To support efforts to restore resilient coral ecosystems, NOAA has awarded approximately $770,000 in funding for 2022. The funding supports four innovative projects that will enhance coral resilience and improve the long-term success and efficiency of shallow-water coral reef restoration in a changing climate. Contact: Liz Fairey.

More than $8.4 million in 2022 Community Project Funding will support NOAA partners in implementing seven habitat conservation projects across the country. These efforts will help support our nation’s fisheries, contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and build resilient coastal ecosystems and communities. Contact: Jessica Edwards.

Several Deepwater Horizon projects that aim to reduce bycatch as a tool for restoration were featured in the Dive In with NOAA Fisheries podcast series as part of Bycatch Reduction Week. The podcast explored four projects underway. Contact: Amy Piko.

On August 10, shovels broke ground for a 5-acre riverfront park in East Newark, New Jersey on an industrial shoreline of the Passaic River. When complete in 2024, the park will feature walking paths, an elevated riverfront walkway, forested areas, pollinator gardens, a small wetland area, and open green places for the public to recreate. The park will be the first restoration project associated with the Diamond Alkali Superfund site, the impacts of which have disproportionately affected the underserved communities surrounding the site. Contact: Rich Takacs.

As part of the ongoing Deepwater Horizon restoration efforts, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group recently approved a $75 million plan for four projects to create and restore marsh habitat, and enhance beaches and dune function. Two projects, the New Orleans East Landbridge Restoration, and the Raccoon Island Barrier Island Restoration, will undergo engineering and design work, while the Bayou Dularge Ridge and Marsh Creation and Bayou La Loutre Ridge Restoration and Marsh Creation projects will begin construction. Contact: Mel Landry.

NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently announced $7.7 million in new grants using funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support ongoing natural infrastructure projects in seven states. These grants will support design and implementation of projects to enhance the resilience of coastal communities and improve habitat for fish and wildlife. The eight grants will leverage more than $3 million in matching contributions, for a total conservation impact of $11.1 million.

A new study helps to identify important stream reaches for Atlantic salmon habitat‒an endangered species in the United States with the only remaining populations in the state of Maine. They need access to a wide variety of habitats during their lives as they move from rivers to the ocean and back again. The U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA Fisheries, and the Maine Department of Marine Resources identified a model to help identify stream reaches likely to be favored by these coldwater fish.

Stormwater runoff containing a toxic compound from automobile tires that washes into streams is lethal to protected coho salmon, Pacific steelhead, and Chinook salmon, according to new research. Simple filtration columns along roads can remove toxic substances and save fish. It is also important to salmon recovery efforts to understand how and where toxics wash into salmon streams. That information will help biologists avoid habitat restoration projects that could inadvertently lure salmon back to areas affected by toxic runoff.

Up to $10 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and resilience awards for underserved communities, to provide capacity for these communities to more fully participate in developing future transformational habitat projects under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Applications are due October 5.