News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards $294,198 to the New College of Florida for Mangrove Restoration

ATLANTA (March 26, 2018) -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program announced that the New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. received a $294,198 cooperative agreement. The goal of the project is to enhance the coastal habitat by identifying best management practices for mangrove restoration on Tidy Island, a partially developed peninsula in northern Sarasota Bay.

With this funding, the college will work with Sarasota Bay Estuary Program to evaluate how different invasive control methods influence mangrove dynamics and fish communities in Sarasota Bay.

“The Gulf of Mexico Program is pleased to partner with the New College of Florida to restore mangroves in Sarasota Bay,” said Trey Glenn, EPA Region 4 Administrator. “We look forward to the sustainable environmental results that will be accomplished through this cooperative agreement.”

The cooperative agreement with the university will further the strategic goals and objectives of the Gulf of Mexico Program and lead to a healthier and more prosperous ecosystem.

The Gulf of Mexico Program began in 1988 to protect, restore and maintain the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in economically sustainable ways. The Gulf of Mexico Program is funded by the EPA and is a non-regulatory, inclusive consortium of state and federal government agencies and representatives of the business and agricultural community, fishing industry, scientists, environmentalists, and community leaders from all five Gulf States.

More information about the Gulf of Mexico Program: www.epa.gov/gmpo