Threat of Tire Leachate and Urban Runoff on Matagorda Bay Fish Populations, $399,965, University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute
Public Education (One project totaling $223,650):
Coastal Explorers Middle School Curriculum, $223,650, Calhoun County Independent School
District
Improving Public Access (One project totaling $141,000):
Hog Bayou Park Improvements, $141,000, Calhoun County
Youth Camps (One project totaling $91,200):
Matagorda Mañana Floating Classroom, $91,200, Texas Floating Classroom
The effective time frame of these projects ranges from 6 to 36 months.
Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust was funded as a result of the settlement of a Clean Water Act lawsuit, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and S. Diane Wilson v. Formosa. The mission of the Trust is to support and fund environmental mitigation projects, studies, and initiatives in the Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay ecosystems.
For further information visit the trust’s website at www.MBMTrust.com.
