The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group is initiating drafting of its fourth restoration plan. 

We began this restoration planning effort in February 2022, by requesting project ideas from the public for the following Restoration Types in the Mississippi Restoration Area: 

• Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats 

• Nutrient Reduction (Non Point Source) 

• Provide and Enhance Recreational Use Opportunities 

We greatly appreciate your input and are reviewing those project ideas that were submitted or updated in response to the request for project ideas. We will develop a

The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (Trustees) is continuing implementation of the Restoring Living Shorelines and Reefs in Mississippi Estuaries project, a Phase IV Early Restoration project approved in 2015. Components of the project already completed have resulted in the construction of 1.8 miles of living shoreline and breakwaters, approximately 137 acres of subtidal reef habitat creation, and five acres of intertidal reef habitat creation.

In September 2018, the Trustees released a Notice of Project Change, cancelling three components of the original Project:

• The St. Louis

The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (Trustees) will hold their annual public meeting on November 10, 2022, to provide updates on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) restoration activities. The NRDA updates will be presented during the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality 2022 Restoration Summit to be held in person and via a Facebook Live virtual broadcast. 

The Restoration Summit will provide an update on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s restoration planning efforts across all funding streams as well as

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group held a virtual public meeting to present the proposed project from “Draft Phase 2 Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #7.1: Terrebonne HNC Island Restoration Project” via webinar on September 8, 2022.

Trustee representatives provided information on one proposed preferred project for construction. The Plan also considers a non-preferred alternative in addition to a No Action Alternative. The presentation was followed by an opportunity for attendees to submit comments.

Materials from the meeting include:

• Presentation Slides (PDF, 16 pages)
• P

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group held its 2022 annual public meeting via webinar on September 8, 2022. 

Trustee representatives provided information on the restoration planning, ongoing projects, and plans for future efforts in the Louisiana Restoration Area. There was also opportunity for attendees to submit comments and ask questions after the presentation. 

Information from the public meeting: 

• Presentation Slides (PDF, 56 pages) 

• Presentation Notes (PDF, 19 pages) 

Please contact latig@la.gov with any follow-up questions. 

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The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, the agencies charged with restoring Louisiana’s natural resources after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has released the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Final Restoration Plan (PDF, 1,123 pages). The plan evaluates using a large-scale sediment diversion to reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana's Barataria Basin estuary to restore wetlands and contribute to the broader restoration of its ecosystem. If it is ultimately permitted and funded, this first-of-its-kind project, estimated to cost more than $2 billion, represents one of the largest

The Texas Trustee Implementation Group’s Beach and Dune Restoration project at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge is well underway and will ultimately bring new and improved benefit to visitors.  

The McFaddin Beach and Dune Ridge Project is the final piece of the 2013 Salt Bayou Watershed Restoration Plan (PDF, 40 pages). This project is critical to restoring and protecting the health of the Salt Bayou ecosystem that makes up part of the Refuge. The project will improve the shoreline by widening beaches and adding sand to dunes to better accommodate both wildlife, and the visiting public

The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group will hold its 2022 annual public meeting via webinar on October 6, 2022. The annual meeting will be followed by an interactive special session featuring public engagement work by the Restoration of Common Loons Project. 

The webinar is open to everyone; we encourage your attendance and participation. 

The meeting will begin at 12:00 p.m. CT with updates on the Open Ocean Restoration Area’s projects and monitoring and adaptive management activities. We’ll also provide an opportunity for questions and answers after the updates are presented. 

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Gulf sturgeon were once common in river systems from Tampa Bay to the Mississippi River. Historical overfishing, habitat loss, and many changing environmental factors have contributed to a drastic decline of sturgeon populations and their designation as a threatened species in 1991 under the Endangered Species Act. The Trustees found that Sturgeon populations were likely exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil in nearshore areas as they returned to the Gulf in cooler months after spawning in river systems upstream of the Gulf. 

Since 2019, the Trustees have worked to restore Gulf sturgeon

To restore fish populations in the Gulf of Mexico injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a NOAA-led project is working with shrimp industry partners to select, test, and voluntarily adopt new devices with improved fish bycatch reduction capabilities.    

Bycatch reduction devices are components of trawl nets that allow shrimpers to harvest their target species while simultaneously reducing the capture of non-target species. Fish species that stand to benefit include commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important fish, including juvenile red snapper, croaker, porgy, pinfish, and