Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

In the ten years since the tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has played a key role in helping recover the natural resources that were harmed by the spill.

Working with state and federal agencies and other conservation partners, NFWF has already invested more than $182 million into Texas, supporting projects that are making a difference on a landscape scale for wildlife. Together, these 55 projects (and counting) are reversing declines in Gulf Coast bird populations and conserving vital coastal habitats to ensure these conservation outcomes are sustained for generations to come.

For more information and a brief video, please visit NFWF's Media Center page for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

04/22/2020

2019 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $27.6 million for 8 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of costal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Dollar Bay-Moses Lake Shoreline Enhancement Restoration – Phase III
  • Swan Lake Marsh Restoration
  • Chocolate Bay Wetland Habitat Acquisition
  • Matagorda Peninsula Acquisition
  • Mad Island Marsh Shoreline Protection – Phase III (Freshwater Lake)
  • Mission River Land Acquisition
  • Nueces Delta Shoreline Erosion Protection and Oyster Restoration
  • Enhancement of Buffalo Lake Marsh Complex

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 55, with a total value of over $182 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

11/12/2019

2019 NFWF GEBF Project Solicitation

The Texas Trustee agencies (GLO, TPWD, and TCEQ) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) are considering projects for the 2019 funding cycle from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. During this funding cycle, approximately $35 million is available for new projects in Texas. The submittal period closed on January 4, 2019.

10/31/2019

2018 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $45.7 million for 6 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration work to address resiliency needs across the Texas coast in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The projects include:

  • Salt Bayou (McFaddin NWR) Beach and Ridge Restoration Construction – Phase II
  • Greens Lake Shoreline Protection and Marsh Construction Project – Phase II
  • East Matagorda Bay Land Conservation (Cornelius Ranch)
  • South Padre Island Land Acquisition – Phase II (Laguna Atascosa, Allison Tracts)
  • Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor Acquisitions – Phase III
  • Port Aransas Nature Preserve Debris Removal

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 47, with a total value of over $155 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

10/31/2019

2018 NFWF GEBF Project Solicitation

The Texas Trustee agencies (GLO, TPWD, and TCEQ) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) are considering projects for the 2018 funding cycle from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. During this funding cycle, approximately $37 million is available for new projects in Texas. The deadline for submittal of projects was January 3, 2018.

The Texas Trustee agencies are no longer accepting project submissions for the 2018 funding cycle at this time. Announcement of NFWF GEBF Awards is currently scheduled for November 2018.

10/31/2019

2017 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $25 million for 12 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of coastal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Restoration of JD Murphree WMA Water Management Infrastructure
  • Salt Bayou Beach Ridge Restoration Engineering and Design – Phase I
  • Galveston Island State Park Marsh Restoration & Protection – Phase III
  • Follets Island Land Acquisition and Conservation Program – Phase II
  • Beach-Nesting and Wintering Bird Protection and Habitat Stewardship
  • Caranchua Bay Habitat Preservation and Enhancement – Phase I
  • Rebuild Flight Cage and Enclosure Complex for Rehabilitated Birds
  • Restoring Colonial Waterbirds on the Texas Coast
  • Hydrological Restoration of Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge Wetlands – Phase I
  • Sabine Ranch Acquisition
  • South Padre Island Land Acquisitions: Phase I
  • Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor Acquisitions – Phase II (Holly Beach)

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 41, with a total value of over $109 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

2016 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $11.8 million for 7 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of coastal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Hydrologic Restoration of the SaltBayou Watershed (Siphon)
  • Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary Rookery Island Restoration and Enhancement
  • Dollar Bay-Moses Lake Shoreline Enhancement Restoration – Phase II
  • Follets Island Land Acquisition and Conservation Program – Phase I
  • Mad Island Marsh Preserve Shoreline Protection and Ecosystem Restoration – Phase I
  • Matagorda Wetlands Acquisition and Conservation
  • Dagger Island Restoration Project

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 29, with a total value of over $84 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

2015 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $14.2 million for 8 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of coastal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Galveston Bay Sustainable Oyster Reef Restoration
  • Candy Abshier WMA Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration
  • Galveston Island State Park Marsh Restoration & Protection – Phase II (Carancahua Cove)
  • Cow Trap Lake Bird Nesting Island Improvements
  • Matagorda Bay Rookery Island, Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis
  • Falcon Point Ranch Conservation Easement
  • Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor Acquisitions – Phase I (Boswell-Jenkins)
  • Bahia Grande Hydrological Restoration Planning – Phase I (Paso Corvinas and Rookery Islands)

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 22, with a total value of over $72.2 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

2014 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $49.2 million for 9 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of coastal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Powderhorn Ranch Land Acquisition
  • Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Marsh Acquisition (Cade Ranch)
  • Dollar Bay-Moses Lake Shoreline Enhancement Restoration – Phase I
  • Virginia Point Shoreline Protection and Estuarine Restoration
  • Greens Lake Protection and Marsh Restoration Engineering & Design – Phase I
  • Coastal Heritage Preserve Initiative: Bayside Acquisition and Easement (Settegast)
  • Oyster Lake Shoreline Protection and Restoration
  • Egery Flats Marsh Restoration
  • Nueces Bay Rookery Islands Restoration

Additional information on GEBF projects in Texas can be found on the NFWF Website.

The total number of awards from the GEBF in the state of Texas now stands at 14, with a total value of over $58 million. All projects were selected for funding following extensive consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Lands Office, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, FWS and NOAA.

2013 NFWF GEBF Project Awards Announcement

The NFWF Board of Directors approved the award of more than $8.8 million for 5 new projects in Texas that address high-priority conservation needs, including the acquisition of significant coastal habitats and restoration of coastal habitats and species across the Texas coast. The projects include:

  • Sea Rim State Park Dune Restoration
  • Oyster Reef Restoration in East Bay
  • West Galveston Bay Conservation Corridor Habitat Preservation
  • Gulf Coast Migratory Waterfowl Habitat Enhancement
  • Galveston Island State Park Marsh Restoration & Protection – Phase I

NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund

The U.S. Department of Justice entered into criminal plea bargain agreements with two of the responsible parties, BP and Transocean for the oil spill caused by the explosion of the Macondo exploratory well off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010. As part of these agreements, BP agreed to pay $2.394 billion and Transocean agreed to pay $150 million in criminal penalties to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). In these plea agreements, the court charged NFWF with the proper distribution and spending of the criminal fines. To that end, NFWF has established the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) to provide restoration funding for the five Gulf States. The criminal penalties are allocated among the five states as follows: 50% to Louisiana; 14% each to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida; and 8% to Texas. Over five years, the Fund will receive a total of $1.272 billion for barrier island and river diversion projects in Louisiana; $356 million each for natural resource projects in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi; and $203 million for similar projects in Texas. Plea agreements require NFWF to consult with appropriate state and federal resource managers to identify projects and maximize environmental benefits. In Texas, NFWF is consulting with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas General Land Office (GLO), as well as with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund – Texas Projects Funded to Date

See the list of Texas projects. bottom-banner-nfwf-1160x150px