Discarded oyster shells will help rejuvenate a natural shoreline in Eden Gardens State Park in Walton County. A Gulf Power-supported Five Star Restoration grant of $23,500 will help fuel the project, aimed at restoring a 3,600 square-foot section of native marsh habitat to provide educational opportunities to schoolchildren.

The project is also being funded by an $87,000 match from the Northwest Florida State College Foundation, Inc., and their partners, including: the E.O. Dunn Foundation, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Walton County School District and the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance. The oyster shells will come from three partner restaurants: Buster's Oyster Bar, Stinky’s Fish Camp and the Back Porch Restaurant. 

“This project uses a proven method to restore native habitat, plus it helps educate and inspire our future generations,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokeswoman. “Partnerships like this are crucial in helping restore and protect our precious shorelines.”

Volunteers will form reef bases using bags of oyster shells donated from the three area restaurants. The reefs will attract new oysters, which will filter water and help stabilize the reef. Students in the Grasses to Classes educational programs will plant native sea grasses and marsh grass.

Gulf Power has supported similar projects throughout Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast. Recently, Gulf Power grants helped the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Keep Pensacola Beautiful launch Project OYSTER in Bayou Texar. Gulf Power volunteers also helped the DEP restore shoreline at Naval Support Activity base, Panama City in 2010 and 2011, and another Five Star grant helped fund the Deadman’s Island restoration in Gulf Breeze.

Ten years ago, Gulf Power helped the DEP launch Project GreenShores, which restored shoreline along the Pensacola Bayfront — a project that garnered national awards.

Southern Company, Gulf Power’s parent company, is the lead Southeastern regional corporate sponsor for Five Star/Urban Waters Restoration Program, which has recently expanded. The new program is a partnership with the National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Wildlife Habitat Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southern Company, FedEx and others.

It provides financial assistance to support community-based wetland, riparian and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities. 

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”
 

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