Restoring the Gulf of Mexico

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill devastated millions of birds. Fortunately, civil penalties associated with the spill are being allocated towards ecosystem restoration in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council has released a new draft plan to decide how restoration dollars are going to be spent. Audubon is encouraging the RESTORE Council to use our recently released Gulf conservation plan, Audubon’s Vision: Restoring the Gulf of Mexico for Birds and People, as they decide what restoration projects to fund. You can submit a letter too, by taking action here.

Audubon’s conservation plan aims to boost the populations of 11 flagship birds and the habitats they depend on. These species benefit most from our conservation work and represent more than 300 other species that rely on similar habitats.

These investments will also create a more resilient coastline as we continue to determine how sea level rise will affect the Gulf, and identify ways to better support these species as their habitats migrate inland.