New tool provides easy tracking of oil spill restoration projects
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.–A new website allows visitors to see where Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill restoration projects are taking place. The largest environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico began April 20, 2010, taking 11 lives when it occurred. With the fifth anniversary of the oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance releases the “Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Project Tracker” a comprehensive website that maps oil spill restoration projects (www.dwhprojecttracker.org).
“From the person who needs a snapshot of what’s going on in their state, to the scientists and public officials identifying critical coastal restoration priorities, the DWH Project Tracker will be a source of basic and critical information”
“From the person who needs a snapshot of what’s going on in their state, to the scientists and public officials identifying critical coastal restoration priorities, the DWH Project Tracker will be a source of basic and critical information,” said Gulf of Mexico Alliance Executive Director Laura Bowie. The objective of the DWH Project Tracker is to be the most complete picture of the location, type, and scope of projects funded as a result of the oil spill.
Current and user friendly, the Tracker breaks out environmental, economic, and science/research projects. It displays the “metadata,” or the who, what, when, where, and why of a project. Each project snapshot includes a brief description, contact, and link to access more technical information.
The Tracker development team works with the groups funding projects related to the oil spill to ensure information accuracy. The interactive site can help organizations effectively plan projects, enhance collaboration with others, and track and assess programs. Currently, the DWH Project Tracker contains early funded projects from: Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA); National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF); North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA); Louisiana Berms to Barriers, MOEX, and the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). As additional restoration or recovery projects are awarded, they will be added to the DWH Project Tracker.
In May 2014, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance formed a partnership with The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) to build the DWH Project Tracker. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance brought to the partnership web presence and a trusted regional network; TPL and DU brought national experience with financial databases and technical expertise in geo-spatial analyses. The U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities and the Knobloch Family Foundation lent their support, providing funding to make the Tracker a reality. It is expected to be a long-lasting resource for the Gulf of Mexico region.