Dune Restoration Project

Phase I Early Restoration Plan

OAlneab Vamerya D GuneOOd R estoGulfra rtionestOratiOn Project PrOject

ProjectGeneral P Backgroundroject Description The cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, State of Alabama (Gulf State Park), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (BonGeneral Secour PNationalroject WildlifeDescriPtion Refuge) and the Bureau of Land Management (Fort Morgan Beach) form the largest group of coastal land owners along the Alabama Gulf Coast. These owners collectively own and/or manage more than 20The miles cities of dune of Gulfhabitat. Shores This restoration and Orange project Beach, will result State in theof Alabamaformation of (Gulf a partnership, State Park), the Coastaland the Alabama U.S. Fish Dune and RestorationWildlife Service Cooperative (Bon (CADRC), Secour National to restore Wildlifenatural resources Refuge) andthat werethe Bureau injured byof theLand Deepwater Management Horizon (Fort oil spill Morgan responseBeach) efforts.form the largest group of coastal land owners along the Alabama Gulf Coast. These owners collectively own and/or manage approximately 18 to 20 miles of dune habitat. This restoration project would Dune habitat in Alabama has been affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including response efforts. The Trustees planresult to restore in the 55 formation acres of primaryof a partnership, dune habitat the by plantingCoastal native Alabama dune Dunevegetation Restoration and installing Cooperative sand fencing. (CADRC), The to projectrestore will natural help prevent resources erosion that by wererestoring injured a “living by the shoreline,” Deepwater a coastline Horizon protected oil spill by response plants and efforts. natural resources rather than hard structures. The Trustees propose to restore 55 acres of dune habitats in Alabama that were affected by the Deepwater PlantingHorizon will oil occur spill, as including follows: response efforts, by planting native dune vegetation and installing sand fencing. • To maximize stabilization and to limit wind erosion plants will be mixed in the following proportions: 70% Sea oats Thegrasses; proposed 20% Panic project grasses will andhelp smooth prevent cord erosion grasses, by and restoring 10% ground a “living cover shoreline,” plants (sea purslane,a coastline beach protected elder, by plantswhite morning and natural glories resources and railroad rather vine), than and plantedhard structures. on 18-inch centers.

• AllProject plants willDetails be grown from seeds or cuttings derived from the Alabama or North Florida coast to ensure appropriate genetic stocks are used in the project. Planting: • Slow• Allrelease plants fertilizer will be(osmocote grown 18-6-12 from seeds e.g.) will or be cuttings used to derived ensure proper• establishmentFor best sand of stabilizationthe plants. and to from the Alabama coast or North Florida to ensure ap- limit wind erosion plants will be • The propriateplants will begenetic installed stocks 6” deep are toused ensure in the that project. sufficient moisture is availablemixed to roots, in theand properlyfollowing covered propor- with sand to stabilize and protect the plants. • Slow release fertilizer (osmocote 18-6-12 e.g.) will be tions: 70% Sea oats grasses; 20% Sand fencingused to will ensure occur proper as follows: establishment of the plants. Panic grasses and smooth cord • Protective sand fencing that lines the dune feature and contributes to sand accumulationgrasses, and along 10% the Ground toe of the covers dunes will• beThe installed plants forwill the be cities installed of Orange 6” deep Beach to ensure and Gulf that Shor sufficientes and on Bureau(Sea of Land purslane, Management Beach lands.Elder, White moisture is available to roots, and properly covered with Signage will occur as follows: morning glories and railroad vine), • Informativesand to dune stabilize restoration and protect signage the will plants.be placed on the project area at a rateand of planted 10 to 25 onsigns 18-inch per mile centers. to reduce humanSand disturbanceFencing: of restored areas. • The• dune Protective enhancement sand fencing serves to that stabilize lines the the dune dune feature feature and andpromote dune growth and further increase protection of dunecontributes habitat. to sand accumulation along the toe of the dunes will be installed for the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and on Bureau of Land Management lands. ResourceSignage: Benefits and Relationship to Injury The •goal Informative of this project dune is torestoration provide early signage restoration will forbe some placed of theon natural the project resources area that at havea rate been of injured10 to as25 a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including response efforts. The project will help restore an area of the beach where oiling andsigns the per extensive mile. use of all-terrain vehicles and heavy equipment during the response have inhibited plant growth and prevented the natural seaward expansion of the dunes since May 2010. Phase I Early Restoration Plan

DeepwaterDeepwaterDeepwaterDeepwaterDeepwaterDeepwaterDeepwater Horizon Horizon Horizon Horizon Horizon Horizon Horizon Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural Natural NaturalResource Resource Resource Resource Resource Resource Resource Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage Damage Assessment Assessment Assessment Assessment Assessment Assessment Assessment Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Council Council Council Council Council Council Council April 2012 Methods and Results of Offsets Estimation OForne the purposesVery Gof negotiationsOOd Gulf of Offsets restOratiOn with BP in accordance PrOject with the Framework Agreement, the Trustees used widely accepted methodologies. Habitat Equivalency Analysis was used to estimate Offsets provided by the Alabama Dune Cooperative Restoration Project. Offsets reflect units of discounted service acre years (DSAYs) of primary dune habitat, and would be applied against primary dune habitat along the Alabama coast injured by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as determined by the Trustees’ total assessment of injury. In estimating DSAYs, the Trustees considered a Projectnumber of factors,Background including, but not limited to, benefits of revegetating primary dune habitat, the time period that it would take for revegetated habitat to provide different levels of ecological benefits, estimated project life span, potential impactGeneral of hurricanes Project and DescriPtion drought, and the ecological benefits of created dune to relative to existing dune habitats that were not affected by the oil spill. Total estimated Offset for the Alabama Dune Cooperative Restoration Project is 240 DSAYs.The cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, State of Alabama (Gulf State Park), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge) and the Bureau of Land Management (Fort Morgan EBeach)stimate dform cost the largest group of coastal land owners along the Alabama Gulf Coast. These owners col- $1,480,000lectively own and/or manage approximately 18 to 20 miles of dune habitat. This restoration project would result in the formation of a partnership, the Coastal Alabama Dune Restoration Cooperative (CADRC), to (Estimatedrestore natural costs for resources some of the that projects were injured were updated by the fromDeepwater those provided Horizon in oilthe spillDERP/EA. response Actual efforts. costs may differ depending on future contingencies, but will not exceed the amount shown without further agreement between the TrusteesThe Trustees and BP.) propose to restore 55 acres of dune habitats in Alabama that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including response efforts, by planting native dune vegetation and installing sand fencing. For more information contact: The proposed project will help prevent erosion by restoring a “living shoreline,” a coastline protected by Jeremeplants Phillips, and natural Refuge resources Manager, Bonrather Secour than Nationalhard structures. Wildlife Refuge, [email protected], 251-540-7720.

Project Details

LegendPlanting: Proposed Alabama Dune Early Restoration Project çççççççççççç•Dune All Restoration plants Areas will be grown from seeds or cuttings derived • For best sand stabilization and± to from the Alabama coast or North Florida to ensure ap- limit wind erosion plants will be propriate genetic stocks are used in the project. mixed in the following propor- • Slow release fertilizer (osmocote 18-6-12 e.g.) will be tions: 70% Sea oats grasses; 20% used to ensure proper establishment of the plants. Panic grasses and smooth cord grasses, and 10% Ground covers • The plants will be installed 6” deep to ensure that sufficient (Sea purslane, Beach Elder, White moisture is available to roots, and properly covered with morning glories and railroad vine), sand to stabilize and protect the plants. and planted on 18-inch centers.

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Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and on Bureau ofçç Land Management lands. çç

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Map Created by USFWS on 12/14/2011