The Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group has approved its Final Restoration Plan 1 and Environmental Assessment: Birds and Sturgeon which selects three projects at a total estimated cost of $16 million. These projects are intended to partially compensate the public for injuries caused by the spill to birds and sturgeon, consistent with the Trustees Council's Programmatic Restoration Plan. Two projects include restoration activities for injured migratory bird species that winter in the Gulf of Mexico, but nest in northern latitudes. The Trustees have determined that these bird species may be most effectively restored by enhancing breeding success in areas where these birds nest. Projects in the plan include:

• Restoration of Common Loons in Minnesota
• Restoration of Black Terns in North and South Dakota
• Characterizing Gulf Sturgeon Spawning Habitat, Habitat Use and Origins of Juvenile Sturgeon in the Pearl and Pascagoula River Systems

To read the plan and learn more about the projects listed above, head to the Gulf Spill Restoration website. >>