Georgia

2021 Guy Bradley Award 
State Winner (GA)
$2,500 was awarded to the family of 2021 Guy Bradley Award state level recipient, deceased Game Warden Captain, Stanley Curtis Elrod of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
$2,500

Atlanta Audubon Society
Maritime Grassland Dune Restoration on Jekyll Island (GA)
Restore and stabilize 3.5 acres of coastal dunes through the establishment of maritime grassland habitat to protect Georgia’s valuable salt marshes and interior terrestrial habitats. Project will engage seven local partners and at least 50 volunteers to install 24,000 plants and 10 pounds of seed and remove 3.5 acres of invasive vegetation, as well as engage at least 900 youth and community members in conservation experiences.
$44,418

Canaan Valley Institute
Coordinating Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Strategies and Goals (multiple states)
Continue the activities of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture in the historic range of the species. Project will refine the strategic objectives and key conservation priorities of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture using the results of the recently completed status assessment of wild brook trout at the catchment scale.
$74,999

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

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Shell Rake Habitat Restoration and Boater Disturbance Reduction for Atlantic Flyway Shorebirds (GA)
Restore shell rake nesting habitat for American oystercatcher, reduce human disturbance in offshore bar habitats and identify key red knot and whimbrel sites along the coast of Georgia with aerial surveys and pinpoint tags. Project will improve nesting success for American oystercatchers and identify and enhance conditions at important migration stopovers for whimbrel and red knot.
$75,000

Kennesaw State University
Testing the Efficacy of Aerosolized Treatments in Reducing Prevalence of White-Nose Syndrome (GA)
Create artificial cave environments to mimic bat hibernation conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of aerosolized compounds in reducing the growth of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. Project will test aerosolized versions of existing experimental treatments like polyethylene glycol and volatile organic compounds and evaluate their use in future management.
$87,164

Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council
Water Quality Conservation for Fish and Mussels in the Conasauga River Watershed (GA, TN)
Build on previous project efforts to work with local agricultural and business landowners to improve water quality in the Conasauga River watershed. Project will create partnerships and conduct outreach in order to implement water quality best management practices and bolster conservation efforts in support of published recovery plans for 10 of the listed fish and mussel species in the basin.
$256,304

Manomet
Managing American Oystercatchers and Minimizing Coastal Engineering Impacts Along the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Coordinate the American oystercatcher recovery initiative, implement best management practices for disturbance and predation management along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast of Florida and develop long-term improvements in coastal engineering protocols to restore habitats critical to focal shorebird species. Project will support the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan by creating a framework for long-term protection, restoration and creation of shorebird habitat at key sites.
$189,999

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

Ogeechee Riverkeeper
Urban Ecological Restoration in the Vernon River (GA)
Perform targeted sampling on 16 stream sites with 85 volunteers to analyze, plan restoration and engage a diverse, multigenerational community to implement data-driven management practices that reduce pathogen loading and litter in an impaired water body in Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia. Project will improve ecological health and specific habitat for endangered sturgeon, diamondback terrapin and sea turtles in the Vernon River.
$46,000

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

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Planning for Coastal Resilience through an Innovative Design Approach to Capacity Building (GA, NC, SC)
Identify, assess and build regional teams to address hydrologic connectivity threats resulting from inadequate culvert structures in tidal systems. Project will focus on surveying, assessing and prioritizing sites with key regional partners from diverse backgrounds and aims to build a community of practice in each region to further aquatic conservation and community resiliency.
$200,000

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Restoring Radium Springs Through Agriculture (GA)
Provide outreach and assistance to implement innovative irrigation best management practices in the Radium springshed, the largest spring in Georgia. Project will work with local farmers to reduce their water usage and implement best management practices across approximately 1,400 acres to provide flow resiliency in critical spring habitat areas, benefiting a variety of species, including gulf sturgeon, gulf striped bass, Doughtery plain cave crayfish and the Georgia blind salamander.
$205,000

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
Coordinating Local Implementation Team Capacity and Landowner Technical Assistance and Outreach (multiple states) - 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 Longleaf Alliance
Longleaf Pine Restoration on Public and Private Lands in the Fort Stewart/Altamaha Area – II (GA) 
Advance longleaf pine ecosystem restoration on public and private lands in southeast Georgia through prescribed burning, forest thinning, longleaf planting, a longleaf awareness social media campaign and restoration of native groundcover. Project will restore and enhance more than 12,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat on high-priority lands around Fort Stewart, benefiting gopher tortoise, northern bobwhite and other open-pine and grassland-dependent species.
$275,000

The Longleaf Alliance
Conserving Longleaf Forests, Wildlife Habitat and Water Resources through Innovative Partnerships (FL, GA, LA, SC, TX)
Restore and enhance 5,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat within priority drinking water supply watersheds in the Southeast. Project will build partnerships between forestry and conservation organizations, landowners and drinking water supply utilities and provide private landowners with technical and financial assistance to restore and enhance longleaf pine habitat, protecting drinking water supplies and benefiting the gopher frog and other at-risk forested-wetland dependent species.
$411,000

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
Developing a Resiliency Implementation Workplan for Camden County (GA)
Create a resiliency implementation workplan for Camden County, Georgia, via a stakeholder-driven planning process that results in actionable steps to assist local, county and Navy decision-makers in improving local resilience. Project will prioritize nature-based solutions by identifying and developing opportunities for nature-based, green-grey infrastructure projects to mitigate flooding, storm surge, sea-level rise risks and other threats to local infrastructure and facilities.
$75,000

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

The Nature Conservancy
Reducing Sediment in Chattahoochee National Forest to Benefit the Blue Shiner and Bridled Darter (GA)
Reduce sediment loading to Holly Creek by replacing six undersized and perched culverts and improve drainage and filtration along 1 mile of road. Project will significantly improve water quality for the federally threatened blue shiner, endemic to the Mobile River drainage, as well as the Georgia state endangered bridled darter.
$75,000

Trees Atlanta
Frazer Forest Restoration (GA)
Restore Frazer Forest, located on the east-northeast edge of the City of Atlanta in DeKalb County and containing old-growth trees and native plant species that indicate it is a remnant of the original forest in Atlanta. Project will improve 9.7 acres of forest through invasive removal, plant 100 trees and install protective fencing and signage while conducting onsite education and engagement for over 500 people.
$34,514

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Preventing Human Disturbance of Atlantic Flyway Shorebirds – III (multiple states)
Address the threat of disturbance to red knot, American oystercatcher and whimbrel by implementing Community Based Social Marketing strategies for human disturbance reduction, developing a shorebird disturbance reduction toolkit for land managers and disseminating the results throughout the Atlantic Flyway shorebird network. Project will develop scalable conservation strategies that can be applied to change human behavior and improve shorebird survival and reproductive success.
$189,965