CCA Texas Habitat Funding Reaches New Milestone
Marine conservation group provides $400,000
for upper coastal marsh restoration projects
Houston, Texas – The Coastal Conservation Association Texas recently announced $400,000 in habitat project funding. In cooperation with Ducks Unlimited, CCA Texas will fund $200,000 of marsh shoreline revitalization along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) near Sargent, Texas. Additionally, in cooperation with Galveston Bay Foundation, CCA Texas will provide an additional $200,000 of funding for shoreline protection and marsh restoration efforts along the Oyster Lake shoreline of West Galveston Bay.
“Sometime back, we announced that coastal marine habitat protection was the next important step in CCA Texas’ conservation focus and we are dedicated to that vision,” said Mark Ray, CCA Texas Chairman. “Since the inception of our habitat initiative, we have pledged and funded more than $2 million dollars in marsh restoration and reefing projects.”
This latest CCA and DU partnership will help protect up to three miles of marsh shoreline along the GIWW near Sargent, Texas. Local erosion has caused severe loss of emergent and submerged vegetation threatening critically important local marsh habitat.
“A partnership between CCA and DU to enhance habitat along the Texas Gulf Coast is a win-win for fisheries, waterfowl and the people who enjoy them both,” said Sean Stone, Ducks Unlimited Director of Development, South Texas. “It’s only natural that we combine our efforts, leverage our resources and together make a bigger difference along the Texas Coast.”
In partnership with Galveston Bay Foundation, CCA Texas’ funding will help protect marsh habitat from wave-caused erosion that currently threatens to breach into Oyster Lake off of Galveston’s popular West Bay. This shoreline helps support a prolific fishing area and serves as critical habitat for local bird populations.
“Galveston Bay Foundation truly values its partnership with CCA,” said Bob Stokes, Galveston Bay Foundation President. “The dollars contributed by CCA are incredibly important in allowing us to bring state and federal grant funding to the project which often requires matching dollars. CCA’s contribution is critical seed funding and its impact will likely be doubled through this process.”
CCA Texas’ Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow program (HTFT) provides much-needed funding for the restoration and enhancement of coastal marine habitats. The program has funded marsh grass enhancement projects, inshore and offshore reef creation and vital estuary restoration that span from Port Mansfield to Sabine. Through CCA Texas’ successful fundraising and membership efforts, HTFT has grown to become one of the largest programs of its kind.
