DEP’s Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Receives Conservation Grants

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR) today announced three grants were awarded to the Friends of the Reserve, a private non-profit citizen organization established to support and enhance environmental education, stewardship of natural and cultural resources, and scientific research of the GTM NERR. The grants received will enable the GTM NERR to move forward with conservation and improvement projects.

“Thanks to the successful efforts of the Friends of the Reserve, the GTM NERR is extremely pleased to have the support of the Florida Native Plant Society, the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation and the Nature Conservancy,” said Dr. Mike Shirley, GTM NERR Environmental Administrator. “We will use the awarded funds to help conserve and protect natural and cultural resources and promote science-based stewardship and education strategies.”

• The Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to aid in the development of a comprehensive trail plan for future changes and improvements to the trail system within the GTM NERR’s nearly ten miles of trails.
• The Florida Native Plant Society has awarded a $1,355 grant to address the growing impact that invasive plants are having on the natural plant communities of the watershed of the GTM NERR by purchasing a “tool shed” of equipment and supplies to support the eradication work of members and volunteers of a new GTM NERR Watershed Invasive Plant Eradication Task Force.
• The Nature Conservancy has awarded a $10,000 grant to aid the Florida Scrub-Jay Conservation Program Fund which supports the Friends of the GTM Reserve and the GTM NERR’s effort in restoring 239 acres of coastal scrub within the GTM NERR property.

The GTM NERR was established as a partnership between the state of Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reserve is one of 27 research reserves operating across the nation and one of three in the state. DEP’s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) manages the three National Estuarine Research Reserves in Florida along with 41 aquatic preserves, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Reef Conservation Program. CAMA's programs and activities are designed to help Floridians better understand and conserve the state's resources through research, education and preservation. For more information on the GTM NERR visit www.floridadep.org/gtm. For more information on DEP's CAMA, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal.