Project Name: University of West Florida and City of Milton Water Quality and Stream Remediation Partnership
Awardee: City of Milton
Amount Awarded: $47,932.50
The City of Milton, in partnership with the University of West Florida, will work to restore and enhance a stormwater-connected tributary and stream system feeding into the Blackwater River, an Outstanding Florida Water. The project will address sedimentation, unmanaged street and recreational water runoff, and wetland overgrowth that are degrading water quality and increasing untreated discharges into the river.
Using academic expertise, local knowledge, and a science-driven approach, the project will identify sources and pathways of sediment, clarify stream ownership and maintenance responsibilities, assess water and soil quality, and develop a community-supported remediation and restoration plan.
Project Name: Multi-Species Monitoring Through Acoustic Technology
Awardee: Escambia County
Amount Awarded: $54,170.66
Escambia County, in partnership with USGS and Florida Sea Grant/IFAS Extension, will expand acoustic telemetry monitoring and support the Panhandle Terrapin Project across Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. Expanding the region’s acoustic receiver array will help fill critical data gaps related to habitat use, connectivity, population status, movement ecology, and ecosystem health for multiple species.
The project will also expand diamondback terrapin monitoring through routine trapping for mark-and-recapture studies, genetic sampling, and telemetry tagging to better understand terrapin population status, habitat use, and movement ecology. Education and outreach materials will complement these monitoring efforts by sharing information about diamondback terrapins and acoustic monitoring.
Project Name: Jones Swamp Creek Heritage Center Greenhouse
Awardee: Escambia County
Amount Awarded: $27,968
Escambia County will restore a native plant greenhouse and construct an outdoor planting area at the Creek Heritage Center to support shoreline restoration and native plant propagation throughout the Pensacola and Perdido Bay watersheds.
In partnership with Franklin’s Promise Coalition, a regional AmeriCorps partner, youth participating in the Opportunity Youth Service Initiative will lead hands-on plant care and construction efforts while receiving training in plant propagation and ecosystem restoration. The greenhouse initiative will support ecological resilience, environmental education, and workforce development across the region.
Project Name: STEM in the WILD!
Awardee: Girl Scouts of Gateway Council
Amount Awarded: $10,000
Girl Scouts of Gateway Council will provide a full-day, immersive environmental STEM experience during its annual regional STEM Camp. Through hands-on activities led by STEM professionals, participants will explore local ecosystems, investigate environmental issues, examine adaptations of native plants and animals, conduct water quality testing, and observe estuarine habitats.
The experience will help participants build their understanding of ecology, biodiversity, and human-environment interactions while exploring how they can contribute to conservation in their own communities. Transportation, meals, and supplies will be provided to eliminate barriers to participation, and each girl will complete a field journal and earn a STEM badge and patch.
Project Name: The Creek Heritage Center Nature Walk and Learning Grove
Awardee: Santa Rosa Band of Lower Muscogee
Amount Awarded: $15,730
The Creek Heritage Center Nature Walk and Learning Grove Project will create an immersive outdoor educational experience that blends Native American perspectives on environmental stewardship with modern ecological science. Designed for school-aged children, the project will include interpretive signage, native plantings, benches, a walk-over bridge, and an outdoor classroom known as the Learning Grove.
Through culturally relevant signage, guided tours, demonstrations, and hands-on conservation activities, students will explore native plants, wildlife, watershed processes, and the interconnectedness of people and the estuarine ecosystem. By integrating Creek traditional ecological knowledge with local history and ecology, the project will highlight ancestral values of respect, reciprocity, and care for land and water while encouraging future generations to protect the estuary.
Project Name: Tracking Marsh Health with DNA: A Framework for Science, Education, and Coastal Resilience
Awardee: University of West Florida
Amount Awarded: $44,528.50
The University of West Florida will compare the biodiversity and resilience of restored and natural salt marshes in the Pensacola and Perdido Bay region. Using traditional and DNA-based methods, researchers will study sediment-dwelling organisms, such as marine worms and clams, that serve as important indicators of ecosystem health. Sediment samples from three restored and three natural marshes will be analyzed to assess biodiversity, identify signs of functional recovery, and identify species that can serve as long-term indicators of restoration success.
The project will also bring this research into local classrooms and the community through educational videos, hands-on school visits featuring marine invertebrates and scientific tools, and public talks sharing project findings with community members and local decision-makers.
Project Name: The Shorebird Shelter: A Safer Space to Roost
Awardee: Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida
Amount Awarded: $49,670.34
The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida will expand and restore an enclosure for permanently injured native shorebirds, including Brown Pelicans and a Great Blue Heron, to better reflect their natural coastal environment. Native plantings will provide shelter and enrichment for the resident birds while demonstrating the role native vegetation plays in shoreline health and estuarine resilience. The naturalized habitat will also serve as a year-round educational resource for sanctuary visitors.
The project will also support the removal of invasive tilapia from an adjacent pond connected to Bayou Chico and isolated by a weir. Volunteers will remove the fish using cast nets, with samples submitted for toxicology testing to determine their suitability as a supplemental food source for resident birds. Together, these efforts will restore habitat, address invasive species, and connect visitors with the ecology of local estuarine systems.
