Submit your Ideas for Texas Restoration Area Planning

Project Idea Submission

We encourage you to submit new restoration ideas or revise previously-submitted ideas through the Trustee Council’s project idea submission portal.  We will only consider projects submitted or updated during the solicitation period, from October 1, 2020 through December 10, 2020, for our next draft restoration plan. We will evaluate all project ideas for their ability to meet the goals of the Trustees’ programmatic restoration plan and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

Restoration Focus

We are accepting project ideas with a focus on the restoration types, approaches, and techniques presented below. Project ideas should reference Trustee goals, restoration strategies, and implementation considerations for each of the restoration types.  We will consider projects that incorporate multiple restoration types and/or use a multi-phase implementation approach, if information about the phases is provided.

We may also develop our own restoration projects for consideration or modify project proposals to better develop a restoration action. We also recommend that project proponents include information on how the project could be monitored and quantifiably measured to determine what benefits would be achieved.

Restoration Type: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats

For this restoration plan, we are prioritizing the restoration approaches:

• Create, restore, and enhance coastal wetlands;
• Create, restore, and enhance barrier and coastal islands and headlands; and
• Restore and enhance dunes and beaches.

Despite the focus on these restoration approaches, the Texas Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) will continue to consider any important opportunities to protect and conserve marine, coastal, estuarine, and riparian habitats.  We are also prioritizing restoration project proposals that will be ready for construction within 12-18 months of your submission for which engineering and design is already in progress and should be completed in the next 6-12 months.

Restoration Type: Nutrient reduction (nonpoint source)

For this restoration plan, we are prioritizing the restoration approach:

• Restore water quality through nonpoint source nutrient reduction

The Texas TIG will consider opportunities to reduce nutrient nonpoint source loads to coastal watersheds. A variety of conservation practices could be implemented to reduce nutrient concentrations and sediments along the Gulf Coast. The Texas TIG may select projects for implementation which expand or complement efforts already in place.

To address the implementation considerations of the PDARP (PDARP D.2.1.1), the Texas TIG released the Texas Coastal Waters: Nutrient Strategies Report (PDF, 144 pages) in 2019, which established watershed selection and prioritization criteria to inform site and project selection prior to implementing restoration techniques. The Texas TIG will prioritize project ideas located in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Hydrologic Unit Codes (Petronila and San Fernando creeks watersheds)  that apply strategies identified in the Nutrient Reduction Strategies Report.

Project ideas should include measurable in-stream or downstream nutrient reduction outcomes that is quantifiable and included suggested monitoring methodology.

Restoration Type: Oysters

For this restoration plan, we are prioritizing the following restoration approaches and techniques (see the Strategic Framework for Oyster Restoration Activities (PDF, 82 pages) for more information):

• Restore oyster abundance and spawning stock to support a regional oyster larvae pool sufficient for healthy recruitment levels to subtidal and nearshore oyster reefs.
• Restore resilience to oyster populations that are supported by productive larval source reefs and sufficient substrate in larval sink areas to sustain reefs over time.
• Restore a diversity of oyster reef habitats that provide ecological functions for estuarine-dependent fish species, vegetated shoreline and marsh habitats, and nearshore benthic communities.

The Texas TIG may select projects for implementation which expand or complement efforts already in place. Landscape scale restoration will be prioritized to include both nearshore and subtidal areas to help ensure the recovery of the ecological processes and conditions required for both oysters and associated fish and invertebrates.

Projects should be designed using a network approach to enhance the regional larval pool and maintain oyster populations over a large area, and to increase the likelihood of successful oyster recruitment during periods of adverse conditions.

Restoration Type: Sea Turtles

For this restoration plan, we are prioritizing the following restoration approaches and techniques (see the Strategic Framework for Sea Turtle Restoration Activities (PDF, 67 pages) for more information – specific references included below):

• Reduce sea turtle bycatch in commercial fisheries through enhanced training and outreach to the fishing communities.  (Approach 2)
• Enhance sea turtle hatchling productivity and restore and conserve nesting beach habitat.  Techniques include providing education and outreach to increase awareness about sea turtles and threats to their survival, protecting nests and nesting beaches, and enhancing nesting beach restoration and resiliency (Approach 3: Techniques 3-5)
• Reduce sea turtle bycatch in commercial fisheries through enhanced state enforcement efforts to improve compliance with existing requirements (Approach 5)
• Increase sea turtle survival through enhanced mortality investigation and early detection of and response to anthropogenic threats and emergency events (Approach 6)

Restoration Type: Birds

For this restoration plan, we are prioritizing the following restoration approaches and techniques (see the Strategic Framework for Bird Restoration Activities (PDF, 84 pages) for more information):

• Restore and conserve bird nesting and foraging habitat;
• Create, restore, and enhance coastal wetlands;
• Create, restore, and enhance barrier and coastal islands and headlands; and
• Prevent incidental bird mortality

More Information

Projects, restoration types, and restoration techniques not proposed and/or selected for a particular Texas TIG restoration plan, may be considered in future restoration planning efforts. The selection of Texas TIG restoration projects for implementation will not be made until after the public has an opportunity to provide input during the restoration planning process, including the opportunities to submit project ideas and to review and comment on draft restoration plan(s) in accordance with Oil Pollution Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures.

Restore the Texas Coast Website:                                                

• To make a new submission to the State of Texas' site: https://www.restorethetexascoast.org/

Trustee Council’s project idea submission portal:

• To make a new submission to the Trustee Council portal: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration/give-us-your-ideas/suggest-a-restoration-project/
• To view projects previously submitted to the Trustee Council portal: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration/give-us-your-ideas/view-submitted-projects/

Please contact us at TXDWHNRDA@tpwd.texas.gov if you have any questions. We look forward to considering your restoration project ideas.