Project Summary

1. Project ID
Name	Grand Bay Savannah–A Community-Based Initiative
Region	Gulf of Mexico Region
State	AL
Location	Grand Bay
Date of this update	8/3/00

Habitat Restoration/Protection
Wetlands
River systems
Beaches/Dunes
Offshore areas
Mangroves
Assisting Species at Risk
Pollution Mitigation
Non-Point Source Pollution
Other (describe)

3. Project description (100 words or less)

In recent years The Nature Conservancy has redirected much of its conservation work from protecting single tracts or preserves to developing landscape scale, community based projects. In doing so, the Conservancy has made a long-term commitment to work within the communities where it's conservation work is focused. Developing this local support will greatly enhance our conservation work.

Currently Mobile County, Alabama does not have home-rule, thus little self-governance countywide land use planning or zoning ordinances are possible locally. Consequently, development in unincorporated areas occurs randomly, outside any long term community vision or plan. The southern portion of Mobile County is rapidly growing despite the occurrence of numerous, sensitive coastal wetland areas. The Conservancy would like to initiate/facilitate local discussions relating to land use planning, compatible economic development and an overall assessment of economic, environmental and community health of the area. The overall health of this area directly impacts the estuarine resources of the Mississippi Sound through impacts to water quality, habitat degradation and alterations of hydrologic flow.

The Nature Conservancy's Grand Bay Savanna project is an intact landscape scale mosaic of natural communities that once characterized the southern Gulf Coastal Plain. Covering some 150,000 acres in southeastern Jackson County, Mississippi and southern Mobile County, Alabama, much of the vast biodiversity at Grand Bay is concentrated in the botanically rich wet pine savanna habitats. Other dominant community types include various woodland/shrublands, coastal maritime forests and estuarine communities. The biological significance of Grand Bay lies in the diversity of species and natural community types in addition to the ecological processes that maintain them. The estuarine communities and associated coastline are one of the least developed and most productive along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. The biological productivity of these estuarine communities is among the highest in the country.

The Conservancy has established a community-based project at Grand Bay, working within the local community to carry out long-term conservation. There are a variety of conservation partners working on different aspects of protection work at Grand Bay, including Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Alabama's Forever Wild Nature Preserve and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. Grand Bay has also been included as one of the Gulf of Mexico Program's Gulf Estuarine Management Sites (GEMS) for both the states of Alabama and Mississippi. At lease one waterbody within the project area is classified as "impaired waters." The Conservancy has recognized Grand Bay as part of its "Last Great Places" campaign of the 1990's.

The Conservancy has a long-term commitment to fulfilling our conservation goals at Grand Bay. We can best facilitate or initiate many of the appropriate conservation strategies for Grand Bay, however we can only be successful by working with and in cooperation with a multitude of private and public partners.

The primary stresses impacting the natural communities at Grand Bay include: habitat loss, fire suppression, exotic species, and alteration of hydrology and water quality degradation. While conservation work is ongoing at Grand Bay, there is a major need for additional data including biological inventory, water quality baseline information, hydrologic flow regimes etc. Efforts must be undertaken to encourage long term local planning on private and public properties including development of comprehensive resource management plans. In all community based initiatives it is imperative to involve the public sector, considering the needs of the local community. The Conservancy is embarking on more visible volunteer and outreach programs to promote conservation actions on appropriate lands. We are also involved with a local citizens group and are attempting to promote local planning and compatible economic development opportunities.

The process being proposed would involve facilitating a broad-based group of participants which would work to develop a shared vision among stakeholders, relating to economics, community and the environment. Public participation would be accomplished through workshops, tasks forces etc. and would focus on the referred topics. All of the Gulf Programs issue areas would be addressed.

The proposed community-based forum initiative would focus primarily in southern Mobile County, including the Fowl River, Coden, Bayou La Batre and Grand Bay communities. A preliminary request for project funding to the Gulf of Mexico program is $60,000. Work would include facilitating a planning process, an economic, community and environmental assessment and development of a community-based plan focusing on compatible economic development.

4. Goals/Benefits (quantify where possible using measures of success list) Was a cost-benefit study conducted for this project? yes/no If yes, provide a summary of findings.

5. Partners (include each participant's responsibilities - funding, permitting, etc.)

6. Funding/Contributions (organization and amount)

	  Cash	Federal	
			Non Federal 	State government 
					Local government
					Private industry
					Public interest groups
			Total	


	  In-Kind Services (hours, equipment, or other forms of assistance and estimated dollar 	value)
	
	  Volunteers (number of people and hours, and estimated dollar value)
                

7. Legislative authorities used by each participant

8. Value added by Coastal America Partnership including Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals achieved through this collaboration (500 words or less)

9. Project Status

• Initiation date:
• Completion date:
• Current stage (Initiated - I, Underway - U or Completed - C)

10.Contacts

11. Any additional information/comments