The 2022 GulfCorps orientation at the Beckwith Camp and Conference Center in Fairhope included removing invasive species during the Service Project Field Day.

Photo by Eric Vichich © NOAA

Nature-based solutions are a priority across the Gulf Coast, and a federal grant may help spur young adults to action in making their coastal communities more resilient.

The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Gulf of Mexico Program is being recommended to receive a $12 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) 2023 Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant Competition.

This funding will be dedicated to the GulfCorps Resilience Collaborative (GRC) to engage a conservation corps workforce of at least 150 young adults across the Gulf of Mexico. GRC will work with Gulf Coast communities and use natural features such as wetlands to improve wildlife habitat and strengthen communities' resilience to coastal hazards, such as frequent storms and floods.

Examples of coastal nature-based solution projects include:

• Building oyster reefs and restoring marshes;
• Restoring coastal pitcher plant bogs and Longleaf pine forests;
• Protecting and creating habitat for waterfowl and endangered species; and
• Managing invasive plant and animal species that harm ecosystems.

"TNC is grateful to NOAA for recommending us for this important award. This grant allows TNC and our partners to deepen our work with local Gulf Coast communities, especially those impacted by severe storms," said Temperince Morgan, TNC Southern U.S. Division director. "The GulfCorps program helps to build the next generation of conservation professionals and provides at-risk communities with the tools necessary to increase their resilience to the many coastal hazards experienced in the Gulf."

A selection of the GRC projects will be community-based and will be guided by TNC's Scaling Up Nature-based Solutions (SUNS), which works with local governments and stakeholders to identify nature-based projects that reduce damage from flooding while also enhancing the natural environment. These projects will improve resilience to storms and flooding impacts in underserved communities. This work will be carried out by the emerging conservation leaders who will be engaged and trained through the GulfCorps Program.

For the last seven years, GulfCorps has been funded from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill settlement allocated by the RESTORE Council. This program has trained over 500 conservation corps members and has impacted more than 26,000 acres of lands and waters along the Gulf Coast. Over the next four years, this grant will build on GulfCorps' successes.

"The recovery process from a natural or man-made disaster is too big for one person, but the biggest challenges can be overcome when dedicated, local people — especially young people — have the opportunity to work together and lead the way. This is demonstrated by GulfCorps," said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, president and CEO of The Corps Network.

If awarded, the funding will begin this fall and and continue over four years.