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Before traffic bound for Dauphin Island crosses a high-rise bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, it traverses a low, narrow causeway vulnerable to hurricane damage. That sliver of land is about to get more than $30 million in reinforcement that also will add an expanse of salt marsh habitat to the shoreline.
The Mobile County Commission voted Monday to accept a $22.6 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for work that will protect the causeway as well as hundreds of acres of salt marsh to its west, while adding new marsh to the east.
“This project restores and conserves critical habitat along the Dauphin Island Causeway,” said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “At the same time, it protects and strengthens the road that is the hurricane evacuation route for Dauphin Island.”
Scientific American
Development and sea-level rise threaten this crucial habitat and natural line of defense against storm surge
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A long stretch of salt marsh that hugs the East Coast from North Carolina to Florida is being targeted for conservation under a unique agreement reached by state and federal officials, including several Pentagon leaders concerned about climate change.
The goal in trying to protect more than 1 million acres of salt marsh is to maintain coastal resilience to climate change and protect inland property, including several major military bases that are jeopardized by rising sea levels and intensifying coastal storms. Salt marshes protect coastal and inland areas from flooding, storm surge and erosion, and have other benefits such as providing coastal habitat for birds and fish, which are vital to local economies.
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