“Today, the RESTORE Council, charged with restoring the long-term health of the Gulf Coast ecosystem and economy, announced it has awarded $11.9 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to fund the GulfCorps program for an additional four years. SCA has been a GulfCorps partner in the State of Alabama since the initiative launched in 2017.
“We are grateful to the RESTORE Council for extending this initiative, which has been so effective in fostering resiliency and spurring job creation throughout the Gulf region. However, more than a decade after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there is still more to be done to secure coastal habitats and a way of life for millions.
“To date, GulfCorps has employed 275 young adults from the five Gulf States in the local restoration economy by providing job training and experience in a range of roles. Participants have restored damaged shorelines, planted native vegetation, repaired boardwalks, and more, and progressed to careers with Weeks Bay Reserve, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Osprey Initiative, and others.
“GulfCorps members they tell us in addition to gaining marketable new skills, they have also forged enduring connections with a rich coastal environment that was unfamiliar to most until they stepped up to conserve it.
“Over the next four years, GulfCorps projects to create another 400 meaningful jobs for area residents. As an organization committed to creating transformative opportunities for young people, and one with 70% of its alumni currently working or studying in an environmental field, SCA looks forward to working with our partners toward achieving this important goal.”
