The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $1,488,000 in federal funding to the university of south alabama in mobile, alabama for characterizing socio-environmental…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing a $1,488,000 Project Grant to the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469). The funding will be used to develop a framework for optimizing social and environmental benefits of future public access investments in coastal Alabama. The project will involve in-depth field studies on environmental conditions (e.g., coastal habitats, infrastructure) and social outcomes (e.g., recreational use, satisfaction) for at least 60 public access sites in Mobile Bay and surrounding coastal waters. The goal is to characterize coastal habitats and their role in supporting healthy ecosystems, as well as how these sites and environmental conditions influence recreational users and local communities. The award period is from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2027.

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $1,488,000 in federal funding to the university of south alabama in mobile, alabama for characterizing socio-environmental conditions along coastal alabama. Specifically, university of south alabama will use these funds to develop a framework for optimizing social and environmental benefits of future public access investments in coastal alabama. The project will involve in-depth field studies on environmental conditions (e.g., coastal habitats, infrastructure) and social outcomes (e.g., recreational use, satisfaction) for at least 60 public access sites in mobile BAY and surrounding coastal waters. These studies will focus on characterizing coastal habitats (e.g., native or invasive vegetation, artificial structures) and their role in supporting healthy coastal ecosystems, as well as how these sites and environmental conditions influence recreational users and local communities.