GulfCorps: An Investment in Conservation, Communities, and Coastal Habitats
Photo: Mike Dumas © TNC
Back in the day, when our kid was in college, we enjoyed following his adventures in AmeriCorps. The more we learned, the more we supported its mission of investing in community projects across the U.S. – not only benefiting those localities, but also providing AmeriCorps members invaluable skills and connection with others. GulfCorps has similar a similar mission while specifically focusing on the Gulf Coast. We’re excited to see how it develops and becomes part of the coastal conservation conversation. – Editor
From 2016-2021, NOAA received $9.2 million from the RESTORE Act to administer the GulfCorps program alongside federal and state partners on the RESTORE Council.
GulfCorps invests in the people along the Gulf of Mexico coast through a conservation corps program producing sustainable and lasting benefits to the environment, economy, and communities. The program provides short-term (less than one year) employment for local young adults, including veterans and those from underserved communities, as well as skills training and experience in jobs supporting local workforce development in the growing habitat restoration field.
GulfCorps trains and places participants to work on projects benefiting coastal habitat like wetlands, coastal forests, bogs, savannahs, oyster reefs, rivers, and streams. Through this work, GulfCorps participants receive field training that promotes career growth and future employment opportunities in conservation work. Projects include:
- Remove invasive species
- Plant native vegetation
- Stabilize shorelines
- Repair hydrology
- Restore sensitive habitats
- Support sustainable fisheries
- Contribute to the recovery of protected resources
- Other management actions in the Gulf of Mexico region
GulfCorps employed more than 500 participants from 2017-2023 in coastal habitat conservation and restoration in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Collectively during the first five years, these young adults completed more than 330,000 hours of service. They performed a range of conservation and restoration projects on local, state, and federal lands and waters positively impacting 22,500 acres of habitat.
From 2023-2025, the GulfCorps program anticipates engaging an additional 90 participants, and restoring more than 3,200 acres of habitat.
Read More at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
