MISSISSIPPI

“Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund support is helping us implement critical conservation projects across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We are conserving and restoring coastal habitats and taking bold steps to improve water quality. We are also working with a variety of partners to restore barrier islands and enhance marsh habitat through the beneficial use of dredge materials.” — Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves

Current Projects

To date, the total number of awards from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) in the state of Mississippi stands at 35, with a total current value of more than $211 million. These projects leverage or complement other conservation investments worth more than $459 million, creating a total impact of more than $458 million for the Mississippi coast. These projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The projects in Mississippi address high-priority conservation needs. They represent important efforts to protect and enhance natural and living resources, as well as significant planning efforts to develop future projects for consideration under the GEBF. 

To learn more about the projects the GEBF has funded in Mississippi, view the comprehensive list of projects​.

Project Highlights

Utilizing Dredge Material for Marsh Restoration in Coastal Mississippi

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has received more than $56 million from the GEBF to sustainably restore and create marsh habitat within the Mississippi Sound, St. Louis Bay, Back Bay Biloxi and the Escatawpa Watershed using dredged material. Work includes restoration of the 220-acre Round Island in the Mississippi Sound near Pascagoula that is already providing new nesting habitat for numerous shorebirds and seabirds, while providing storm protection and additional recreation opportunities.

Mississippi Oyster Restoration

Restoration of oyster resources in Mississippi Sound and associated bays and bayous remains a high-priority focal area for the state. More than $18 million in GEBF investments have provided a strong foundation to implement oyster restoration at a significant scale. The state of Mississippi remains committed to restoring state oyster resources to historic levels.
 

Improving Habitat for Marsh Birds

While secretive birds such as rails and bitterns remain difficult to study, many experts agree several marsh bird species are experiencing serious population declines, a situation made worse by the 2010 oil spill. The GEBF dedicated more than $17 million to projects acquiring parcels that will protect and enhance habitats for marsh birds. Researchers in Mississippi are investigating the breeding and wintering ecology of priority marsh bird species. These studies, unprecedented in scale and focus, are expected to guide future conservation actions and help marsh birds rebound.

GEBF Mississippi Species

The conservation and restoration projects the GEBF supported along the Mississippi Coast have been critical to helping protect important fish and wildlife including clapper rail, great blue heron, grey triggerfish and Mississippi sandhill crane. Explore the image gallery below to learn about the species that were supported through these projects and the habitats where they reside.

Least sandpiper

The GEBF supports conservation of shorebirds, including the least sandpiper, as they migrate through the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

Red snapper | Credit: Jason Arnold

The GEBF supports sustainable fisheries management and artificial reef enhancement to benefit red snapper within coastal waters of Mississippi.

Oysters

The GEBF supports oyster reef restoration in St. Louis Bay and the Mississippi Sound.

Clapper rail

The GEBF supports clapper rail conservation across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Bottlenose dolphin

The GEBF supports stranding response capacity for bottlenose dolphins in Mississippi Sound.

Kemp's ridley sea turtle | Credit: EPA

The GEBF supports stranding response capacity for Kemp's ridley sea turtles in Mississippi Sound.

Great blue heron

The GEBF supports protection of wetlands and rookery habitat within the lower Pascagoula River benefitting species such as the great blue heron.

Snowy egret

The GEBF supports protection of wetlands and rookery habitat within the lower Pascagoula River benefitting species such as the snowy egret.

Grey triggerfish | Credit: David Reeves

The GEBF supports sustainable fisheries management and artificial reef enhancement to benefit grey triggerfish within coastal waters of Mississippi.

Least tern

The GEBF supports least tern conservation across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Blue crab

The GEBF supports for oyster reef restoration and other near shore habitats across Mississippi Sound benefitting blue crabs.

Mississippi sandhill crane

Habitat management on public lands across the Mississippi coast benefits species such as the Mississippi sandhill crane.

Future Projects

NFWF is engaged in consultation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA to identify priority conservation projects for consideration under the GEBF. 

About the GEBF in Mississippi

Under the allocation formula and other provisions contained in the plea agreements, the GEBF has received $356 million for project expenditures in the state of Mississippi.

To learn more about Mississippi's process for identifying priority Gulf Coast restoration projects visit: www.restore.ms