State of Alabama FINAL Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP ...

SPENDING ESTIMATE PER CALENDAR YEAR OF PROJECT
DURATION:
AL-9
2008 $ 104,166.67
2009 $ 104,166.57
2010 $ 104,166.57
2011 $ 104,166.67
GOAL: The goal of the Alabama CIAP is to conserve, and restore natural coastal habitat and wildlife
through data analysis, research, and on-the-ground conservation activities.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to investigate and restore wetland function in the
Mobile-Tensaw Delta by developing a restoration plan and designing and
implementing restoration on 200 acres of forested wetlands as a pilot project. Also, 20
acres of wetlands will be restored on state-owned land in Grand Bay (near Bayou La
Batre) damaged from stranded commercial shrimp boats due to Hurricane Katrina’s
storm surge.
Hydrologic conditions in various wetland areas in coastal Alabama have been subject to man-induced
alterations over time to extract timber, drain farmland, or create more developable land. Also, recent
impacts resulting from Hurricane Katrina have created additional wetland impacts. This goal of this
project is to restore natural wetland areas in coastal Alabama.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta composed of approximately 200,000 acres of forested wetlands, of which
approximately 100,000 acres are publicly owned and managed. As most of the MTD was logged
extensively in the last two centuries, ditches perpendicular to the main river channel were constructed to
aid in the extraction of timber during logging activity. These ditches still exist throughout the MTD and
land managers speculate the ditches have altered the natural hydrological regime of the wetlands (i.e. the
wetlands have transitioned from permanently-flooded to more seasonally-flooded systems). Filling or
blocking of the ditches may be an appropriate restoration strategy; however more information is needed
on the ecosystem-scale functions of the wetlands in the MTD. Specifically, more information is needed
on the impacts of the ditches prior to large-scale restoration. The SLD will initiate a contract with a
university or research institution to investigate these issues in order to develop a specific restoration plan
on publicly-owned and managed land. A pilot restoration project will be included in this study to restore
at least 200 acres of wetlands and the results will be published in a publicly available report.
The storm surge associated with Hurricane Katrina was extensive along the Gulf Coast. In Alabama, the
southwestern portion of Mobile County experienced the largest storm surge in recent history with the
Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre area suffering the most extensive flooding damage in Alabama. Eight
State of Alabama Final Coastal Impact Assistance Program Plan
State of Alabama Tier One Project Descriptions
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