This project proposes to protect shoreline and adjacent marsh habitat from gulf intracoastal waterway (GIWW) erosive forces at big boggy national wildlife refuge (NWR) in matagorda county

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2, awarded a $2.12 million Cooperative Agreement to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (Southern Regional Office) under the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) on October 1, 2025, with a completion date of August 31, 2027. The award funds the installation and implementation of 1.5 miles of rock riprap breakwater along the southern boundary of Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge in Matagorda County, Texas, to protect shoreline and adjacent marsh habitat from erosive forces generated by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW).

The project addresses critical coastal habitat degradation in the 1,800-acre Big Boggy Marsh, which represents approximately 25 percent of tidal marsh habitat on the north side of East Matagorda Bay. Historical erosion has occurred at an approximate rate of 5.2 feet per year over the past 75 years, resulting in the loss of 300 feet of shoreline and over 105 acres of wetland habitat since 1943. The breakwater installation will protect this vital ecosystem, which provides freshwater flow, sediments, nutrients, fisheries nursery habitat, and wildlife habitat essential to maintaining water quality and ecosystem function in the bay. The project aligns with the Coastal Program's mandate to provide technical and financial assistance for habitat protection and restoration benefiting federal trust species, including migratory birds.

The project will include the implementation of 1.5 mils of rock riprap breakwater along the refuge southern boundary. The 1800 acre big boggy marsh represents about 25 percent of the tidal marsh on the north side of east matagorda BAY. These mainland tidal marshes are extremely important because they receive freshwater flow sediments and nutrients from the surrounding watershed and maintain water quality fisheries nursery habitat and wildlife habitat for the BAY. The erosion rate along this portion of the GIWW is approximately 5.2 FT per YR over the past 75 years resulting in the loss of 300 feet of shoreline and over 105 acres of wetland habitat since 1943.