![[logo] US EPA](../gif/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
2002 2nd Place Winner Profiles
|
Project #: |
GG-02-41 |
|
Company: |
Outback Steakhouse, Bob Taylor, Gulfport, MS |
|
Project Name: |
"Feeding Stomachs to Influence Minds" |
|
Category: |
Business |
|
Project Type: |
Habitat |
Summary: Several years ago, Bob Taylor, proprietor of Outback Steakhouse in Gulfport, Miss., decided to become active in his community be promoting various environmental, educational and charitable endeavors. In addition to the work he does with SMEACO's Mississippi Environmental Workshop, for the past six years, his Outback Steakhouse crew has been a key sponsor and member of the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force. Mississippi's cleanup is organized around a barbecue lunch that he provides free to charge to participants of the cleanup as an enticement/thank you. On the average, he has rewarded between 1,500 and 2,500 cleanup participants with lunch each year. He also encourages his employees to adopt and clean a section of beach.
|
Project #: |
GG-02-07 |
|
Company: |
Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service |
|
Project Name: |
Gopher Tortoise Conservation Bank |
|
Category: |
Partnerships |
|
Project Type: |
Habitat |
Summary: On June 25, 2001, a private entity, the Mobile Area Water & Sewer Service (MAWSS), with partners at the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Environmental Defense (an environmental advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.), announced the culmination of an historic partnership project two years in the planning: the creation of a first-ever conservation "bank" for the threatened gopher tortoise. The project was established in perpetuity on 222 acres of private property belonging to MAWSS to protect the tortoise, and restore its diminished habitat, the longleaf pine ecosystem. The site surrounds Converse Reservoir in Mobile County, AL.
|
Project #: |
GG-02-42 |
|
Company: |
Eddie Seidensticker as an individual for Webster, TX |
|
Project Name: |
Wetland and Oyster Reef Restoration - Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge |
|
Category: |
Individual |
|
Project Type: |
Habitat |
This wetland restoration project was begun in the summer of 1999 and has been monitored yearly since then to determine its success. Eddie Seidensticker, of the US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service, was Project Manager for this project This restoration effort was funded by the Shell Marine Habitat Program, administered by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and planted using volunteers from the Galveston Bay Foundation. The project is located on the Northern Shoreline of East Galveston Bay on the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. The northern shoreline of East Bay is constantly eroding from the prevailing southeasterly winds. The cumulative effect of this erosion is loss of habitats, increased turbidity, and the increasing threat of saltwater intrusion.
Photo 1: This photo shows volunteers from "Marsh Bash 99" planting Smooth Cordgrass on the Anahuac National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. This planting will restore habitat lost to erosion and to protect the shoreline.
Photo 2: This is same area taken 3 years later showing the area with excellent habitat that has been restored. The Oyster reef is located along the row of white posts. The combination of oyster reef and marsh habitat is helping to restore two of the most critical habitats in Galveston Bay.
|
Project #: |
GG-02-35 |
|
Company: |
Greater Lafourche Port Commission |
|
Project Name: |
Bayou Lafourche Beautification Project |
|
Category: |
Government |
|
Project Type: |
Public Health, Habitat, Nutrient Enrichment |
In 1980, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission initiated a Bayou Awareness Program whose mission was to rid Bayou Lafourche of numerous derelict vessels that littered its banks. This initiative quickly evolved into a cause whose efforts are to rid the bayou not only of derelict vessels, but also of trash, debris, abandoned wharfs, and pilings. This general Bayou Beautification effort has spanned two decades and has led to total embankment restoration, which includes re-establishing marsh plants along the shoreline interface. It also has brought about the evolution of increased awareness and pride, as evidenced in the rise of support group activity and the support of the general public.
Photo 1: Eroded embankment along Bayou Lafourche.
Photo 2: Restored embankment being planted along Bayou Lafourche.
|
Project #: |
GG-02-39 |
|
Company: |
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary |
|
Project Name: |
Down Under, Out Yonder Education Workshop |
|
Category: |
Youth/Education |
|
Project Type: |
Habitat |
Summary: The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1992. At a 1994 scoping meeting, constituents and staff identified teachers and K-12 students as two important target audiences for the newly established Sanctuary's Education Program. The first Down Under, Out Yonder workshop was conducted in July 1996 in response to requests from teachers for high quality, affordable, science-based, experiential learning workshops in the sanctuary. Workshop partners have included FGBNMS, Gulf of Mexico Foundation, Shell Oil Foundation, Cockrell Oil, BP Amoco, Texaco, Adopt-A-Wetland and Madge Griffith Elementary School. Advanced workshops were initiated at the request of past participants.
Photo 1: Workshop participants learn under water research techniques, such as using a camera on a frame to take photos to be used in monitoring the health of the coral reef.
Photo 2: An educator records species of fish as they are sighted during a dive, using a survey method called 'roving diver.'
Photo 3: Educators complete the paperwork to submit their fish surveys to the Reef Environmental Education Foundation for inclusion in the database.
Photo 4: Exploring this watery wonderland of coral in person infuses the teachers with a new excitement they can share with their students and colleagues.
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CATEGORY
|
Project #: |
GG-02-01 |
|
Company: |
The Volunteers of the Florida Bay Watch Program, The Nature Conservancy of the Florida Keys |
|
Project Name: |
Florida Bay Watch Program |
|
Category: |
Civic/Nonprofit Organization |
|
Project Type: |
Nutrient Enrichment |
Summary: Since 1994, The Nature Conservancy has trained volunteers to collect water samples and environmental data in the nearshore waters of the Keys and Florida Bay. Volunteers collect samples one day a week. Several volunteers have been in the program since its inception. Ecological changes in Florida Bay and the Keys have been documented in the last ten years. Scientists and local fishers raised the alarm in the early 90's and asked for more information about nutrient sources in these waters. This is why Florida Bay Watch was begun. The program has the only long-term dataset on nearshore nutrient concentrations in the Florida Keys
Photo 1: Betsy Marlowe, a Nature Conservancy Volunteer, prepares to collect a weekly water sample for the Florida Baywatch program.
