Partners & Funding
The restoration and outreach activities for the Bayou Auguste Greenway project are led by six main organizations. The Biloxi Housing Authority, Biloxi Public Schools, and the City of Biloxi each own property along the bayou that will be modified during the restoration process. These organizations are also providing volunteer and staff labor, equipment, plants, and building materials. The Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain is providing volunteers and expertise in land conservation issues. The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio is coordinating the design and construction of the restoration work and doing community outreach and education. Finally, the wetland scientists of Cypress Environmental Science and Management are providing habitat restoration planning and supervision.
The Bayou Auguste restoration plan began as part of the East Biloxi Neighborhood Plan completed in 2008 with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The planning work was done by the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio in collaboration with the Biloxi Housing Authority and other East Biloxi organizations. A Five Star Restoration Grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 2010 first helped solidify the partnership between the six organizations and develop the comprehensive goals of the overall project.
To date, the partnership organizations working to restore Bayou Auguste have been awarded three grants. In addition to the initial National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, the project is benefiting from a grant from the Fish America Foundation, and a grant from the Gulf of Mexico Community-based Restoration Partnership. In total, the funders have agreed to provide over $150,000 of the total $320,000 budget. The total budget includes matching funds from the project partners in the form of material donations, professional services, labor, and use of equipment. The project is a vivid example of the power of community partnerships and the value of working together to create ways to increase environmental stewardship.
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