Texas is included in five of 28 restoration projects across the Gulf of Mexico under a conditional agreement between BP and Natural Resource Damage Assessment trustees.
Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesman Tom Harvey said although the Texas coast was less visibly impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas wildlife was affected.
"There was some BP oil that hit our shores, and perhaps more important, the Gulf resources that our state shares with others – sea turtles, oysters, shrimp, various kinds of fish and marine life – all those things amount to damages that do affect Texas," Harvey said.
The lion’s share of the funding, $10.7 million, would go to Galveston Island State Park for re-developing its campsites, an equestrian trail head, a boardwalk over the dunes to the beach, and other recreational enhancements.
Other projects include amenities that enhance wildlife and fishing experiences and educational opportunities at Sea Rim State Park; and construction of large artificial reefs or the enhancement of smaller reefs off the coast of Nueces, Jefferson, Matagorda, and Brazoria Counties.
- Learn more about the restoration effort at: www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov
